Political Quotes

“I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to H.R. 1009, the OIRA Insight, Reform, and Accountability Act, yet another radical bill, part of a corporate agenda designed to eviscerate public protections under the Clean Water Act and other laws designed to ensure the safety of American families. As the ranking member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, I have several serious concerns with this measure. First, H.R. 1009 would eviscerate the independence of agencies that are critical to holding corporations accountable and protecting consumers, such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Congress established these expert agencies with the express purpose of exercising independence from the policy whims of the White House. Section 3423 of H.R. 1009, however, would task the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, OIRA, with a governmentwide review of significant regulatory actions, effectively placing this obscure entity as the gatekeeper of the rulemaking system. Currently, OIRA only reviews a small portion of significant regulatory actions, allowing it to effectively allocate its finite resources to review the most pressing rules.…”