Pramila Jayapal Targets Corporate Lobbying Power In New Bill

India-West Staff Reporter

WASHINGTON, DC – Citing growing concerns about corporate influence and a weakened federal regulatory framework, Rep.Pramila Jayapal (D-WA)  and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) on November 20 introduced new legislation aimed at restoring transparency, public trust, and expert authority in federal rulemaking.

The bill, titled the Experts Protect Effective Rules, Transparency, and Stability Act (EXPERTS Act) seeks to counter what the lawmakers describe as the Trump administration’s ongoing dismantling of safeguards meant to ensure regulations serve the public interest.

“Many Americans are taught in civics classes that Congress passes a law and that’s it, but the reality is that any major legislation enacted must also be implemented and enforced by the executive branch to become a reality,” Jayapal said, warning that systems designed to prioritize public safety are being eroded. “At a time when corporations and CEOs have outsized power, it is critical that we ensure that public interest is protected. This bill will level the playing field to ensure that laws passed actually work for the American people.”

Warren echoed those concerns, arguing that the regulatory process has tilted sharply toward corporate interests. “Giant corporations and their armies of lobbyists shouldn’t get to manipulate how our laws are implemented,” she said. “While Donald Trump keeps selling away influence over our government, we’re fighting to ensure the rules are being written to help working Americans, not corporate interests.”

The announcement comes in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision last year, which overturned the long-standing Chevron deference doctrine. The doctrine had directed courts to defer to federal agencies’ reasonable interpretations of ambiguous laws.

Its reversal, Jayapal and Warren argue, gives courts broader power to strike down expert-driven regulations, undermining protections related to worker safety, financial fairness, and environmental standards.

According to the lawmakers, the current rulemaking process allows industry lobbyists disproportionate access and influence. Companies can privately lobby regulators, bankroll studies that appear scientific, and distort the projected impact of stronger oversight, all while the general public has far less capacity to shape the outcome.

The Experts Act seeks to reverse that trend through a series of reforms. It would restore Chevron-style deference, require full transparency around who funds studies submitted during rulemaking, and mandate public explanations when agencies withdraw proposed rules. It would also accelerate rulemaking by removing private parties from the negotiated rulemaking process, reinstate a six-year limit for challenging agency actions in court, and create new mechanisms to empower ordinary citizens — including fines for corporations that submit misleading claims and the establishment of an Office of the Public Advocate.