Since our last update (May 12), we have seen some movement regarding Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolutions. The pace has remained high, with outlets like The Hill and Banking Dive reporting that President Trump has signed multiple resolutions into law. Oddly, no official sources (like the White House’s website or congress.gov) reflect these developments.
According to the news outlets, the president signed five resolutions into law, targeting rules from the Department of Energy and the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection:
- H.J.Res.75, targeting therule submitted by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy relating to “Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Commercial Refrigerators, Freezers, and Refrigerator-Freezers.”
- H.J.Res.20, targeting therule submitted by the Department of Energy relating to “Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Consumer Gas-fired Instantaneous Water Heaters.”
- H.J.Res.24, targeting therule submitted by the Department of Energy relating to “Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Walk-In Coolers and Walk-In Freezers.”
- H.J.Res.42, targeting therule submitted by the Department of Energy relating to “Energy Conservation Program for Appliance Standards: Certification Requirements, Labeling Requirements, and Enforcement Provisions for Certain Consumer Products and Commercial Equipment.”
- S.J.Res.18, targeting therule submitted by the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection relating to “Overdraft Lending: Very Large Financial Institutions.”
With these signatures, there are currently eight CRA resolutions that have become law. Two additional resolutions were sent to the president on May 16, so we can expect that they will be signed into law in the coming weeks. These resolutions are:
- H.J.Res.60, targeting therule submitted by the National Park Service relating to “Glen Canyon National Recreation Area: Motor Vehicles”.
- H.J.Res.61, targeting therule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to “National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Rubber Tire Manufacturing.”
Additionally, there are two more resolutions that are still likely to make it to the president’s desk. These are on the House calendar for Tuesday, May 20, and with a successful vote, they will have cleared both chambers. These resolutions are:
- S.J. Res.13, targeting therule submitted by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency of the Department of the Treasury relating to the review of applications under the Bank Merger Act.
- S.J. Res.31, targeting therule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to ‘‘Review of Final Rule Reclassification of Major Sources as Area Sources Under Section 112 of the Clean Air Act.’’
We continue to monitor additional developments regarding CRA actions. Critically, we are waiting to see what Republican leadership in the Senate will do regarding resolutions targeting EPA waivers for California climate and air pollution standards. As of today, there is little indication of the direction the Senate will go, as there is no mention of the CRA in today’s Senate calendar. Whether Senate leadership decides to take the resolutions up for a vote is an open question, but the answers should come very soon: the window for the Senate to vote expires this week.
