Regulatory Red Tape: How the Biden-Harris Administration's Overbearing Rules are Suffocating Small Businesses

The House Committee on Small Business is set to hold a markup on seven bills aimed at tackling the Biden-Harris administration's alleged overregulation of small businesses. According to a report by the committee, the administration has imposed $1.7 trillion in regulations on small businesses, equivalent to 312 million paperwork compliance hours. But what's behind this staggering figure, and is it really as bad as it seems? Let's dive in and examine the claims. The report found that federal agencies often failed to adequately examine the economic costs of regulations, citing 28 instances where this occurred. Furthermore, agencies would "improperly certify that rules will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities." This raises questions: What if this assumption is wrong? What might the author have missed? Critics argue that the Biden-Harris administration has circumvented the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA), which was signed into law by President Jimmy Carter in 1980. The RFA aims to protect small businesses from overregulation by requiring federal agencies to consider their impact on these entities. But have the agencies really failed to do their due diligence? The investigation found that agencies would not check to see if a new rule was in conflict with other rules or duplicative, nor would they comply with congressional oversight or hand over requested information during the rulemaking process. This lack of transparency and accountability has led to a significant regulatory burden on small businesses.

But are these claims limited to the Biden-Harris administration? Have previous administrations been immune to these issues? It's essential to consider the broader context and historical background of regulatory policies to gain a deeper understanding of the situation. Moreover, have the affected parties, including small businesses and trade groups, been adequately represented in the regulatory process? Have their concerns been taken into account, or have they been silenced by the weight of bureaucratic red tape? The seven bills being reviewed by the House Committee on Small Business aim to strengthen and boost protections for small businesses. One proposal, the bipartisan Prove It Act, would increase small business input in the regulatory process and ensure agencies are fully accounting for the impact of regulations on these entities. Other proposals would increase transparency and accountability in the regulatory process. As Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX), chairman of the House Committee on Small Business, said, "The regulatory burden placed on Main Street America throughout the Biden-Harris Administration is hard to comprehend." But is this burden a result of the administration's policies alone, or is it a symptom of a deeper issue?

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