The U.S. Senate passed the Congressional Review Act joint resolution of disapproval to overturn the Biden Administration’s Waters of the United States Rule. It passed by a 53-43 vote with four Democrats and one independent joining all the voting Republicans to pass the act. They include Democrats Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Jon Tester of Montana, Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen of Nevada, and independent Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican from West Virginia, introduced the resolution in February.
In December 2022, the Biden Administration announced a new rule that repealed the Navigable Waters Protection Rule and changed the definition of WOTUS in a way that will significantly expand regulatory authority.
“By voting to overturn the president’s waters rule, we are sending a clear, bipartisan message that Congress, even a divided one, will defend working Americans in the face of executive overreach,” Capito said in a news release. “I’m proud to lead my colleagues in standing up for farmers and ranchers, landowners and builders, and energy and infrastructure workers across the United States. I urge President Biden not to overrule the will of a bipartisan majority in Congress, and instead draft a new rule that doesn’t unfairly penalize millions of Americans and jeopardize future growth in our country.”
The House of Representatives approved the measure earlier this month. President Biden is expected to veto it.
Sabrina Halvorson
National Correspondent / AgNet Media, Inc.
Sabrina Halvorson is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and public speaker who specializes in agriculture. She primarily reports on legislative issues and hosts The AgNet Weekly podcast. Sabrina is a native of California’s agriculture-rich Central Valley.