President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to make slashing regulations a “cornerstone” of his administration.
On the campaign trail, Trump suggested as many as 70 percent of federal regulations “can go” and also proposed a moratorium on new rules.
With control of both chambers, congressional Republicans are also eager to roll back Obama’s regulatory legacy. And they have a number of tools at their disposal.
The Congressional Review Act allows them to disapprove of rules within 60-days after they were issued. For older rules, Trump can instruct agencies to revisit the regulations or provide guidance to not prioritize their enforcement.
“There are a lot of policy disagreements between Trump and congressional Republicans, but one thing they can all agree on is regulations,” said Sam Batkins, director of regulatory policy at the business-oriented American Action Forum.