President-elect Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan in the speaker’s office on Capitol Hill in Washington on Nov. 10. Last July, the House of Representatives passed the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act , a measure to limit the ability of executive-branch agencies to adopt major regulatory initiatives without congressional approval. Specifically, the REINS Act prevents new major rules from taking effect unless and until they are approved by a joint resolution in Congress, and creates an expedited procedure for the consideration of such rules.