The hearing focused on a report by Graham’s office that suggested a host of major health and environmental regulations, including clean air and water standards, need to be revised or repealed. "High priority" rules that appeared on Graham’s list were dominated by suggestions from the conservative, industry-funded Mercatus Center, which was represented at the hearing by Susan Dudley. The Washington City Paper recently ran a cover story on the Mercatus Center and its corporate contributors.
In response to criticism that this reflects an anti-regulatory bias,
Graham has indicated to OMB Watch that he will make clear in seeking
comments for his next report on federal regulation (which is an annual
requirement directed by Congress) that OIRA is interested in nominations
for both "more" and "less" regulation, "as long as the analytic case for
overall public welfare is made clear." A draft report is expected to be
out for comment in the very near future.
Other witnesses at the hearing included Joan Claybrook (see testimony here), president of Public Citizen, and Georgetown law professor Lisa Heinzerling, who both testified on OIRA’s slant against health, safety, and environmental protection, as well as the shortcomings of the cost-benefit estimates presented in Graham’s report, which often rely on data that is misleading, outdated, and inaccurate.
For more detail on Graham's actions at OIRA, see this OMB Watch analysis.