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'Midnight Rule' Passes House

House Republicans in Washington saw their Midnight Rule Relief Act passed largely along party lines yesterday. The bill allows Congress to repeal any rule finalized in the last 60 legislative days of the Obama administration with a single vote. This is the second such measure passed in the republican controlled house in less than two months.

The bill was passed 238-184.

U.S. Rep John Ratcliffe (R-4th) voted in favor of the measure, saying that the bill is designed to thwart “executive overreach” that often gets signed in the waning days of an administration.

House Democrats blasted the move for not allowing review of any measure that comes from the final two months of the Obama presidency.

Should the measure pass the senate and be signed into law by President-elect Donald Trump upon assuming office, it would amend the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to review, by means of an expedited legislative process, new federal regulations issued by government agencies and, by passage of a joint resolution, to overrule a regulation.

Republicans are in no hurry to get the measure through to the White House. President Obama said he will veto the bill should it cross his desk.

Scott Morgan has been an award-winning journalist since 2001. His work has appeared in several newspapers and magazines as well as online. He has also been an editor, freelancer, speaker, writing teacher, author, and podcaster.