Publications

Senate Still Without Strong Earmark Disclosure Provisions

While the House passed earmark disclosure provisions in its initial rules package in January, a stronger proposal for earmark disclosure passed by the Senate as part of a larger lobbying and ethics reform bill has languished for months. Despite the delay, recent rumors of possible action on the companion House ethics and lobbying reform bill have renewed hope the stronger Senate language on earmarks will eventually be adopted in both chambers.

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Court Picks Illusion of Safety over Protecting Public

The Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals recently ruled that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is not liable for any harm resulting from their intentional misinformation about air quality around the World Trade Center (WTC) site following the September 11 attacks. The lawsuit, Lombardi v. Whitman, was filed by five emergency responders who worked at the WTC site without adequate safeguards, in part because of the misguided assurances of safe air quality. The April 19 court decision favors protecting government liability over the public's right to know about environmental risks that could compromise their safety.

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OSHA's Lack of Standard Setting under Fire

This year's Workers Memorial Day, April 28, included criticism of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) — the federal regulatory body charged with ensuring worker and workplace safety. On Capitol Hill and in the media, critics chided OSHA for not fulfilling its mission and falling behind in promulgating new standards to protect the American workforce.

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White House Tightens Grip on Regulatory Power Grab

The White House has released a memo instructing agencies on how to implement President George W. Bush's recent changes to the regulatory process. OMB Watch had anticipated the release of such a memo due to the need for clarification of certain controversial provisions within Bush's executive order. However, the memo offers little new information and further confounds issues in some areas.

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House Subcommittee Steps Up Oversight on Regulatory Changes

A House subcommittee held a second hearing April 26 on the regulatory changes President George W. Bush issued in January. Subcommittee Chairman Brad Miller (D-NC) hoped to discover the reasons that the White House issued the changes, but the hearing turned stormy as Miller's inquiries were repeatedly rebuffed by an administration official. After tense exchanges with the official, Miller promised to seek additional documents from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and to hold additional hearings on regulatory changes "that affect the lives of millions of Americans."

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Spring Unified Agenda Published

Apr 30, 2007 by Matthew Madia

The Federal Register has published the semi-annual Unified Regulatory Agenda. Browse today's issue to find the planned regulatory (or deregulatory) actions of your favorite federal agency! The Unified Regulatory Agenda is published twice a year in compliance with Executive Order 12866 — Regulatory Planning and Review. The Agenda includes prerules, proposed rules, final rules, and long-term rules as well as items completed or withdrawn since the last agenda period. For more background on the Agenda, click here. For OMB Watch's analysis of the last Agenda (Dec. 2006), click here.

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Watcher: April 18, 2007

Apr 18, 2007 by Matt Lewis

Supplemental Debate: War of Words In the weeks since the House and href="/article/blogs/entry/3076/2" target="_blank">Senate each narrowly passed emergency supplemental appropriations bills, the president and congressional Democrats have engaged in a rhetorical battle over additional items above the president's record request, as well as language that would call for a withdrawal of troops from Iraq. Bush has issued almost daily attacks against the bills since they

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Government Manipulates Research Again, This Time on Voter Fraud

Documents released as a result of oversight hearings in the House have revealed that the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), the bipartisan body charged with implementing the Help America Vote Act, has rejected or altered research on voter fraud and intimidation and the impact of voter identification laws. This marks another instance in which the government has been accused of manipulating information.

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Polar Bears: Don't Ask, Don't Tell

New accusations of manipulating scientific information and gagging government scientists have arisen amidst the government's consideration of listing polar bears as an endangered species. Memos that censored scientists traveling to countries around the Arctic region and draft reports that were significantly altered in their final form have fueled these concerns. A leaked

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Economic Policy Institute Panel Looks beyond Balanced Budget

A balanced budget can and does have a place in a responsible fiscal policy, but it is not the only element. That was the message presented April 12, when the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) hosted a panel discussion entitled "Beyond Balanced Budget Mania." Indeed, a strict concentration on balancing the budget could have deleterious effects on the economy, continue to leave health care out the reach of millions, and contribute to the ongoing decay of national infrastructure.

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