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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House Lobby Reform Package Set for March

Feb 14, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

The House began consideration of lobbying reform legislation, with specific attention towards the lobbying of executing branch officials. Yesterday the Oversight and Government Reform Committee considered H.R. 984, the Executive Branch Reform Act of 2007. The bill would require senior government officials to report significant contacts with lobbyists to the Office of Government Ethics. According to BNA Money and Politics ($$), the bill could be attached to the House's lobby reform legislation expected to be voted on in March.

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Another Look at the Reg. Policy Officer

Feb 14, 2007 by Matthew Madia

I just came across a St. Louis Post-Dispatch Op-Ed from last week, which provides an interesting analysis of the regulatory policy officer recently created under Bush's new executive order. The E.O. creates a new politically appointed position within each agency, the regulatory policy officer, who would ensure the White House's regulatory agenda was carried out in the agencies. The Post-Dispatch editors compare the RPO to the zampoliti who "enforced party discipline" in Soviet military units.

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Two House Committees Examine Bush Regulatory Amendments

Feb 14, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Yesterday, two House subcommittees held back-to-back oversight hearings investigating President Bush's recent amendments to Executive Order 12866 — Regulatory Planning and Review. The first hearing, held by the House Science and Technology Committee subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight, delved into the specific impacts of the amendments.

OMB Watch's own Rick Melberth framed the amendments as the next step in a disturbing trend where the White House has adopted tools to delay regulation.
Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA) wondered how the marketplace incentivized certain protections.
Witness and former OIRA administrator Sally Katzen criticized the administration for exerting influence over agency guidance documents.
And subcommittee Chair Brad Miller (D-NC) chastised the influence of the Presidential appointees who will serve as Regulatory Policy Officers:

If an RPO makes the wrong decision for the wrong reason, we're not going to know about it. Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), the ranking member on the subcommittee, exhibited a lack of understanding of the issue at large. He claimed the amendments do not require "additional hurdles to be overcome" and he muddled the separate issues of market failures and cost-benefit analyses. He left abruptly in the middle of the hearing. The second hearing, held by the House Judiciary Committee subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law, focused on action Congress could take. Committee Chair John Conyers (D-MI) and subcommittee Chair Linda Sanchez (D-CA) both asked witnesses what Congress could do. While Columbia University law professor Peter Strauss admitted Congress's options are limited, Curtis Copeland from the Congressional Research Service pointed out that Congress may declare that Executive Orders not hold any legal sway. Rep. William Delahunt (D-MA) is ready to "wage war" on the "institutional combat" against the legislative branch. Read more from The Pump Handle here.

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Reg Watch in Review Debuts

Feb 12, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Today, OMB Watch's Regulatory Policy Program releases the first edition of Reg Watch in Review. Reg Watch in Review will be a bi-weekly email highlighting the most recent and pressing news from the regulatory world. If you are not already signed up for OMB Watch's Regulatory Policy Updates, and you would like to receive Reg Watch in Review, please sign up by clicking here.

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House Oversight on Bush's E.O. Amendments

Feb 9, 2007 by Matthew Madia

On Feb. 13, the House will hold a joint subcommittee hearing titled, "Amending Executive Order 12866: Good Governance or Regulatory Usurpation?" The hearing will include testimony by former OIRA administrator Sally Katzen, Georgetown law professor David Vladeck, and OMB Watch's own Rick Melberth. On Jan. 18, President Bush issued a slew of amendments to Executive Order 12866 — Regulatory Planning and Review. The amendments vary in their specific impact, but share the goal of slowing the regulatory process. On Jan. 30, The New York Times published a front page story on the amendments, pushing the issue into the national spotlight. Now, the House Science and Technology Committee Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight and the House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law (say that three times fast) will hold a joint hearing to investigate. It is heartening to see Congress exercise its oversight power. Bush's decision to amend the regulatory process undermines our nation's public health and safety protections. Furthermore, it shifts certain Congressional powers into the White House, and shows Mr. Bush's contempt for the people's branch of government. Let's hope the White House is paying attention this Tuesday.

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FDA Helpless in Regulating Drug Industry

Feb 7, 2007 by Matthew Madia

The New Standard reports that neither the FDA nor the pharmaceutical industry have proven the safety of hundreds of drugs already approved for the market. How does such a regulatory gaff occur? From the article by Michelle Chen: Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the FDA can approve drugs despite unresolved safety concerns, but it can also require further studies by the manufacturer once a drug is released onto the market. The problem is manufacturers aren't holding up their end of the bargain. According to an FDA notice in the Federal Register, for FY 2006, 71 percent of the required further studies are pending and 3 percent are delayed. Meanwhile, only 15 percent are ongoing and a mere 11 percent have been submitted.

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Latest Watcher

Feb 7, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Be sure to check out the latest issue of our biweekly newsletter, The Watcher. Reg policy articles this time: Media, Congress Begin to Examine Bush's Executive Order on Regulatory Process Congress Steps Up Oversight of Executive Branch

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More Grassroots Campaigns to Come

Feb 6, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

An article in The Hill discusses how ethics rule changes will generate an even greater reliance on grassroots campaigns. Grassroots lobbying and lobbying firms are becoming increasingly more important, and will continue to do so. Lobbyists are not required to report grassroots campaigns to the federal government making them difficult to monitor, while traditional lobby firms will growingly partner with independent grassroots firms.

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Media, Congress Begin to Examine Bush's Executive Order on Regulatory Process

President George W. Bush's Executive Order amending the regulatory process in significant ways didn't immediately garner the attention one might have expected from the mainstream media and Congress. The order set in motion changes that could further delay or hinder public health, safety, environmental, and civil rights protections. It was issued by the White House, with a press release, Jan. 18, and only OMB Watch and Public Citizen rang the alarm bells, calling attention to changes that give OMB's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) even broader powers over agency actions.

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Congress Steps Up Oversight of Executive Branch

Congressional Democrats are stepping up their oversight of the Bush administration. Several of the steps Congress has taken, or is likely to take soon, have implications for the federal government's regulatory policy. One recent oversight hearing reflected concerns over scientific integrity within the White House. The impetus for two other hearings, and one potential hearing, is concern over the Bush administration's failure to enforce laws passed by Congress.

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