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Source: Congress.gov
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Good afternoon. The committee will come to order. Without objection, the chair is authorized to declare recess at any time. Today, the Rules Committee is convening to consider two separate measures, SJRES 13 and SJRES 31. SJRES 13 provides for congressional disapproval of a rule submitted by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency of the Department of the Treasury relating to the review of applications under the Bank Merger Act. The OCC's bank merger rule is as biased as it is flawed. It discourages competition within the industry, erects swaths of red tape that ensnare bank merger application, and erodes the integrity of our financial system. This rule is not grounded in sound policy. It serves to kneecap small and mid-sized banks while restricting access to credit for millions of customers across the country. This is yet another Biden-era rule that we must dispense with, and we intend on doing so. SJRES 31 provides for congressional disapproval of a rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to quote, review a final rule reclassification of major sources as area sources under Section 112 of the Clean Air Act, end quote. EPA's rule is misguided. It unfairly binds American energy producers in a regulatory straitjacket. while removing a commonsense incentive for them to lower their own emissions. The former rule that was put into place during President Trump's previous term encouraged these energy producers to take positive and substantive steps to reduce emissions without the looming threat of a regulatory barrage.
But this EPA rule runs counter to that, and it operates on a premise That is unjust. What America needs is a vigorous energy manufacturing posture and not one that's riddled with endless regulatory hoops that energy producers are required to jump through. Achieving American energy dominance is not found through overregulation. It's found through good, sensible policies that are not heavy-handed and inflexible. The EPA's rule is not grounded in good, sensible policy, and that's precisely why it must be overturned. Over the last four years, the private sector found itself contorted into knots thanks to the previous administration's proclivity to regulate the hell out of everything. But it's a new year, a new Congress, and new administration. We're moving in a better direction. With that, I look forward to today's discussion, and I now yield to Mr. McGovern for any comments he wishes to make. Well, thank you, Madam Chair.
Let me just say, these are two lousy, terrible measures that you have us considering here today. More help for big banks and big polluters. That's been the entire Republican agenda so far. Help the polluters, help the banks, help Wall Street, help the CEOs. You guys want to help everyone except everyday people who actually need help. It's honestly beyond shameful. But to be honest, it's not even worth it to talk about these CRAs. What I do want to talk about is the fact that this morning, after midnight actually, Republicans told us that we would be considering their budget reconciliation bill at 1 o'clock in the morning on Wednesday. If Trump's big, beautiful bill is so great, why not debate it when people are still awake? Wouldn't you want everyone to know how great it is? Why are you debating it at 1 o'clock in the morning? I think that's prime time in Guam. Any person with half a brain cell can immediately figure out why you want to notice a meeting for 1 a.m. It's because you don't want people to know what's in your bill. Remember what Trump said? Close your eyes and vote for it. That's exactly what you're all doing because you all know exactly what the bill does, how unpopular it is. and what regular Americans think of it. It's going to give a huge, massive, historic tax cut to billionaires paid for by stealing, stealing from the American people, ripping away Medicaid from parents and grandparents, ripping away food assistance from kids. This is night. This is not hyperbole, my friends. We're not fear mongering.
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