WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Chairman Roger Williams (R-TX) led a full House Committee on Small Business hearing titled “The Golden Age: Unleashing Main Street Through Deregulation.” Chairman Williams issued the following statement regarding today’s hearing.

“For the past four years, excessive regulations have been a barrier to success, preventing small businesses from growing and investing in their communities. This gross mismanagement and misuse of federal power ends now,” said Chairman Roger Williams. “As we heard from our witnesses today, small businesses are the best decision-makers on how to run their businesses, invest their money, and serve their communities – not unelected bureaucrats. It is time to usher in a Golden Age for the American economy and unleash the potential of Main Street America through deregulation.”

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Watch the full hearing here.

Below are some key excerpts from today’s hearing:

Rep. Alford: “Biden’s war on fossil fuels cost jobs, as you know. It is estimated that it cost up to fifty-nine thousand jobs, either people laid off from pipelines and fracking, or jobs not realized; and yet, in less than three months DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, has laid off some thirty thousand federal workers out of some thirty-three million, that’s less than one percent, and yet there’s all this outcry. Are federal workers guaranteed a job for life, Sir?” Mr. Montalban: “No Congressman.” Rep. Alford: “Are workers in the fossil fuel industry entitled to a job for life?” Mr. Montalban: “No.” Rep. Alford: “Why do you think that there’s so much outrage over less than one percent of the federal workforce being laid off and no one gave a hoot about fifty-nine thousand workers and also farmers who have gone out of business because of the high input costs from fertilizer that’s made out of natural gas. All these implications, the President of the United States targeted the fossil fuel industry, but he trained the crosshairs on the backs of our farmers and the backs of people who work for you. Why is that, why the discrepancy?” Mr. Montalban: “Well, first of all, it’s nice to have common sense back in government, and second, I don’t think that we should be paying any student loans. I put myself through college. The bottom line is, in our industry, with Department of Interior, Doug Bergum, Chris Wright with the Department of Energy, and Lee Zeldin at the head of the EPA, we think we have a new future in the oil and gas industry, as small independents.”

 Rep. Finstad: “As a fellow Minnesotan small business owner, you know firsthand the impact of overregulation and what it has had on small business owners. Last year, the House passed my PROVE It Act legislation to strengthen the RFA and protect small businesses from these impacts. In part, the PROVE It Act would force agencies to consider the true cost of their regulations, force agencies to comply with the RFA, and give small businesses a seat at the table in the regulatory process. If agencies fail to comply with the law, small businesses would be exempt from that regulation. Do you think, Mr. Johnson, that federal agencies should be required to comply with existing law that requires them to limit their impact on small businesses?” Mr. Johnson: “Yes, agencies are not lawmakers. They need to be held accountable for that when they disregard protections for the small businesses that have been enacted by Congress and signed by the President.” Rep. Finstad: “So you’ve all talked about different regulations, maybe in general, but there have been some specifics. Johnson, do you know by name, the faceless, maybe nameless bureaucrat that is establishing those rules or regulations that you have to comply with?” Mr. Johnson: “No sir, I do not.” Rep. Finstad: “So come election time, you can’t throw them out of office?” Mr. Johnson: “No, I cannot.” Rep. Finstad: “Right, okay. In your opinion, do you believe agencies should consider both the direct and indirect costs, like the paperwork hours, that their regulations put on small businesses?” Mr. Johnson: “Yeah, the true cost of regulations is actually behind the scenes, and all the time it takes to comply with it, the paperwork hours, and just simply the filings and filings and filings that never end.”

Rep. Weid: “What current impacts are homebuyers facing as a result of increased regulations placed on homebuilders? As you know, homes can take several years to construct; it’s very difficult even to buy land and develop property because of all of the regulations. How do the current regulations hinder the construction of new homes in the coming years?” Mr. Hughes: “I guess, mainly the added cost, but also added time, and there has just been no thought to that added cost and what that does to especially the beginner, or the first-time homeowner that I mentioned before, it’s just about put em’ out. Our numbers suggest that every time we add one thousand dollars to the cost of a new home, you force one hundred thousand -it’s actually a little over one hundred thousand – one hundred and sixteen thousand buyers out of the market.”

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