Reclaiming Accountability: Congress, Regulation, and the One Big Beautiful Bill

This past week, the Republican Study Committee held a "radio row" event for what are considered "new media" outlets (including CPAC!). CRF Director Andrew Langer sat down with seven RSC members from across the country, who offered a compelling picture of how legislative action and regulatory reform must work hand in hand.

Centered around the passage of the transformative One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), these conversations underscored the challenges of communicating the bill’s benefits, the urgency of reasserting congressional authority under Article I of the Constitution, and the opportunities that new technologies like AI present in streamlining regulatory compliance.

Taken together, these interviews present not just a victory lap for OBBBA, but a rallying cry for Congress to reclaim its rightful place in our constitutional order—particularly as it pertains to regulatory policymaking.

Translating Legislation into Tangible Benefits

Congresswoman Harriet Hageman (WY) articulated one of the central themes of the day: that the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill was only the beginning. The next task? Connecting the dots between Washington policy and Main Street prosperity.

For Hageman, this means educating constituents on how provisions—like border security, energy development, and tax relief—will improve their daily lives. She highlighted three victories for Wyoming: a strong tax package, robust immigration enforcement, and a revitalized energy sector that includes mandatory leasing for oil and gas and reduced royalties. In a momentous development, Wyoming just opened its first new coal mine in 50 years and its first rare earth elements mine in 70 years.

Congressman David Kustoff (TN-08) echoed this point, noting that "the next six months are about telling everybody what’s in the bill and why it matters." Kustoff, who serves on the Ways and Means Committee, emphasized how tax provisions—no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and tax cut preservation—will meaningfully impact everyday Americans.

Other lawmakers highlighted how the bill lays the groundwork for economic resilience, even amid global instability. As Hageman and Kustoff both pointed out, the United States avoided a domestic energy crisis during recent Middle East tensions precisely because of this legislation’s pro-energy provisions.

Reasserting Article I: The Power—and Responsibility—of Congress

Beyond immediate policy wins, lawmakers are now turning to what Congress must do next: reclaiming the authority it has ceded to unelected regulators. As Hageman put it bluntly: “Congress itself abdicated its responsibility as the primary legislative writer.”

As chair of the RSC’s Article I Task Force, Hageman’s mission is to teach her colleagues how to be better lawmakers—how to write clear, unambiguous statutes that don't invite agencies or courts to interpret legislative intent. Her team is developing new ideas to supplement the stalled REINS Act, aiming to ensure that Congress—not regulators—makes the rules.

Congresswoman Kat Cammack (FL-03) emphasized that this is not just a constitutional issue but an economic one. “It actually comes out to about $15,000 per family,” she said, referencing the hidden cost of regulations promulgated by what she rightly termed the “super sneaky branch”—the administrative state. Cammack warned that too often, rules implemented by unelected bureaucrats are political promises masquerading as policy, saddling families and businesses with compliance burdens for no discernible benefit.

Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07) praised Hageman’s leadership, noting that her deep understanding of regulatory law—especially how rules translate into economic friction—makes her a critical voice in this next phase of conservative reform. Tiffany emphasized the need to limit executive discretion, particularly regarding costly environmental rules that incentivize perverse land use (such as replacing fertile farmland with taxpayer-subsidized solar panels).

Regulatory Cost and Opportunity Loss: A Call for Accountability

Congressman Marlon Stutzman (IN-03), a businessman turned legislator, recounted a stunning regulatory anecdote: a new product line from his company was delayed nearly nine months due to USDA nitpicking over a food label. The federal government’s fixation on minor design elements imposed substantial costs without improving public safety. “It just slowed business down,” Stutzman lamented.

This is not an isolated incident. Such stories are replicated thousands of times across the country every year. Congressman Nathaniel Moran (TX-01) highlighted how regulatory delays have a compounding effect: they suppress capital investment, constrain innovation, and render U.S. industries less competitive globally. He noted that American-made military equipment is 25% more expensive than Chinese equivalents, not because of labor costs or quality but because of our regulatory barriers.

Congressman Tim Burchett (TN-02) went a step further, calling out Washington’s dysfunction in vivid terms. “This town is crooked as a dog’s leg,” he said, comparing the federal system not to a swamp (which God made) but a sewer (which man made). “Nobody trusts us,” he added. And why should they, when regulatory policy is written in darkness, designed to enrich insiders while ordinary citizens are burdened by paperwork, fees, and delays?

The REINS Act and the Road Ahead

While the One Big Beautiful Bill achieved major victories, it did not include the REINS Act—a cornerstone of long-term regulatory reform. Nearly every interviewee expressed disappointment over this, but none expressed defeat.

Cammack reiterated the importance of regulatory budgeting, an idea gaining traction among policymakers. Burchett mentioned his 24 amendments to rein in DOJ spending and called for urgency in turning conservative principles into permanent policy.

Moran, for his part, focused on permanency: "If we hadn’t acted, many small businesses using 199A pass-through deductions would have seen their effective tax rate jump from 21% to 43%." Making those tax cuts permanent is only one side of the coin—keeping regulatory costs from spiraling out of control is the other.

AI and the Future of Regulatory Assistance

While many regulators are eyeing artificial intelligence as a surveillance and enforcement tool, several lawmakers see its potential to democratize compliance. Hageman and Cammack both noted that AI could help identify outdated rules buried deep in the Federal Register. More importantly, it could help small businesses comply with regulations more easily.

As Cammack, whose family runs a commercial sandblasting business, put it: “Wouldn't it be great if businesses only had to enter their information once for OSHA, EPA, and DOL?” This is a vision of AI as a compliance assistant, not a compliance enforcer. It’s an idea that aligns perfectly with the CPAC Foundation’s call for a “Business Compliance One-Stop” portal—a centralized AI-driven hub to reduce redundant paperwork and slash compliance costs for small businesses.

Conclusion: Restoring Constitutional Order and Economic Liberty

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is a triumph of policy over paralysis. It is pro-family, pro-business, and pro-growth. But its passage also marks the beginning—not the end—of the battle to restore constitutional governance and economic liberty.

If Congress fails to reassert its Article I authority, even the most well-crafted legislation will be undermined by the regulatory state. If we fail to modernize compliance systems and roll back outdated rules, small businesses will continue to be smothered by red tape. If we do not make conservative executive actions permanent, the next administration can simply reverse them.

The lawmakers interviewed during RSC’s Radio Row made one thing abundantly clear: Congress is ready to lead again—if it has the courage to finish what it started.

At the Center for Regulatory Freedom, we applaud these efforts and pledge to continue supporting them with research, advocacy, and ideas. The regulatory state must serve the people, not the other way around. It’s time to return to first principles, reclaim legislative power, and create a system that works for those who build, grow, and serve America every day.