Fratto Whitewashes Bush’s Midnight Regulatory Blitz As ‘Transparent,’ ‘Routine,’ And ‘Responsible’
Fratto Whitewashes Bush’s Midnight Regulatory Blitz As ‘Transparent,’ ‘Routine,’ And ‘Responsible’
As ThinkProgress has documented, President Bush is pushing an array of 11th hour regulations in his final months. In a USA Today op-ed today, White House Deputy Press Secretary Tony Fratto defends the practice, claiming that the “midnight” regulations are, in fact, “transparent” and “responsible”:
The record will show a slight increase, but a relatively steady pace in the number of regulations finalized during the fall of this year, the overwhelming majority of which are routine and unremarkable. And instead of a spike of late regulations at the end, we expect a drop-off in the last weeks.
These are not “midnight regulations” or “rushed regulations.” There will be no surprises: The vast majority of regulations finalized in these last months will have been published for public review and comment since June 1, more than six months before the end of the president’s term.
Bush’s last-minute regulations are hardly “unremarkable.” Rather, they are ideologically-driven, and will weaken health care, workers rights, and degrade the environment. Bush still plans on releasing some 20 “highly contentious rules.”
Furthermore, the midnight regulations may prove very difficult to reverse, which is just what the White House intended:
Last May, White House chief of staff Joshua Bolten instructed federal agency heads to make sure any new regulations were finalized by Nov. 1. The memo didn’t spell it out, but the thinking behind the directive was obvious. . … President Clinton finalized regulations within 60 days of the 2001 inauguration, meaning Bush could come in and easily reverse them. It could take Obama years to undo climate rules finalized more than 60 days before he takes office — the advantage the White House sought by getting them done by Nov. 1.
According to a recent study by the conservative Mercatus Center, “If Bush continues at this pace — an average of a major regulation a day from Nov. 1 to Nov. 20 he’ll produce ore last-minute rules than any other president.”
Fratto also claimed the Bush administration’s rule-making process is a “stark break” from the days of regulations being implemented “with inadequate public notice or interagency review.” But the Interior Department’s recent rule allowing uranium mining next to the Grand Canyon, for example, occurred after only 15 days of public comment, less than half the normal period.
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll
Absolutely won’t be any surprises . . . who could ever be surprised by something Georgie does in his last days to try pandering to neocons!
December 8th, 2008 at 8:05 pmWhat do you expect – they stole the 2000 election, exploited 9/11 for plunder & to undermine that constitution (it was an inside job), lied this nation into an illegal war of conquest in Iraq, stole 2004, and have lied about almost EVERYTHING!
They know that the public doesn’t support their agenda nor the criminality behind it all, so they have to do it by hook or crook.
Of course they are going to stick it to us on the way out – they have gotten away with theft on a scale never before seen in the history of the world, treason, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
December 8th, 2008 at 8:13 pmCan Obama create a team dedicated to nothing other than tracking and planning for the immediate overturning of all this BushWacks?
President Obama will be very busy on day one (hell, he’s busy now and already getting criticism!) but I don’t want to see this stuff slipping through the cracks.
PEACE
December 8th, 2008 at 8:16 pmThis misguided malcontent has been stealing from the cookie jar for eight years, without so much as even a slap on the wrist. No one should be surprised that he has decided to take the whole damn jar with him on his way out the door.
December 8th, 2008 at 8:23 pmhivanh – dems have enabled this, haven’t they.
December 8th, 2008 at 8:30 pmAnother Joe Says:
hivanh – dems have enabled this, haven’t they.
And they can fix it legislatively, by putting sunset clauses on the regulations,
Say, April 1st.
December 8th, 2008 at 8:44 pmFratto is full of sh*t as usual. As far as reversing these regulations, Obama could certainly reverse the most egetious (sp?) with a stroke of the pen. Presidential decision. I support him doing so in this kind of case.
December 8th, 2008 at 9:00 pmAmerica’s Defacto President Obama should issue a Presidential Order now stating “All orders given by Lame Duck president Bush will be held until further notice.”
December 8th, 2008 at 9:10 pmThey lie, they deceive, they obfuscate, they manipulate — so why should anyone think the ywould change their m.o. now? In fact, look for them to slip past as many as possible before they leave.
December 8th, 2008 at 9:17 pmI’m sorry, but Tony Fratto is an extremely poor choice for a spokesman for the highest elected office in the land. Setting aside his history of lying, he just oozes sleaze. For some reason, he reminds me of Roy Cohn, so I don’t trust him from the get-go. (Maybe because he resembles certain actors who have played Cohn.)
