Senate votes to repeal WOTUS, setting stage for Biden veto
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| The Senate on Wednesday passed a resolution to repeal the Biden administration’s Waters of the United States rule. The vote was 53 to 43. The Republican-controlled House passed the resolution under the Congressional Review Act by a vote of 227 to 198 on March 9. |
| Since both chambers have voted for it, the measure now goes to President Biden, who has vowed to veto it. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., ranking member on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and sponsor of the resolution, said, “By voting to overturn President Biden’s waters rule, we are sending a clear, bipartisan message that Congress, even a divided one, will defend working Americans in the face of executive overreach. I’m proud to lead my colleagues in standing up for farmers and ranchers, landowners and builders, and energy and infrastructure workers across the United States. I urge President Biden not to overrule the will of a bipartisan majority in Congress, and instead draft a new rule that doesn’t unfairly penalize millions of Americans and jeopardize future growth in our country.” Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Tom Carper, D-Del., defended the Biden WOTUS rule in a news release, saying, “The simple fact is the Clean Water Act remains our best tool to safeguard our nation’s waters from persistent pollution, protecting our health and protecting our environment. We cannot afford to turn back the clock on these protections for our nation’s waters and those who depend on them. That is why I support President Biden’s common-sense rule defining which of our nation’s waters need to be protected under the law.” |
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| Democrats Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Jon Tester of Montana, Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen of Nevada, and independent Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona joined all Republicans present in voting to overturn the rule. Manchin said he voted for the resolution because “the administration’s WOTUS rule is yet another example of dangerous federal overreach. The proposed changes would inject further regulatory confusion, place unnecessary burdens on small businesses, manufacturers, farmers and local communities, and cause serious economic damage. It is essential to ensure clean water for all West Virginians and Americans, but we can achieve this without regulating our hard-working people out of business. I’m proud to support this resolution of disapproval, and I encourage President Biden to accept this clear and bipartisan rejection of his administration’s overreaching and unnecessary rule.” |
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| Tester said he voted against WOTUS because “as a third-generation farmer, I know firsthand how important clean water is to Montana’s economy and the health of our communities. After listening to Montana farmers, ranchers, and other stakeholders, it’s clear this rule isn’t right for Montana. Clean water is simply too important to our state’s economy and the health of our communities to get this wrong, and the Biden administration needs to go back to the drawing board to deliver a rule that better supports Montana’s agriculture economy and protects our environment.” |
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