White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) Administrator Cass Sunstein issued a memo April 25 instructing agencies to make public their preliminary plans for reviewing existing rules and to finalize those plans by August.

Last week, President Obama quietly issued a memo titled, “Administrative Flexibility, Lower Costs, and Better Results for State, Local, and Tribal Governments.” The memo directs the Office of Management and Budget to work with state and local entities to identify “unnecessary administrative, regulatory, and legislative burdens” in order to achieve “better outcomes at lower cost.”

What a difference a week makes. Last Tuesday, Jan. 18, President Obama took to the pages of The Wall Street Journal to complain about federal regulation, adopting the conservative mantra that regulation is largely a nuisance and can impair job growth. Last night, in his Jan. 25 State of the Union address, Obama took a decidedly different tone. He began by implying that regulations are nothing but a hindrance to businesses. But just as quickly as my blood began to boil, it came down to a simmer. Obama followed by recommitting himself to the importance of public protections, citing consumer, labor, and environmental regulations as critical governmental contributions to society.

Yesterday, President Obama signed an executive order instructing agencies in his administration to ferret out environmental, health, and safety regulations that need to be repealed or modified in the name of economic growth.