Oversight Democrats Unite to Oppose a Series of Attacks on Life-Saving Regulations, Champion Gerald E. Connolly Esophageal Cancer Awareness Act
Washington, D.C. (May 21, 2025)— Rep. Stephen F. Lynch led Committee Democrats in opposition to a series of Republican-led bills that would dismantle federal regulations, put the safety of our food and water at risk, silence and harm frontline communities, and attack the self-determination of Washington, D.C.
Prior to consideration of these bills, Committee Democrats and Republicans honored the life of Congressman Gerald E. Connolly, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and advanced out of Committee the bipartisan Gerald E. Connolly Esophageal Cancer Awareness Act, which was introduced by Ranking Member Connolly and Rep. James Comer, Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The bill would contribute to vital, lifesaving efforts by directing the Government Accountability Office to report on key issues related to esophageal cancer. The report will examine federal health care spending for esophageal cancer under the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program, as well as screening rates among high-risk individuals within the FEHB system.
The Committee also passed several postal naming measures.
Below are additional bills considered at today’s markup:
H.R. 580, Unfunded Mandates Accountability and Transparency Act (UMATA)
The Unfunded Mandates Accountability and Transparency Act will reverse Democrats’ efforts to modernize the regulatory process, strengthen democracy, and further advance transparency and inclusivity in federal regulations. The Republican bill will make the regulatory process more burdensome for underrepresented voices and give powerful, well-connected corporations and interests groups greater, unfair input in the rulemaking process.
H.R. 2409, Guidance Clarity Act
The Guidance Clarity Act would require each guidance statement issued by a federal agency to explicitly state on the first page that it does not have the force of law, suggesting to corporations and industry that they need not comply with regulations and undermining their effectiveness in keeping the public safe. It would also provide powerful corporations more options to challenge agency guidance in court, making it harder for agencies to hold polluters accountable, protect worker safety, and ensure that the public has access to safe food and medicine.
H.R. 67, Modernizing Retrospective Regulatory Review
The Modernizing Retrospective Regulatory Review Act adds onerous new requirements for agencies to submit detailed plans for the regulations they plan to retrospectively review. The bill also gives agency heads the discretion to review regulations when such review is not required by statute. This could be a dangerous tool in the wrong hands and expend scarce agency resources on undoing the regulatory protections the public relies on, rather than improving them.
H.R. 689, Full Responsibility and Expedited Enforcement (FREE) Act
The Full Responsibility and Expedited Enforcement Act is an attack on public permitting review that would silence the voices of local communities and unfairly favor corporate interests over the expertise of the nonpartisan civil servants who work to protect our lands, clean air, and clean water.
H.R. 884, To prohibit individuals who are not citizens of the United States from voting in elections in the District of Columbia
H.R. 884 is a direct attack on D.C.’s ability to govern its own local affairs. Despite Republican claims, D.C.’s Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022 allows noncitizens to vote only in local elections–namely for Mayor, Members of the Council and State Board of Education, Attorney General, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, and ballot measures. Instead of considering H.R. 51, the bill to establish D.C. Statehood and finally give the more than 700,000 D.C. residents voting representation in Congress and full home rule, Committee Republicans put forth H.R. 884 to combat a problem that does not exist.
H.R. 2096, Protecting Our Nation’s Capital Emergency Act
The Protecting Our Nation’s Capital Emergency Act of 2025 is another attack on D.C. self-determination that claims to solve a problem that does not exist. The bill’s “purpose” is to “combat the rise in violent crime in our nation’s capital.” However, violent crime is not rising in D.C. In fact, violent crime is down 23% in 2025 to date. In 2024, violent crime was down 35%, reaching its lowest level in 30 years. Furthermore, H.R. 2096 would irresponsibly repeal provisions in the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022 that allowed the D.C. Chief of Police to hold accountable officers who have committed serious misconduct. Every D.C. Police Chief for the past 25 years has requested this authority.