The Trump administration is making a major deregulatory push fueled by a rapidly shrinking window of time before rules may be subject to being revoked by a new government in 2021 under the Congressional Review Act (CRA). The CRA gives Congress the power to overturn agency rules made public in the last 60 legislative days of a prior Congress by simple majority votes in both the House and Senate.

This year’s deadline may have passed on or around May 20th, depending on how many more days Congress meets this year. We found that from the beginning of May 11th through May 20th, the Trump administration made final 50 rules across nine different agencies. Of those rules, just one dealt with the coronavirus crisis — and it merely delayed an effective date due to the pandemic.

Accountable.US previously conducted a broader investigation, which found the same troubling pattern of the administration quietly pursuing its anti-regulatory agenda while the public’s eyes are averted in the midst of a crisis. From February 11th to May 8th, the administration put forward at least 730 new rules or proposed rules across nine agencies. Of those rules and proposed rules, 18 — or just over two percent — dealt directly or even indirectly with the coronavirus crisis.

Read the full report below.

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