The agency you have never heard of will destroy the regulation of regulation

Congress passes legislation and then Federal agencies develop the details in the form of rules and regulations. The office that oversees all this is the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). Trump’s nominee to head this office, Neomi Rao, has extremist views on these regulatory functions and has demonstrated hostility to the very agency she would head. Her confirmation could destroy the system we rely on to make us safe and protect our economy and workplaces. Literally, this is the case where the devil will poison the details.

The OIRA reviews proposed regulations from agencies throughout the government and oversees the implementation of government-wide policies. It sounds mundane until you realize that these agencies (different from Departments) include the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Reserve, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Federal Communications Commission, the EPA, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Think about the impact these and other Federal agencies have on our daily lives and well being and get ready to act.

Ms. Rao believes that Congress does not have the constitutional authority to enact legislation, like the Clean Air Act, that delegates to the EPA the authority to develop detailed regulations to protect public health and safety. The regulatory process is important because it depends on specific expertise to determine these rules and regulations. Congress can’t, and probably shouldn’t, legislate at such a granular level. Additionally, as technology revolutionizes ways of doing business so must rules and regulations change in order to maintain Congressional intent. Agencies must have this authority to avoid disruptions or more Congressional logjams.

Placing Rao at the head ofOIRA would endanger labor, environmental, and other regulations and potentially call into question the long-term existence of some of our best-known and effective public agencies like the EEOC. Trump’s nomination of Rao is another example of selecting individuals to head departments or agencies that they are committed to dismantling. We’re seeing the damage Betsy DeVos is doing to the Education Department…let’s not allow the same in the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs!

Call to Action

To defeat the nomination of Neomi Rao to head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, at least three Republican and all Democratic Senators must vote NO. Call your member of Congress and urge them to aggressively oppose the nomination of Neomi Rao to head the OIRA

The Hard Ask: Will you stand up to President Trump and vote against the nomination of Neomi Rao to head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs?