President Donald Trump has boasted that he had signed far more bills during his first months in office than many of his predecessors. Like many of his boasts, this one was misleading. Apart from purely ceremonial bills, the vast majority of bills enacted during his first six months in office stemmed from the Congressional Review Act of 1996 (CRA).
This relatively obscure statute passed by the Gingrich Congress, which President Clinton ill-advisedly signed, empowers Congress to overturn major federal regulations within 60 “session” days of promulgation by passing a joint resolution of disapproval signed by the president. If Congress permanently adjourns prior to the end of 60 days that it is in session, the next Congress gets another 75 session days to pass a joint resolution. The current Congress therefore had until late May of 2017 to overturn any major regulation promulgated by the Obama administration after early May of 2016. While “midnight” regulations of a prior administration have gotten most of the publicity, the CRA allows a legislative veto of any major agency rule. A special provision in the law simplifies enactment by amending the Senate's rules to prevent filibusters.
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