Eight Years of Anti-Regulatory Efforts Have Taken Toll on Nation, Report Finds

PRESS RELEASE
--For Immediate Release--
January 14, 2009

Contact: Brian Gumm, (202) 683-4812, bgumm@ombwatch.org

Eight Years of Anti-Regulatory Efforts Have Taken Toll on Nation, Report Finds

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14, 2009—OMB Watch today released a report that explores the results of the anti-regulatory actions of the Bush administration since Jan. 20, 2001. The report, The Bush Legacy: An Assault on Public Protections, was crafted in a narrative style by freelance writer and author Osha Gray Davidson and shows that attacks on a variety of common-sense regulations have taken a great toll on the United States.

"The verdict is in," said OMB Watch Executive Director Gary D. Bass. "Through a number of means, the George W. Bush administration has worked hard to weaken sensible safeguards across the board, endangering our environment, stripping away public health and safety protections, and stymieing government's ability to respond to new, emerging hazards."

The report, though not intended to serve as a comprehensive record of every anti-regulatory effort by the Bush administration, uses clear examples to document a wide range of activity, much of which occurred behind the scenes, away from the eyes of all but the most observant members of the press and the public.

In 2003, Davidson wrote one of the first exposés detailing the "stealth" tactics used by the Bush administration to reverse decades of environmental protections.* In The Bush Legacy, Davidson tells the broader story behind the Bush regulatory assaults in all areas of public safety and health. "I had no illusions about this administration going in to the project," said Davidson. "But I was still appalled to learn just how far they were willing to go to achieve their ideological and political ends."

The storytelling style of the report helps readers begin to understand how much damage has been done under the watch of George W. Bush and his vice president, Richard B. Cheney.

The Bush Legacy is organized into five chapters:

  • "Dismantling Government" provides the reader with a concise history of regulation in modern America. From the late 1800s through the tenure of George W. Bush, this chapter looks at regulatory efforts sparked by deadly pollution, destruction of our nation's eastern forests, and widespread corruption, as well as the anti-regulatory reaction to such sensible protections.

  • "Turning Off the Spigot" shows that from the very first day of the Bush administration, officials throughout the federal government have been engaged in efforts to delay, derail, and roll back a large number of regulations.

  • "Changing the Rules" examines the special access granted to special interests, the increased secrecy of the federal government under the Bush administration (including increased secrecy in the rulemaking process), and the results — whether intended or unintended — of the Bush White House's heavy reliance on voluntary regulation.

  • "Getting Government Out of the Way" builds upon the first three chapters and focuses on the modern conservative movement's slash-and-burn approach to governance. Through agency budget cuts and steadily decreasing the number of skilled, knowledgeable staff, the Bush administration and an often-compliant Congress have compounded the problems created by direct anti-regulatory efforts.

  • "Conclusions and Recommendations for Change" points out some of the reactions to the Bush administration's anti-regulatory activity. This chapter explores some congressional successes and failures related to public protections; the public's widespread support for sensible safeguards; and recommendations, crafted by two recent nonpartisan projects, that are designed to positively reform the regulatory process and increase the transparency of the federal government. The chapter closes with a pointed assessment of the Bush administration's regulatory record, as well as a call for the incoming Obama administration, the 111th Congress, and the American people to craft workable, effective solutions that will reinvigorate our struggling economy, safeguard our nation's natural beauty, and protect every American's health and safety.

In summing up The Bush Legacy, Bass noted, "It is my hope that this narrative will serve as more than an exercise in truth-telling. The Bush Legacy should also help us learn from our past mistakes and should be a call for action to restore and improve the public protections so vital to our families, our children, and our country."

The full text of The Bush Legacy is available at /files/bushlegacy.pdf. A smaller, lower-resolution version is also available.

*"Dirty Secrets," Mother Jones, September/October 2003.

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OMB Watch is a nonprofit government watchdog organization dedicated to promoting government accountability, citizen participation in public policy decisions, and the use of fiscal and regulatory policy to serve the public interest.

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