House of Representatives Passes Resolution to Overturn Biden’s WOTUS Rule
The House of Representatives approved H.J. Res. 27, a resolution to overturn the Biden Administration’s “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rule, by a vote of 227 to 198. The Biden rule would drastically expand the federal government’s authority to regulate navigable waters and have a major impact on small businesses, manufacturers, farmers, builders, local communities, and private property owners.[0]
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved a resolution to void the Biden Administration’s Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule, which is set to take effect on March 20. The resolution, H.J. Res. 27, would block the Biden Administration’s clarified rule that seeks to provide clarity and predictability while protecting water quality and supply. The White House has threatened to veto the resolution, claiming that it would lead to an “uncertain, fragmented, and watered-down regulatory system.”[1]
The resolution passed the House largely along party lines, with one Republican, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), and nine Democrats supporting it. It now heads to the Senate, where its prospects are unclear.[2] Democrats hold a narrow majority in the chamber, and Sens. John Fetterman (Pa.) and Dianne Feinstein (Calif.) are out for medical reasons.[2]
The resolution is the second Biden regulation that the House has voted to get rid of in as many weeks.[2] Supporters say the regulations are too stringent, while Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) argued that they could have a “massive impact on local communities and Americans’ ability to do their jobs and manage their own private property.”
The water fight that the House waded into is also the subject of a pending Supreme Court case, where justices are weighing whether to narrow which bodies of water the federal government can regulate.[2] Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) said, “I will never stop fighting for [rural communities],” and urged the Senate to join the House in passing the resolution.
0. “House Votes to Overturn Flawed, Overreaching Biden WOTUS Rule | Transportation and Infrastructure Committee” The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 9 Mar. 2023, https://transportation.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=406191
1. “House votes to overturn Biden administration water regulation” NBC4 WCMH-TV, 9 Mar. 2023, https://www.nbc4i.com/hill-politics/house-votes-to-overturn-biden-administration-water-regulation/
2. “House votes to overturn Biden administration water regulation” Yahoo News, 9 Mar. 2023, https://news.yahoo.com/house-votes-overturn-biden-administration-214958508.html
