House passes bill to overturn 'midnight' regulations en masse

Legislation to allow Congress to repeal in a single vote any rule finalized in the last 60 legislative days of the Obama Administration sailed through the House Jan 4, the second time in less than two months. The GOP-backed Midnight Rule Relief Act, which passed the previous Congress in November, was approved largely along party lines by a vote of 238-184 on the second day of the new Congress, despite Democratic opposition. If passed by the Senate and signed by President-elect Donald Trump, the legislation would amend the Congressional Review Act to allow lawmakers to bundle together multiple rules and overturn them en masse with a joint resolution of disapproval. That could include things like Federal Communications Commission broadband privacy regulations or Lifeline subsidy reforms that drew fire from Hill and FCC Republicans. The White House has already threatened to veto the bill if it were to make it to President Obama's desk before he leaves office.