107th Congress - OMB Watch

107th Congress:

News

Rahall, Dingell Express Concern with Bush Environmental Rollbacks 10/28/2002
A letter to President Bush from leading congressional Democrats blasts the administration for undermining and dismantling the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), considered the Magna Carta of environmental law. Read More

House to Vote on Bill Directing Privacy Assessments for New Rules 09/16/2002
Within the next month, the House is expected to vote on a bill (H.R. 4561) -- sponsored by Rep. Bob Barr (R-GA) and cleared by the Judiciary Committee on Sept. 10 -- that directs federal agencies to conduct a “privacy impact analysis” for new regulations. Read More

Maloney Introduces Contractor Accountability Bill 08/05/2002
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) introduced legislation (H.R. 5292) last week that seeks to ensure federal contractors follow the law by creating a centralized database on actions taken against them, including government lawsuits, consent decrees, and administrative agreements. Read More

Senate Committee Passes Bill to Reduce Power-Plant Pollution 07/08/2002
Legislation requiring significant cuts in emissions from electric power plants, including carbon dioxide, squeaked out of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee by a vote of 10 to 9 on June 27, over the objections of the Bush administration. Read More

Bush Seeks FOIA Exemption in Homeland Security Bill 06/19/2002
President Bush, yesterday (6/18), submitted to Congress his proposal for the creation of a new Homeland Security Department. The detailed 35-page bill would transfer about 100 federal entities into a single cabinet agency with an annual budget of more than $37 billion and about 170,000 employees -- reportedly the biggest government reshuffling since 1947. Read More

Graham Grilled on Possible Regulatory Roll Backs 03/18/2002
Rep. John Tierney (D-MA) grilled John Graham, administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), on whether he is seeking to roll back regulation at the request of affected industry at a March 12 hearing in the House Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs. Read More

Congress Votes to Repeal Ergonomics Standard 03/07/2001
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Senate Confirms Daniels for OMB in 100-0 Vote 01/23/2001
After a mere 20 minutes of debate, the Senate unanimously confirmed Bush's choice for director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Mitch Daniels. The decisions Daniels makes will be critical, and not just to OMB, but to the entire federal government. For a discussion of what Daniels may mean for OMB, see the January 22, 2001 Watcher.