Sen. Tom Carper, D-Delaware, joined eight of his colleagues in sending a letter to the head of the Office of Management in Budget outlining their concerns about an executive order issued by President Trump recommending the creation of a “regulatory budget.”
A regulatory budget, which creates a framework for measuring and reducing regulatory, isn’t a new idea. A number of countries, such as the United Kingdom and Canada, employ some version of it.
What the letter questions is the order’s specific recommendation of a “two for one” scheme that would force federal agencies to nix two regulations for every one created.
“We are concerned that the President, in issuing this order, is ignoring the benefits for public health, safety and otherwise, that regulations put forward by agencies can bring to society as a whole,” the letter states. “Further, the order may cause undue burdens on government employees who are required to issue and review regulations as well as industry, consumers, and others who are subject to them.”‘
The letter goes on to ask a series of questions about how the order will be implemented and what its impact will be on a number of specific regulations.
The full letter is available here
