Millions of gig workers could soon be out of a gig, under new labor department rules that redefine who can be an independent contractor. At the same time, the Biden administration has proposed new regulations that could make it harder for working mothers to hire in-home help. These regulations have lawmakers, small businesses, and moms themselves crying foul over their unintended (or intended) consequences. House Small Business Committee Chair Roger Williams (R-TX) says the independent contractor rule threatens some 22 million gig workers and the small businesses they work for. "It is incredibly frustrating to see the Biden Administration continue to put Main Street on its heels," says Williams in a statement to Fox News.
Other critics see this over-regulation as part of an anti-business mindset that permeates academia and government. "We see whole foundations now, dedicated, spending tens of millions of dollars to attack capitalism, and we see things out of this administration, particularly in terms of regulatory overreach, that really can hurt business," says Suzanne Clark, CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in a recent interview on Fox News.
All of these regulations administered by federal agencies also raise legal questions. "Most of the everyday life of citizens is affected by regulations, not laws," says Jonathan Turley, George Washington Law Professor, on Fox News. "We have a system of three branches (of government), and this sort of introduces a fourth one, which is all of these federal agencies that are, in effect, legislating for the country."
The U.S. Supreme Court is set to rule this year on a case that could overturn a 1984 precedent which allowed government agencies wide deference in interpreting laws. Overturning that precedent could severely restrict these runaway regulations. A recent watchdog report found that government regulations alone cost nearly $2 trillion last year.