Stop the attack on independent oversight agencies!
The Independent Agency Regulatory Analysis Act would strip independent federal agencies of much of their independence, requiring them to spend limited resources completing formal cost-benefit analyses and hand over a substantial amount of control to the White House.
Most financial regulatory agencies would also be affected, so this bill is also a back-door way of undermining the implementation of Dodd-Frank financial reforms.
Tell your senators that financial reforms and product safety standards are important to you and that you don’t want more political and corporate influence exerted over the standard-setting process!
Under current law, most independent agencies already perform economic analyses and balance costs and public benefits, but the brand of cost-benefit analysis that S. 3468 would impose is skewed in favor of industry. The proposal also gives new review powers to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), a place where industry interests routinely go to get rules delayed and diluted.
Please call your senators today and urge them to oppose S. 3468!
The following form can help you find your senator’s phone number and help us keep track of what he or she has to say. Please look over the talking points below the form, then fill out the form and follow the links that appear.
To find your elected officials, please enter your ZIP Code. If you live in a split district, you may need to enter your full address.
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Points to emphasize about the Independent Agency Regulatory Analysis Act:
The bill would give control of independent agencies to the president. Independent agencies are accountable to Congress, not the president, and were created that way for a reason. Congress decided that because of the nature of the issues these agencies cover, they need to be protected from the partisan political pressures that come from being a part of the executive branch. We need to keep them that way.
Independent agencies can respond more quickly to crises because of their independence. For example, on Aug. 15, 2012, the Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled 4 million Bumbo Baby Seats in response to evidence that babies had been injured while sitting in them. This is a stark contrast with executive agencies, which often need years to respond to hazards.
A requirement that independent agencies undertake rigid cost-benefit analyses will delay and possibly prevent important safeguards that protect our health, safety, children’s toys, civil rights, and economy.
The bill would empower corporate lobbyists by giving them more say in the regulatory process by removing the independence of these agencies. We need independent agencies to work for the common good, not for special interests.
You can learn more about the Independent Agency Regulatory Analysis Act by visiting the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards’ webpage about the bill.
American Federation of Government Employees Local 704 