Midnight Rules Relief Act of 2025
Latest action (6 Aug 2026): Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
What this bill does
S. 164, the Midnight Rules Relief Act of 2025, would amend the Congressional Review Act (chapter 8 of title 5, U.S. Code) to allow Congress to bundle multiple "midnight rules" — federal regulations submitted during the final year of a President's term — into a single joint resolution of disapproval, rather than requiring a separate resolution for each rule. It also specifies the standard wording such a combined resolution must use, listing each disapproved rule and the agency that issued it.
The bill affects federal agencies whose regulations are issued late in a presidential term, since those rules could be disapproved more efficiently as a group. It also affects how Congress itself operates procedurally under the Congressional Review Act, giving lawmakers a streamlined tool to overturn multiple late-term regulations at once rather than voting on each individually.
The bill was introduced in the Senate on January 21, 2025, by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) with five cosponsors, and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. On August 6, 2026, the committee ordered it to be reported favorably without amendment. Its next step would be consideration by the full Senate.
Plain-English summary generated by Bill100 AI from the official record. Always verify against the source below.
Official summary
Midnight Rules Relief Act of 2025
This bill allows Congress to disapprove multiple regulations under one joint resolution of disapproval if the regulations were submitted for review during a portion of the final year of a President's term.
Under current law, the Congressional Review Act generally provides for a period of additional review during the succeeding Congress for regulations that were submitted during the last 60 legislative days of the prior Congress. However, each joint resolution may disapprove of only one regulation.
Timeline
6 Aug 2026
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
Common questions
- What does S. 164 do?
- S. 164, the Midnight Rules Relief Act of 2025, would amend the Congressional Review Act (chapter 8 of title 5, U.S. Code) to allow Congress to bundle multiple "midnight rules" — federal regulations submitted during the final year of a President's term — into a single joint resolution of disapproval, rather than requiring a separate resolution for each rule. It also specifies the standard wording such a combined resolution must use, listing each disapproved rule and the agency that issued it. The bill affects federal agencies whose regulations are issued late in a presidential term, since those rules could be disapproved more efficiently as a group. It also affects how Congress itself operates procedurally under the Congressional Review Act, giving lawmakers a streamlined tool to overturn multiple late-term regulations at once rather than voting on each individually. The bill was introduced in the Senate on January 21, 2025, by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) with five cosponsors, and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. On August 6, 2026, the committee ordered it to be reported favorably without amendment. Its next step would be consideration by the full Senate.
- Has S. 164 become law?
- Not yet. As of 6 Aug 2026, S. 164 is ordered reported.
- Who sponsored S. 164?
- S. 164 was sponsored by Sen. Ron Johnson [R-WI] (Republican-WI), with 6 cosponsors.
- What's the latest action on S. 164?
- Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably. (6 Aug 2026).
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