House Bill Would Expose All Major FCC Rules To Repeal

WASHINGTON, July 1, 2025 – Rep. Derek Schmidt (R-Kan.) has introduced a bill to change the terms of the Congressional Review Act, making it possible for Congress to overturn any federal agency action, regardless of when an action was implemented.

The CRA’s current rule states that Congress can repeal any federal act within a 60-day lookback period–the deadline Schmidt’s bill would repeal.

In a press release, Schmidt said: “There is no reason Congress’s ability to review and undo the nearly 200,000 pages of rules in the Federal Register should be limited to a short and arbitrary time window after the regulation is imposed.”

According to Ballotpedia, under the Trump administration, a record-breaking number of resolutions have been signed in the wake of the Biden administration. Just in Trump’s second term, he has repealed 16 resolutions as of June 20, 2025.

Passed in 1996, the CRA allowed Congress to void regulations issued by agencies like the Federal Communications Commission. A CRA resolution needs the President’s approval to avoid a veto struggle.

The American Action Forum said on its website, “First, presidents are highly unlikely to sign a disapproval resolution of a rule their administration issued. Second, Congress must typically be under the full control of the party opposite the administration that issued the rule.” This results in the CRA being scarcely used, AAF said.

Schmidt’s approach would allow Congress to go back to any past rule and void it. Agencies are then unable to use the rule again, unless given consent from Congress to reinstate the rule.

Bill co-sponsor Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.) said, “This bill ensures that any rule can be reviewed and expelled swiftly if it exceeds legal bounds. This is about accountability, not convenience, and locking in reforms so administrative agencies can never sidestep the will of the people.”