Why it matters: The Congressional Review Act (CRA) empowers a majority in Congress to undo recent rules issued by federal agencies — including immigration restrictions, environmental rollbacks and labor regulations.
The power can be used in tandem with executive orders from the White House. President-elect Biden told reporters Friday one of his first priorities will be to use his executive orders to “countermand” those issued by President Trump.
How it works: Any rule enacted in the last 60 working days of a Congress — in this case since Aug. 21 — can be reviewed by the next Congress, according to Daniel Pérez. He’s studied the CRA as a senior policy analyst at George Washington University’s Regulatory Studies Center.
At least 1,354 rules would technically qualify for this review, according to the Federal Register.
