House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) have sent letters to several federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Commerce, and the Council on Environmental Quality. The letters request documentation on how these agencies plan to comply with rulemaking guidance following the recent Supreme Court decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo.
Westerman stated: "The expansive administrative state Chevron deference encouraged has undermined our system of government, overburdening our citizenry and threatening to overwhelm the founders’ system of checks and balances. Thankfully, the Court in Loper Bright has now corrected its Chevron error, reaffirming that '[i]t is emphatically the province and duty of the judicial department to say what the law is.' This long-needed reversal should stem the vast tide of federal agencies’ overreach. Given the Biden administration’s track record, however, the Committee is compelled to underscore the implications of Loper Bright and remind you of the limitations it has set on your authority."
The full letters can be accessed here.
Background:
On June 28, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its opinion in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, explicitly overruling Chevron and reducing federal agencies' authority while reinforcing Congress's Article I legislative power. The decision addresses decades-long concerns about federal agency overreach enabled by Chevron deference, which allowed broad interpretations of ambiguous statutes.
The Biden administration had relied heavily on Chevron deference for issuing extensive agency mandates. In response to this ruling, Republican-led congressional committees are now leveraging their legislative and investigative powers to reassert Article I responsibilities and ensure compliance with the limits established by Loper Bright.
