A Trump Nomination Shows He’s Serious About Deregulation The president picks a law professor to lead the most important office you’ve never heard of. By Susan Dudley
https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-trump-nomination-shows-hes-serious-about-deregulation-1491768677
President Trump on Friday reinforced how serious he is about reforming the regulatory state by nominating Neomi Rao to head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. The OIRA administrator, or “regulatory czar,” is the ultimate policy wonk. Ms. Rao, a respected legal scholar with experience in all three branches of government, is ideally suited to the job.
OIRA, which operates within the president’s Office of Management and Budget, may be the most important office you’ve never heard of. Its staff of fewer than 50 career professionals reviews the regulatory, information-collection and statistical activities of federal agencies. That may not sound exciting, but regulation is one of the most direct and powerful ways by which a president can advance his policies.
President Obama used regulation to get around Congress in pursuit of initiatives on climate change, immigration, worker pay and more. President Trump has promised to reverse those regulations and directed agencies to eliminate two old rules for every new one they issue.
OIRA allows the president to manage the regulatory authority that Congress has delegated to the executive branch. By some estimates regulations cost Americans more than $2 trillion a year, and every president since Reagan has recognized that letting agencies make policy without White House oversight would be like giving them a blank check on their budgets.
The next OIRA administrator will enforce Mr. Trump’s executive order that agencies eliminate costly regulations while identifying those that still provide significant net benefits. That will require principled and pragmatic leadership, and Ms. Rao has the experience, intellect and character for the job. She is an associate professor at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School, where she founded and directs the Center for the Study of the Administrative State. She directs a committee on regulatory policy for the American Bar Association. In addition to a sharp legal mind, Ms. Rao brings an openness to different perspectives and an ability to manage the competing demands of regulatory policy.
I served as OIRA administrator for the last two years of the George W. Bush administration and, like many others who held the position, consider it one of the best jobs in government. If confirmed, Ms. Rao will be involved in a dizzying range of issues and work with senior appointees across the government to implement important policies that affect people’s daily lives. CONTINUE AT SITE
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