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News & Analysis | REG•WATCH Blog | Press Room
Monday, September 27, 2004
Short-changing your welfare for election-year gain?
Stunning article in today's New York Times suggesting that agencies are "slow rolling" -- delaying -- needed protections of the public health, safety, and environment in order to secure industry support for this administration's reelection:
In recent weeks, federal agencies across the vast Washington bureaucracy have delayed completion of a range of proposed regulations from food safety and the environment to corporate governance and telecommunications policy until after Election Day, when regulatory action may be more politically palatable.
The delays come after heavy lobbying by industry organizations, including the United States Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable, the cattle and feed industries, the four regional Bell operating telephone companies, big health care providers and timber and mining interests.
Isn't this business as usual for any election year? Maybe not:
"Generally, regulatory submissions often get pushed off in election years,'' said Gene Kimmelman, a senior director of public policy at Consumers Union.
"What is unusual this time,'' he added, "is the clear pattern of holding back regulatory decisions that will benefit the largest industry players and will drive up prices and market place risks for consumers, ranging from telephones to drugs to the risks of contaminants of food. The pattern of slow rolling will ultimately benefit the largest players and hit consumers in the pocketbook.''
--from Stephen Labaton, "Agencies Postpone Issuing New Rules as Election Nears," N.Y. Times, Sept. 27, 2004, at A1
Posted by Robert Shull
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