Tax reform and infrastructure spending haven’t happened, but a rollback of regulations pleases business
The business group has been keeping a tally of deregulatory actions this year, and its scorecard lists 29 executive actions—executive orders by Mr. Trump or directives from his White House—to reduce regulatory requirements. In response, executive-branch agencies have issued 100 additional directives that either knock down regulations or begin a process to eliminate or shrink them.
The chamber’s count also lists almost 50 pieces of legislation that have been introduced or begun moving through Congress. And that count doesn’t include perhaps the most aggressive step the Republican Congress has taken: It has pioneered the use of a little-known 1996 law, the Congressional Review Act, that allows lawmakers to repeal executive-branch regulations within 60 days after they are finalized.
Using that law, Congress has passed, and Mr. Trump has signed, legislation overturning 14 regulations promulgated by President Barack Obama’s administration in its final days.
Then, just last week, Congress passed legislation repealing a rule put in place this year by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau—created under Mr. Obama’s administration—that would have made it easier for consumers to sue banks in financial disputes. The legislation, one of the most significant wins for the financial industry in years, passed the Senate 51-50 when Vice President Mike Pence broke a tie...........To Read More....
President Trump continues to bump along with weak job-approval numbers, with a 38% reading in the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC poll. WSJ's Gerald F. Seib digs into what Americans like and dislike about his performance, including on storms, national security and the economy. Photo: AP