Political Interference

Feb 8, 2016

Top 400 Taxpayers See Tax Rates Rise, But There’s More to the Story

As Americans were gathering party supplies to greet the New Year, the Internal Revenue Service released their annual report of cumulative tax data reported on the 400 tax r...

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Feb 4, 2016

Chlorine Bleach Plants Needlessly Endanger 63 Million Americans

Chlorine bleach plants across the U.S. put millions of Americans in danger of a chlorine gas release, a substance so toxic it has been used as a chemical weapon. Greenpeace’s new repo...

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Jan 25, 2016

U.S. Industrial Facilities Reported Fewer Toxic Releases in 2014

The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data for 2014 is now available. The good news: total toxic releases by reporting facilities decreased by nearly six percent from 2013 levels. Howe...

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Jan 22, 2016

Methane Causes Climate Change. Here's How the President Plans to Cut Emissions by 40-45 Percent.

UPDATE (Jan. 22, 2016): Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its proposed rule to reduce methane emissions...

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OMB Watch Analysis Raises Questions about Changes to Regulatory Process that Go into Effect Today

WASHINGTON, July 24, 2007—On Jan. 18, 2007, President Bush issued Executive Order 13422, which amends Executive Order 12866, Regulatory Planning and Review. The same day, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued its Final Bulletin for Agency Good Guidance Practices. The two executive directives work in concert to alter the ways federal agencies develop and enforce regulations. As of today, agencies are to be in full compliance with the provisions of the executive order and the Final Bulletin.

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Ethics & Lobbying: Novak Op-Ed in a (Time) Warp

Jul 23, 2007 by Dana Chasin

Bob Novak writes in today's Washington Post that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), is "plotting to strip anti-earmark transparency from the final version of ethics legislation passed by the Senate and House." While Novak does not identify -- and it is impossible to guess -- what earmark provision he has in mind, he nevertheless chastizes Reid, warning that frayed Senate relations "may get worse if plans to eviscerate ethics legislation are pursued."

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Agency Regulatory Policy Officers

Jul 20, 2007 by Matthew Madia

The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has released the names of each federal agency's regulatory policy officer (RPO). RPOs are not stand alone offices. For example, the RPO at EPA doubles as the Deputy Administrator. OMB had previously only disclosed the office, not the individual name.

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Lobbying and Ethics -- a Conference-Free Zone?

Jul 19, 2007 by Dana Chasin

The Congressional Democratic leadership, no doubt exasperated over GOP holds blocking the lobbying and ethics bill from going to conference -- months after overwhelming passage by both houses -- now apparently plans to circumvent the bill's conference process entirely. Said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV): "I've done everything but get on my knees and beg for [a conference]."

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Many Hurdles Lay Ahead for Ethics and Lobbying Reform

Jul 19, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

After much frustration in trying to send the ethics and lobbying reform legislation to conference committee, RollCall ($$) reports that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) have decided to abandon the normal conference committee process and will use a parliamentary tactic rarely used to push the legislation. According to the article, the plan would be that the House and Senate votes on identical language without amendments attached to circumvent the conference process.

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DeMint Putting Senate's Summer Vacation on "Hold"?

Jul 17, 2007 by Dana Chasin

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) is apparently single-handedly holding up the Senate's lobbying and ethics reform bill with a hold keeping it from going to conference over a pet provision that he wants guaranteed will be included in the conference committee's final version.

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A Galling Example of White House Regulatory Delay

Jul 17, 2007 by Matthew Madia

The White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) is sitting on a rule which would set speed limits for large shipping vessels traveling along the eastern seaboard during the migration season of the North Atlantic right whale. The standard would reduce the number of whales killed in collisions with ships. Because the rule is considered "major," the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) submitted the rule to OIRA for the standard review period prescribed by Executive Order 12866.

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Earmarks II: OMB "Database" Tracks FY08 Bills

Jul 12, 2007 by Dana Chasin

A Citizen's "Consumer Report" This week, OMB announced a new feature to what it terms its "earmarks database" -- data showing estimates of the number and cost of earmarks in the individual FY 2008 Appropriations bills as they move through the legislative process. We road-tested this database here at OMB Watch and give it one thumbs-up.

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Tell Your Senators to Stop White House Interference in the Regulatory Process

Jul 11, 2007 by Matthew Madia

The Senate is considering an important provision that would stop the latest White House interference in the regulatory process. President Bush's efforts to undermine the ability of federal agencies to protect the public will take effect July 24 unless Congress acts to stop him. Take Action! Tell your senators to support this provision.

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"Move Lobby Reform Legislation Forward"

Jul 11, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

OMB Watch has released a press statement in response to recent actions that have blocked the Senate from going to conference on lobbying and ethics reform legislation. The latest Watcher has an article on the fruitless attempts to send the measure to conference.

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