In their first 100 days holding a bicameral majority, Republicans have repealed seven of President Joe Biden’s regulations, some with help from President Donald Trump, that primarily targeted energy-related rules they argue burden producers and drive up consumer prices, but many more rule changes are coming, a report said on Friday.
The Washington Times noted that, thus far, the rules Republicans have canned include:
An Environmental Protection Agency rule imposing a methane emission fee on oil and natural gas facilities that Republicans say has stymied domestic energy production.
A requirement that new oil and gas leaseholders on the outer continental shelf submit an archaeological report before they can begin offshore drilling production.
Two Energy Department rules requiring higher energy efficiency standards for gas-fired hot water heaters and walk-in coolers and freezers.
“House Republicans are leveraging the Congressional Review Act to support President Trump in undoing the damage of the Biden Administration’s war on American energy,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), after one of the rules had been nixed, the Times reported.
The GOP-led Congress is on track to repeal several more Biden-era regulations before their window for expedited action closes. Lawmakers face a deadline under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), which allows them to overturn executive branch rules through a fast-tracked process.
For most of Biden’s regulations, that deadline arrives next month. Afterward, CRA resolutions can still be considered but will lose their special status in the Senate, exposing them to potential filibusters.
In February, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican, released a list of 10 Biden administration regulations the GOP aimed to repeal. So far, the House and Senate have passed joint resolutions to overturn five regulations from Scalise’s list and two others not originally targeted.
Three additional CRA measures, including two from Scalise’s list, have passed the House and are awaiting Senate action. President Trump has already signed three CRA resolutions into law, while four others that cleared both chambers are awaiting formal transmission to him, noted the Times.
Two regulations affecting the oil and gas industry were the first to be signed into law in March.
One repealed the EPA’s methane emission fee, which was enacted through the Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act to push the oil and gas industry to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The fee began at $900 per metric ton of reported methane emissions in 2024 and was set to rise to $1,500 per metric ton by 2026.
Republicans are aiming to repeal the underlying law through their party-line budget reconciliation bill, noting that simply overturning the rule does not prevent a future administration from reinstating the fee.
Trump also signed a measure repealing the requirement for an archaeological report before drilling on the outer continental shelf.
The third CRA measure signed into law benefits the crypto industry, which President Trump actively courted during his 2024 campaign. The joint resolution repeals an IRS rule that classified decentralized finance (DeFi) exchanges as brokers required to track and report user activity, said the outlet.
Crypto industry leaders argued the rule was unworkable, as DeFi exchanges operate without intermediaries and therefore cannot identify their users.
Four additional CRA measures that have passed both chambers of Congress are still awaiting transmission to the president for his signature, the Times added.
House Republicans have also passed CRA measures to repeal consumption limits on commercial refrigerators and freezers, as well as certification, labeling, and enforcement requirements for 20 products, including dishwashers, washing machines, central air conditioners, and heat pumps.
Both resolutions still need Senate approval before being sent to Trump, with congressional Republicans likely planning to transmit all four appliance-related measures together.
The president has also yet to receive CRA measures repealing two Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rules—one scrapping new regulations on digital payment apps like Venmo and PayPal that process over 50 million consumer transactions annually, and another overturning a rule capping bank overdraft fees, said the Times.
