Ernst Makes President Trump’s Executive Action on Deregulation Permanent

WASHINGTON – After President Donald Trump tasked the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with scrubbing outdated regulations, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) is introducing legislation to this executive action permanent to eliminate costly and burdensome red tape.

Senate DOGE Caucus Chair Ernst is introducing the Searching for and Cutting Regulations that are Unnecessarily Burdensome (SCRUB) Act, which tasks DOGE with working with federal agencies to identify and review old, unnecessary, and unconstitutional federal rules including, a ban on railroads reporting that an employee was hurt while playing racquetball or baseball, a 1964 Department of Labor regulatory decision that is still forcing states to pay unemployment benefits to millionaires, criminalizing airlines that provide a brush, towel, or comb for the common use of passengers on a flight, and so much more.

“Washington insiders might brush it off, but the bloated bureaucracy has gotten out of control,” said Ernst. “Burdensome and outdated regulations have railroaded Americans, and the only way out is to conduct a complete review. We need to SCRUB every old law on the books to identify the red tape that needs to be slashed.”

"Senator Ernst is once again leading the fight in Congress to cut wasteful government spending and rein in the bureaucrats who make life more difficult and expensive for everyday Americans,” said Peter Holland, Federal Affairs Director at the Foundation for Government Accountability. “The SCRUB Act will shine a desperately needed spotlight on the regulations and rules holding back hardworking Americans from pursuing their American Dream. The government exists to serve the people, not burden employers and stifle innovation. Senator Ernst’s bill delivers on her promise to advance real solutions to ease the cost-of-living crisis and put money back in taxpayers’ pockets.”

“The SCRUB Act and its Regulatory Cut-Go procedures mirror the new 10-for-one Trump architecture by requiring reduction that exceed additions,” said Clyde Wayne Crews Jr., Fred L. Smith Jr. Fellow in Regulatory Studies at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. “Given that federal regulations now cost at least $2.1 trillion annually, that implies a successful SCRUB would save some $690 billion for the American people. When regulatory reform works, you can take that to the bank.”

Click here to view the bill.

###