WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) made the following comments Tuesday regarding President Donald Trump’s executive order directing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers to begin a formalized review of the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) regulation:
“President Trump should be commended for doing what he can to begin turning back this attack on middle class families in Kentucky and across the country.
“Although this Obama-era regulation claimed to protect waterways, it was a blatant power grab by the federal government to regulate every pothole, ditch, and puddle in the nation. Based more on ideology than fact, the rule would directly harm the Middle Class.
“The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a nationwide stay against the rule in 2015. It recognized the serious legal questions about the rule.
“Earlier this year, I sent a letter to then President-Elect Trump, in which I asked him to begin the process of overturning this harmful regulation. I am thrilled to see that President Trump has decided to join our cause to protect Kentucky families and stop the growth of government bureaucracy.
“Together, we can find better ways to protect our environment without a regulatory assault on the Middle Class. That’s why I’ve previously joined with my colleagues to sponsor common-sense legislation to keep our waterways clean.
“I look forward to continuing to work with the Administration and my colleagues in the Senate to promote safety through reasonable solutions.”