Support the Separation of Powers Restoration Act, H.R. 76

On behalf of FreedomWorks’ activist community, I urge you to contact your representative and ask him or her to cosponsor the Separation of Powers Restoration Act, H.R. 76. Introduced by Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas), the Separation of Powers Restoration Act would reduce the influence of the federal bureaucrats in the regulatory state by ending the Chevron deference established by the Supreme Court.

In 1984, the Supreme Court, in Chevron U.S.A. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., ruled that federal courts could defer to federal regulatory agencies’ interpretations of purportedly “silent or ambiguous” statutes or laws written by Congress. The result of Supreme Court’s decision has played a part in the alarming erosion of the constitutional separation of powers.

Americans are overburdened by the regulatory state, to the tune of nearly $15,000 per family, and, outside the rapidly growing national debt, the regulatory state’s promulgate costly regulations without accountability or a meaningful check on its power is one of the biggest economic threats to the United States. The Separation Powers Restoration Act, or SOPRA, would require federal courts to do a new and full review of the questions at the center of a case involving a rule promulgated by a regulatory agency.

The Separation Powers Restoration Act would put an end to the free rein federal bureaucrats have under the Chevron doctrine to enact law without judicial review and restore the proper function of the three branches of the federal government – legislative, executive, and judiciary – under the Constitution. The separation of these branches was created for a simple reason: to ensure the protection of America’s citizens and their liberty and prosperity.

While FreedomWorks supports the Separation of Powers Restoration Act, Title II of the Regulatory Accountability Act, H.R. 5, introduced by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) also contains the language of the Separation of Powers Restoration Act. FreedomWorks lauds Chairman Goodlatte for the incorporation of this critical legislation in the Regulatory Accountability Act.

At an important moment in our nation’s history, the Separation of Powers Restoration Act would reduce the influence of federal bureaucrats, end the Chevron deference, and restore the constitutional separation of powers. For these reasons, I urge you to contact your representative and ask him or her to support the Separation of Powers Restoration Act.

Sincerely,

Adam Brandon, President and CEO, FreedomWorks