House Judiciary Bill Is a Direct Attack on Consumer Protections and the Rule of Law
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the House Judiciary Committee released a draft reconciliation bill, which is slated to be marked up later this week.
Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, reacted to the bill text:
“The House Judiciary Committee has put forth a bill laden with language attempting to protect corporate wrongdoers.
“One provision appears to effectively eliminate the FTC pro-competition division. Another set of provisions make significant changes to the already overreaching Congressional Review Act. One measure says that major rules that raise revenue go into effect only if Congress proactively approves them. Another section says for the next four years Congress has to affirmatively approve rules for them not to expire. If made law, this would sign a death warrant for a slew of important consumer, worker and environmental protections.
“Additionally, the bill would restrict federal courts from enforcing contempt orders against the executive branch, unless plaintiffs posted impossibly high bonds. This is a direct attack on the federal judiciary’s ability to uphold the rule of law and check Donald Trump’s out-of-control administration.”