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Letter to President Biden on Vacancies at the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs

Feb. 28, 2022 | Download PDF

President Joseph R. Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Biden,

The Coalition for Sensible Safeguards (CSS) – an alliance of more than 160 consumer, labor, scientific, research, faith, community, environmental, small business, good government, civil rights, public health and public interest groups representing millions of people – urges you to expedite appointments to fill vacancies in leadership positions at the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA).

Your administration is currently advancing numerous new regulatory protections for consumers, workers, public health, climate, and the environment. We are concerned that progress on this crucial regulatory agenda to protect the public may become delayed due to vacancies in OIRA leadership following the departure of Acting Administrator Sharon Block. To avoid this, you must act to fill those vacancies, including nominating an administrator to lead OIRA, as soon as possible.

Under the leadership of former Acting Administrator Sharon Block and Senior Counsel Sabeel Rahman, OIRA has been instrumental in reversing harmful policies put in place by the prior administration and signaling overdue and much-needed reforms to modernize the OIRA regulatory review process.

Maintaining high quality leadership at OIRA with individuals similarly committed to advancing the public interest will be essential to building on this progress in the future. Accordingly, we encourage you to nominate and appoint OIRA leadership with diverse backgrounds who understand that strong regulation is the basis for improving the lives of Americans, and who are committed to driving forward fundamental reforms at OIRA.

Your administration has a unique opportunity to rebuild the regulatory system so that it works for the American people, and the accomplishment of this reform effort can be an enduring part of your legacy. We urge you to prioritize filling the current vacancies at OIRA to ensure the success of your regulatory agenda to protect the public.

Sincerely,

Robert Weissman
President, Public Citizen
CSS Co-Chair

Jack Gillis
Executive Director, Consumer Federation of America
CSS Co-Chair