Political Quotes

“I rise today in opposition to the nomination of Neomi Rao to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit. The DC Circuit is considered by many to be the most powerful appellate court in the country. This is true in large part because the DC Circuit hears challenges to many actions taken by the Federal Government, including challenges to the adoption or repeal of Federal regulations. I believe it is particularly relevant that Ms. Rao has a record of working to dismantle key regulations that ensure the air we breathe is safe, that address climate change, and that protect American workers and consumers. Ms. Rao has a troubling and aggressive record as the head of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. She has led efforts to weaken fuel economy, or CAFE standards, which I authored with Senator Olympia Snowe and which has been the law since 2007. Before the administration proposed freezing these standards, we were set to achieve a fuel economy standard of 54 miles per gallon--MPG--by 2025. Ms. Rao has also led efforts to repeal the Clean Power Plan. This repeal has been estimated to result in up to 1,400 premature deaths annually by 2030, due to an increase in particulate matter from emissions that are linked to heart and lung disease. Further, the repeal of the Clean Power Plan is expected to cause up to 48,000 new cases of serious asthma and 15,000 new cases of upper respiratory problems every year. Ms.…”