June, 07 2017, 04:15pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Elliott Negin,Media Director,enegin@ucsusa.org
In a Quietly Powerful Job, Rao's Views Could Put Americans at Risk
Statement from Andrew Rosenberg, Union of Concerned Scientists
WASHINGTON
Tomorrow, a Senate Committee will consider the nomination of Professor Neomi Rao to head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. It's one of the most underrated and powerful positions in the federal government--and Senators need to take seriously whether Professor Rao will act in the public interest if confirmed. Her views could put more Americans at risk, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).
Below is a statement by Andrew Rosenberg, director of the Center for Science and Democracy at UCS.
"As administrator of OIRA, Professor Neomi Rao would have sway over almost everything the federal government does to protect Americans' health, safety and environment. Her record raises questions about whether she will really put the public first. In her writings and testimony before Congress, she has been clear about her hostility to the ability of agency experts to set public health and safety rules. That would put Americans in danger--especially the low-income neighborhoods and communities of color who are hardest hit by pollution.
"The job Professor Rao is up for is low-profile, but extremely powerful--and her views about the role of government are actually quite radical. Agencies are required to submit rulemaking proposals to OIRA for review, giving the administrator a large measure of control in how public health, safety and environmental protections move forward, even overruling agency experts.
"Professor Rao could sharply constrain the government's ability to respond to health threats and implement popular, long-standing laws like the Clean Air Act. If they're going to enforce the laws that keep our air and water clean, and our food and workplaces safe, federal agencies need the ability to craft rules based on the best available science."
The Union of Concerned Scientists is the leading science-based nonprofit working for a healthy environment and a safer world. UCS combines independent scientific research and citizen action to develop innovative, practical solutions and to secure responsible changes in government policy, corporate practices, and consumer choices.
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Despite the Pentagon's repeated failures to pass audits and various alarming policies, 81 Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives voted with 200 Republicans on Wednesday to advance a $883.7 billion annual defense package.
The Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025, unveiled by congressional negotiators this past Saturday, still needs approval from the Senate, which is expected to vote next week. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Wednesday that he plans to vote no and spoke out against the military-industrial complex.
The push to pass the NDAA comes as this congressional session winds down and after the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) announced last month that it had failed yet another audit—which several lawmakers highlighted after the Wednesday vote.
Reps. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), co-chairs and co-founders of the Defense Spending Reduction Caucus, said in a joint statement, "Time and time again, Congress seems to be able to find the funds necessary to line the pockets of defense contractors while neglecting the problems everyday Americans face here at home."
"Instead of fighting the rising cost of healthcare, gas, or groceries, this Congress prioritized rewarding the wealthy and well-connected military-industrial complex with even more unaccountable funds," they continued. "After a seventh failed audit in a row, it's disappointing that our amendment to hold the Pentagon accountable by penalizing the DOD's budget by 0.5% for each failed audit was stripped out of the final bill. It's time Congress demanded accountability from the Pentagon."
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Several of the 124 House Democrats who voted against the NDAA cited those "culture war" policies, in addition to concerns about how the Pentagon spends massive amounts of money that could go toward improving lives across the country.
"Once again, Congress has passed a massive military authorization bill that prioritizes endless military spending over the critical needs of American families. This year's NDAA designates $900 billion for military spending," said Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), noting the audit failures. "While I recognize the long-overdue 14.5% raise for our lowest-ranking enlisted personnel is important, this bill remains flawed. The bloated military budget continues to take away crucial funding from programs that could help millions of Americans struggling to make ends meet."
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As Omar, a leading critic of the U.S.-backed Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip, also pointed out: "The NDAA includes a provision that blocks the Pentagon from using data on casualties and deaths from the Gaza Ministry of Health or any sources relying on those statistics. This is an alarming erasure of the suffering of the Palestinian people, ignoring the human toll of ongoing violence."
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Congresswoman Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.), who voted against the NDAA, directed attention to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's proposed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), set to be run by billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
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Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who also opposed the NDAA, wrote in a Tuesday opinion piece for MSNBC that he looks forward to working with DOGE "to reduce waste and fraud at the Pentagon, while strongly opposing any cuts to programs likeSocial Security, Medicare, the Department of Veterans Affairs, or the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau."
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