GOP to Target Obama’s ‘Imperial Presidency’

House Republicans will push the Obama administration to roll back regulations over the next few weeks as they combat an “imperial presidency.”

In an email to House Republicans, Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) accused President Obama of “effectively rewriting the laws” and called on the GOP to fight to “restore the balance of power created by our Founders.”

“President Obama has provided new clarity as to what constitutes an imperial presidency,” Cantor wrote Friday in the email obtained by The Hill. “Declaring that he has a ‘pen and a phone,’ he has acted to effectively rewrite the laws of the United States.”

Cantor said pushing back against the Obama administration’s “excessive and burdensome” regulations is one of the top priorities on the Republican legislative agenda over the next three weeks.

He pointed to studies that show the cost of federal regulations amounts to $10,585 per employee for small businesses, and $7,755 per employee for large companies.

“The cost of excessive and burdensome Washington regulations means fewer jobs and reduced salaries for those with a job,” Cantor wrote.

Cantor pointed to ongoing GOP efforts to roll back regulations, including a series of bills that will hit the House floor next week.

Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte’s (R-Va.) Regulatory Accountability Act topped Cantor’s list, because it would require federal agencies to write regulations that have the smallest economic impact on businesses.

Cantor also mentioned the ALERT Act, introduced by Rep. George Holding (R-N.C.), which he says would require federal agencies to provide timely information about the status and cost of new regulations it is considering. This would prevent “regulators from hiding the ball,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act, introduced by Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), fights what Cantor calls an “abusive” practice where federal agencies will settle lawsuits with liberal groups by agreeing to impose stricter regulations on businesses.

Cantor said he also expects legislation that would require regulators to consider the impact their rules have on employment and wages.

“This will prevent, for example, EPA from downplaying the loss of mining and manufacturing jobs as a result of their regulations by arguing that new jobs will be created in regulatory compliance!” Cantor wrote.