The undersigned organizations representing the public health, medical and patient advocacy communities strongly oppose legislative efforts that undermine the regulatory process and weaken critical public health protections. Legislation including the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act (H.R. 142), the Midnight Rules Relief Act (S. 164/H.R. 77) and the Guidance Out of Darkness (GOOD) Act would significantly hinder the timely implementation of evidence-based protections, jeopardizing the health and safety of your constituents. We strongly oppose these bills and similar legislation.
These bills would introduce additional bureaucracy to the regulatory process, delaying or outright blocking essential public health protections. The REINS Act would require Congress to approve all “major” rules issued by federal agencies within a short 70-day window. This means critical health and safety regulations from agencies such as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration could be indefinitely stalled by congressional inaction, leaving your constituents exposed to preventable harms.
The Midnight Rules Relief Act would allow Congress to overturn multiple rules finalized in the final months of a presidential administration through a single joint resolution, instead of requiring separate consideration for each rule. This would undermine carefully developed, evidence-based policies that address crucial public health and safety concerns, including air and water quality standards, drug and delivery device safety standards and key healthcare rules. By allowing for the mass repeal of rules without proper review, this legislation would jeopardize the health and safety of the people in this country.
The GOOD Act would further jeopardize public health protections. This bill is disguised as a measure to improve transparency and accessibility of federal agency guidance documents, but in reality, it would impose unnecessary burdens on agencies while increasing confusion and legal uncertainty around important public health recommendations. By complicating the issuance of guidance, the GOOD Act risks delaying the implementation of critical health and safety measures, weakening protections that safeguard the public from harm.
Together, these bills would stymie and weaken the implementation of lifesaving public health and safety regulations that would benefit millions of people in the U.S. by preventing illness, injury and death. When the health and safety of the public is at risk, from either a specific disaster or an ongoing threat, federal safeguards are vital to ensuring the well-being of communities across the country. Weakening the framework that safeguards our nation will risk lives, delay critical interventions and leave public health in limbo.
We urge you to oppose the REINS Act, the Midnight Rules Relief Act, the GOOD Act and other similar legislation that threaten the ability of federal agencies to implement necessary and lifesaving public health protections.