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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