Senator Mike Lee on REINS Act, Deregulation, and Spending Cuts

The REINS Act and Regulatory Reform

• 🏛️ Senator Mike Lee discusses the REINS Act as a crucial measure to return lawmaking power to Congress.
• 💸 The act aims to prevent new, major regulations from taking effect unless affirmatively passed by Congress, addressing the immense cost of regulatory compliance, estimated at $3-4 trillion annually.
• ✍️ This reform is intended to ensure that Americans only live under federal laws made by their elected lawmakers, not unelected bureaucrats.

Outsourcing Lawmaking to Bureaucrats

• 📉 Lee argues that Congress has outsourced lawmaking to unelected bureaucrats to avoid work and accountability.
• 📄 The Biden administration alone added 100,000 pages of regulations, written by individuals not accountable to voters.
• ⚖️ The REINS Act seeks to revolutionize the system by making the Constitution's intent of congressional lawmaking a reality.

Permitting Reform and Economic Growth

• 🚀 Permitting reform is highlighted as essential for energy projects, pipelines, and housing, aiming to reduce project timelines from years to months.
• 🛠️ While executive orders can provide temporary relief, codifying permitting reform into law requires 60 Senate votes.
• 📈 Lee expresses confidence in securing these votes, building on previous legislative efforts like the Unshackle Act.

Fiscal Responsibility and Spending Cuts

• ✂️ Lee advocates for deeper spending cuts, returning to pre-pandemic spending levels.
• 💰 He proposes locking FY2026 spending at no higher than $6.5 trillion and holding it there until a balanced budget is achieved.
• 🌍 The elimination of