WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th March, 2023) The US House of Representatives passed a resolution to block a Biden administration rule redefining the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) and expanding Federal regulatory powers.
House lawmakers passed the joint resolution on Thursday in a vote of 227-198, with nine Democrats joining all but one Republican in support of the legislation.
The resolution blocks an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule expanding their jurisdiction and permitting requirements under the Clean Water Act.
"The only certainty farmers and landowners get from Biden's 2023 WOTUS rule is the certainty that if a raindrop falls on a farmer's property, a government agent will show up to tell that farmer what can and can't be done with the land," Congressman Thomas Massie said in a statement on the measure.
The bill is cosponsored by 170 Republican members of the House of Representatives.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said in a statement that Republicans will continue to fight against the Biden administration's "weaponization of the administrative state." Biden's rule would have had a significant economic impact on small businesses, Scalise added.
