CSS to Biden: Finish the Regulatory Review Modernization Process This Congress

For Immediate Release: Sept. 15, 2022

Contact: David Rosen, drosen@citizen.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Biden administration needs to finish the regulatory review modernization process authorized on Day One of his presidency by the end of the current Congress, the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards said in a letter sent to the White House today.

“With the recent passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, and a robust agenda of new regulatory protections for the American people, reforms to improve, strengthen, and make the regulatory process more equitable and effective are urgently needed,” the letter reads. “It is imperative that the Biden administration make implementation of the reforms under the Modernizing Regulatory Review memo a top priority to be completed within this Congress.”

The regulatory review process at the U.S. Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) historically has served as a barrier to, rather than as a catalyst for, regulatory safeguards that protect the public. As the administration’s authorizing memo pointed out, the current approach to regulatory review:

• Disregards important values like human dignity, equity, and the interests of future generations;
• Fails to account for a wide range of regulatory benefits and isn’t attentive enough to distributional concerns, burdening disadvantaged and marginalized communities;
• Discourages stronger protections instead of proactively promoting them;
• Imposes costly delays; and
• Lacks basic transparency that is necessary for upholding the democratic values the Biden administration champions.

The Coalition for Sensible Safeguards is an alliance of more than 150 organizations representing millions of Americans committed to strong and effective regulations that protect the public. The coalition and its leading members have long championed reforms to modernize OIRA and regulatory review.