Subcommittee Chairman Higgins Investigates Present Day Impacts of Biden-Era Weaponization of Regulatory Enforcement

WASHINGTON—Subcommittee on Federal Law Enforcement Chairman Clay Higgins (R-La.) today announced the Subcommittee’s investigation of the weaponization of overly burdensome regulations on the American people by the Biden Administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, Chairman Higgins requested information on actions taken by the DOJ and EPA to reexamine these overbearing regulations and ensure federal and civil laws are fairly enforced.  

“Under the Biden Administration, many American businesses and citizens were the target of politically motivated regulatory enforcement and ‘environmental justice’ directives, with agencies demanding overly restrictive consent decrees with costly requirements as a condition of terminating litigation,” said Chairman Higgins.  

The Biden Administration’s numerous consent decrees disenfranchised communities and forced many small businesses across the country into bankruptcy and closure. Despite President Trump pausing all pending environmental litigation, rescinding oppressive environmental justice rules, and halting consent decrees in January to mediate the issue, the DOJ and EPA are still forcing many Americans to adhere to the rules the Biden Administration imposed on them. These continued enforcement actions by these agencies could negatively impact the economy.  

“Failing to comply with the requirements, which are often extremely expensive for small businesses, all but ensured DOJ and EPA would force the business to close, potentially leaving countless Americans without jobs,” continued Chairman Higgins. “To assist with the Subcommittee’s investigation and oversight of this matter, I request a staff-level briefing from DOJ and EPA by April 24, 2025.”  

Read the letter to Attorney General Bondi and Administrator Zeldin here.