Tim Walberg: “My amendment tells the Environmental Protection Agency to follow the law and clearly establishes the view of Congress…”

“My amendment tells the Environmental Protection Agency to follow the law and clearly establishes the view of Congress that the EPA cannot lobby on behalf of the waters of the U.S. rule, in violation of the Anti-Lobbying Act. Over the past few years, the EPA has been pushing the limits of its statutory authority to the issue of the waters of the U.S. rule. Now, we have learned that, as part of their efforts to regulate every pond, stream, and ditch in America, the EPA may have violated the Anti- Lobbying Act to garner public comments in support of the proposed rule, even though the Department of Justice has consistently stated that the act prohibits Federal agencies from engaging in substantial grassroots lobbying. In fact, The New York Times recently reported: In a campaign that tests the limits of Federal lobbying law, the Agency orchestrated a drive to counter political opposition from Republicans and enlist public support in concert with liberal environmental groups and a grassroots organization aligned with President Obama. The New York Times went on to say as well: The most contentious part of the EPA's campaign was deploying Thunderclap, a social media tool that spread the Agency's message to hundreds of thousands of people, a ``virtual flash mob,'' in the words of Travis Loop, the head of communications for EPA's water division. Mr. Chairman, this is unseemly.…”