As expected after yesterday’s cloture vote, Cass Sunstein was confirmed as the administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. The vote was 57-40. Click here to read OMB Watch’s statement on the confirmation.

The vote fell mostly somewhat along party lines. Republican senators Robert Bennett (UT), Orrin Hatch (UT), Susan Collins (ME), Richard Lugar (IN), Olympia Snowe (ME), and George Voinovich joined 51 Democrats (including Sen. Joe Lieberman) in voting for Sunstein. Democratic senators Mark Begich (AK), Blanche Lincoln (AR), Ben Nelson (NE), Mark Pryor (AR), Jim Webb (VA), independent Bernie Sanders (VT), and 34 Republicans voted against.

Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) did not vote.

Sunstein’s nomination grew more and more controversial after the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved it on May 20. The Committee approved the nomination by voice vote, and only Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) objected. Committee members Pryor, John McCain (R-AZ), John Ensign (R-NV), and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) all voted against Sunstein this time around.

Now the work begins for Sunstein and OIRA’s staff. In the coming days, I hope the White House will provide the public with a status update of its efforts to write a new executive order on regulations. The current regulatory process is badly broken; it does not allow agencies to quickly and fairly write and enforce regulations needed to protect public health and welfare. I wish Cass Sunstein and his colleagues the best of luck in trying to fix it.