Shot Across the Bow

Shot Across the Bow:

Graham immediately made his anti-regulatory agenda clear upon entering office.

News

White House Subverting Health, Safety & Environmental Protection 09/04/2002

The Bush administration has turned back the clock with John Graham in place as head of OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), which as an arm of the White House has the authority to review and possibly reject or amend new agency regulations. Graham, whose nomination was overwhelmingly opposed by the environmental community, labor unions, and public health advocates, has moved swiftly to create new barriers to health, safety, and environmental protections, and to assert centralized control over regulatory policy at OIRA. Read More

Graham Reasserts White House Regulatory Review 02/20/2002
Before Christine Todd Whitman can issue a new standard protecting against arsenic in drinking water, she must get his approval. Ditto if Tommy Thompson wants to collect information on nursing home performance. Or if Ann Veneman wants to require new testing for listeria in meat products. In fact, no health, safety, or environmental standard is beyond his reach.
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Graham Signals Activist Agenda 10/01/2001

John Graham, who was confirmed as head of the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) amid a firestorm of protest, is beginning to use the immense power of his office -- which must give clearance to all agency rules and paperwork -- to shape policies and procedures across government, signaling a return to OIRA's activist past.