Do you remember the horrific reign of Joe Biden, when he wielded the Executive wand as if all-powerful? The GOP was appalled.
As soon as they regained control of the House in the 2022 elections, all energy went into taking back the reins. Thus, the REINS Act — the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act of 2023. The purpose of the act was “to reassert Congress’ legislative authority and prevent excessive overreach by the executive branch.”
These were the heady days of Kevin McCarthy, who got to bang the gavel as Speaker of the House for a full 269 days, the shortest tenure of a Speaker in more than 140 years. But boy did he bang. Banging out a stream of outrage, including the righteous Separation of Powers Act, censuring Adam Schiff, and defunding everything from the Paris Climate Agreement to the UN Relief Agency.
Freshman Representative Mike Lawler voted with Marjorie Taylor Greene in favor of all of these, including the REINS Act. Of course, none of them made it through the Senate, which the Democrats still controlled.
The REINS Act is actually a movement. A number of states have already passed versions of the act. As argued by Americans for Prosperity:
Regulations act like a hidden tax that drains billions from our economy and harms millions of American businesses. Here’s how:
- The bureaucracy creates a new rule, and businesses scramble to comply.
- They hire consultants, change operations, and check boxes — all to avoid penalties.
- You pay higher prices as businesses pass the costs on to the consumer.
Now try this exercise. Substitute “tariffs” for “regulations” above, and “the President” for “the bureaucracy.” Still makes sense, right?
Trump’s tariff lunacy was on full display last week. Among the many letters he sent out to the world, one went to Brazil. Said Trump:
“Brazil’s attacks on US tech companies and this disgraceful witch hunt against Bolsonaro will not be tolerated. If Brazil refuses to end this madness, all goods will face a 50% tariff. America must protect its friends!”
You thought these tariffs were about trade deficits? We ran a $6.8B trade surplus with Brazil last year, and we’re their second largest trading partner after China. Get ready for the price of coffee to go up.
This is where we are. Tariffs are imposed at the whim of our President to pursue his personal political and business agenda. America must protect its friend Jair Bolsonaro? As with most Trump babble (including “MAGA”), substitute “Trump” for “America” to reach true understanding.
Congress has the constitutional power to impose tariffs. Do you see any effort by Mike Lawler or his playmates in Congress to “reassert” their authority over tariffs?
Here’s Mike Lawler on the tariffs back on April 25th:
Congress will likely exert more authority over US trade policy if the White House doesn’t demonstrate “significant progress” in the ongoing tariff negotiations with dozens of countries in the coming weeks, New York Republican Representative Mike Lawler says.
“If they can make significant progress over the next 30-plus days, then I think a lot of this will settle down,” Lawler said in an interview with Bloomberg News. “If this flares up again, then I think you would likely see Congress step in.”
— Bloomberg News, April 25, 2025
We’re going on 3 months past that statement. What kind of flares is Mike Lawler waiting for?
And then there’s Lawler’s vote to “supercharge” funding for ICE and unleash Kristi Noem upon the land for photo ops. As with tariffs, Congress holds primary authority over immigration and spending. Why no move to “REIN” in the executive branch on tariffs, deportations and spending?
Maybe we need an Executive in Need Of Understanding Grace and Humanity Act. The ENOUGH Act.
Rule of Lawler 