Groups Oppose the Nomination of Rep. Mick Mulvaney as OMB Director
January 23, 2017 | Download PDF
U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs
340 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
U.S. Senate Committee on Budget
624 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator,
We, the undersigned consumer, small business, labor, good government, financial protection, community, health, environmental, civil rights and public interest groups, oppose the nomination of Representative John Michael ‘Mick’ Mulvaney for the position of White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director and urge you to vote against his confirmation.
Both Rep. Mulvaney’s public statements and his voting record show that he is unfit and unqualified to run OMB. We cannot put our federal agencies and budget in the hands of someone who is willing to ‘play chicken’ with our debt ceiling, would like to put Medicare and Social Security on the chopping block, and calls into question the need for government funded research.
This nomination gives the reins of government to someone who doesn’t value its continual and effective operation and calls government shutdowns ‘good policy’. Rep. Mulvaney was a proud leader of the 2011 government shutdown. He has repeatedly voted against raising the debt ceiling, and does not believe that failing to raise the debt limit would cause the government to default.
One example of the problems inherent in Rep. Mulvaney’s nomination is the implicit threat to the scientific integrity of our public health and research institutions. He believes global warming is “based on questionable science” and has even questioned the scientific consensus that the Zika virus causes the birth defect microcephaly. He has gone one step further and questions the necessity of government funded research.
The stability of our government institutions, and the health and welfare of the millions of Americans who depend on vital programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security would be put at great risk. Rep. Mulvaney has called Social Security a ‘Ponzi scheme’, advocates for the privatization of Medicare and promised to raise the retirement age for Medicare and Social Security programs significantly, taking away a service that has been paid for and earned through many decades of hard work.
OMB has a significant role in the regulatory process and agency priorities. As OMB Director, Rep. Mulvaney could strip agencies of their enforcement budgets thus eliminating their ability to protect public health and safety rules necessitated by Congressional legislation such as the Clean Air Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act. He could even prioritize the interests of regulated industry entities over hard working Americans who would benefit from the public protections. Rep. Mulvaney has already expressed an interest in deregulating banks and doesn’t like “that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau exists”.
We need someone in the position of Director of OMB who believes in the vital role of government and federal institutions. Rep. Mulvaney does not. Therefore, we urge you to reject the nomination of Rep. Mulvaney to the position of White House Office of Management and Budget Director.
Thank you,
AFL-CIO
AFSCME
Alaska Wilderness League
American Family Voices
American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO
Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization
Center for Biological Diversity
Center for Community Change Action
Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists
Center for Science in the Public Interest
Coalition on Human Needs
Communications Workers of America
Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety
Daily Kos
Defenders of Wildlife
Earthjustice
Economic Policy Institute Policy Center
Free Press Action Fund
Friends of the Earth
George Washington University Milken School of Public Health Professorial Lecturer
Homeowners Against Deficient Dwellings
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility
Interfaith Worker Justice
International Chemical Workers Union Council (ICWUC)
League of Conservation Voters
Main Street Alliance
Media Mobilizing Project
NAACP
National Association of Consumer Advocates
National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
National Center for Lesbian Rights
National Council of Jewish Women
National Domestic Workers Alliance
National Education Association
National Employment Law Project
National Employment Lawyers Association
National Fair Housing Alliance
National Partnership for Women & Families
Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC)
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Population Connection Action Fund
Project Vote
Public Citizen
Public Knowledge
SEIU
Sierra Club
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum
United Auto Workers (UAW)
United Steelworkers
Voices for Progress