December 8th, 2008 at 9:24 pmBush is low-life shit. Don’t allow him to do any more harm; impeach the ass-wipe. Do it now.
December 8th, 2008 at 9:40 pmnofltwlt – nancy took it off the table. The dems ran on “accountability” in 2006 and won big in a historical change.
Then they proceeded to capitulate to the most unpopular president in modern US history, perhaps all time.
Think I am being harsh? “Capitulate” was the word Russ Feingold used – to most around here, he’s a hero (and rightly so).
The rest of us need to be willing to speak/listen to the truth too.
December 8th, 2008 at 9:56 pmAnother Joe, the leadership took it off the table. You seem to be blaming all Dems.
December 8th, 2008 at 10:05 pmSabyen91 – no, just saying it was the DEM leadership that speaks for the rest of the party.
There are problems in the party that need to be talked about and addressed – it doesn’t really matter what other dems say and do if the leadership is enabling the neocons and repugs.
December 8th, 2008 at 10:18 pmThis is patently false.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=1728952&mesg_id=1728952
http://public.cq.com/docs/cqt/news110-000002576765.html
If the Democrats matched a 50-year record in fighting the President, it makes little sense to say they capitulated to him.
Going Bonkers:
December 8th, 2008 at 10:30 pmhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSGLzStgujM
Another Joe, the Dems are not the Republicans. They cannot be herded. Plus, there was a 1 1/2 (if that) majority in the Senate. Since you can’t rely on the Nelson brothers that is a minority. I am really not sure what you expected.
December 8th, 2008 at 11:13 pmPerry, that is some interesting info. Thanks.
December 8th, 2008 at 11:13 pmLush, after Cheney I hope not to ever see another VP unless he is breaking a tie.
December 8th, 2008 at 11:15 pm“unremarkable”? My, my, Fratto gushes.
December 9th, 2008 at 12:11 amEasy enough for Obama & Congress to say: We won’t implemen these rules until they have thoroughly reviewed by a committee selected from… wherever. Then, don’t select a committee.
December 9th, 2008 at 12:43 amThese are executive orders, Willow. They are implemented as soon as Bush spits it out. Obama is going to have to spend at least a few weeks getting rid of the idiocy Bush is sticking him with in his last hours.
December 9th, 2008 at 12:48 am.
… I’m sorry, but the only thing ‘transparent’ about Bush is how the depth of his character is as shallow as the level of ‘responsibility’ he takes for his actions. That is about the only thing that is ‘routine’ about George.
.
December 9th, 2008 at 1:59 amexploited 9/11 for plunder & to undermine that constitution (it was an inside job)
Can you only imagine the shockwaves that would be felt in this country (and the world) if the incoming Obama administration discovered that the Bush administration had indeed been involved in the attacks of 9/11? It would make all recent events seem like a distant afterthought in comparison. However, I suspect that, if Bush and his cronies were involved, they shred and burn documents as well, if not better than the Nazi’s at the end of WWII, so finding evidence would be close to impossible. We shall see …..
December 9th, 2008 at 7:25 amPointing with that pen in his hand is rather rude, too. And where’s his tie? Sheesh, don’t they have standards in Bush’s White House? Okay, but are those standards visible above ground?
December 9th, 2008 at 7:53 amSabyen91 Says:
These are executive orders, Willow. They are implemented as soon as Bush spits it out. Obama is going to have to spend at least a few weeks getting rid of the idiocy Bush is sticking him with in his last hours.
These regulations aren’t executive orders, Sabyen91. The various agencies can’t even begin to implement them until they are finalized via the regulatory process. It usually takes about 6 months before they would actually take effect, defending on the agency/regulation involved. I’ve read that in order to reverse these new regs, If they’ve been finalized) there would have to be another lengthy process, including a public comment period. My argument is that Obama should be able to prevent their implementation by issuing a blanket Presidential Order to that effect.
December 9th, 2008 at 8:20 amPresident Obama will have his hands full trying to undo the havoc that Bush is wreaking on his way out the door. I hope that his team is able to defeat these last-minute regulatory changes and also to purge the civil service of these last-minute appointments. The White House staff and the rest of the administration must be examined to cull those who are simply not capable of doing the job they have been given, or who are there merely to be obstacles to the agenda of President Obama.
December 9th, 2008 at 8:59 amRestricting health care services based on providers’ religious beliefs is not responsible.
It’s optimizing the part, thus suboptimizing the whole.
December 9th, 2008 at 12:37 pm