WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) issued the following statement regarding H.J. Res. 27, which would overturn the Biden Administration's latest Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule:
"America's farmers and ranchers have tough enough jobs without Washington Democrats inventing new problems. But yet again, unelected bureaucrats at the EPA are trying to dump massive new regulations onto the heads of the small businesses that feed and fuel our economy.
"The Biden Administration's latest version of the Waters of the United States is not some commonsense conservation measure. It's a radical power grab that would give federal bureaucrats sweeping control over nearly every piece of land that touches a pothole, ditch, or puddle. They practically want to treat every piece of property that occasionally gets wet as if it were a navigable waterway — and overregulate accordingly. Democrats want citizens across the country to have to ask unelected government employees for permission to manage their own land.
"It is massively difficult and expensive for private citizens and small businesses to comply with tangled and ever-changing regulations from Washington. This liberal action would amount to a huge new time and money tax on farmers, ranchers, cattlemen, and contractors from coast to coast. It would dramatically complicate life for countless family businesses, entrepreneurs, and even families who are just trying to build a house on their own private land.
"My constituents in Kentucky are outraged. As one farmer put it, the new Biden regulation 'takes us right back to a place of ambiguity and is simply unworkable for farm families.' Family farmers in the Bluegrass should not have to choose between pursuing expensive federal permits or risking government penalties just for using their own land. No wonder the governors of twenty-five states have publicly condemned the Biden EPA's rule for its devastating interference in local economies.
"I am grateful to Senator Capito for creating an opportunity for Congress to put this right. My colleague from West Virginia is spearheading a resolution of disapproval that will give every Senator the chance to stand with farmers, ranchers, small businesses, and other landowners against the federal bureaucrats who are trying to run their lives. Congress needs to stand with the American people and get this resolution on President Biden's desk.
"If the President vetoes it, Americans will need to hope the Supreme Court makes it clear that these EPA bureaucrats are way outside the authority that Congress actually provided in the Clean Water Act. I'm grateful to Senator Capito for quarterbacking Senate Republicans' brief to the Court as well."
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