The head of a little office tucked away in the heart of the White House may soon decide the future of President Joe Biden’s program.
However, Biden must first choose who will serve as that director.
Oops!
The White House is getting closer to appointing someone to oversee the Department of Information and Government Relations after the office was without a regular head for the first 18 months of Biden’s administration.
Even yet, the unnoticed unit is well-positioned to exert disproportionate influence over the government’s policy goals, particularly if Democrats fail to retain control of either chamber of Congress this year.
The office acts as the government’s gateway for rulemaking, organizing, reviewing, and approving scores of federal rules annually.
It has the last say in which agency objectives are expedited and which are postponed. It will directly affect the implementation of key provisions of the recent climate, health, and tax legislation approved by Democrats.
One administration official stated the viability of the Biden agenda depends on how well big groups of people can modify Word documents.
“They can move quickly when everyone is in sync. However, on occasion, it’s death by a thousand cuts.”
The Biden admin was actively paving the way for the FBI’s investigation https://t.co/EKVQ4q9abe
— Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) August 24, 2022
Without complete control over Congress, the government’s aims can only be advanced by regulatory action, providing OIRA significant authority to determine the remaining two years of Biden’s tenure.
The extensive to-do list includes leading agency initiatives to implement stricter environmental laws, carrying out President Biden’s promise to reduce healthcare costs, and making changes to the tax system.
In addition to working around hundreds of more routine rules necessary to keep the government functioning, it will also need to pass regulations supporting infrastructure projects and evaluate new immigration actions underway at the Homeland Security Department.
How Does This Affect Them?
OIRA’s interim head during Biden’s first year, Sharon Block, remarked, “OIRA is usually at the heart of administrative action; the joke is it’s the most powerful agency nobody’s ever been part of.”
It now has much greater significance.
No recent government has delayed this long to designate a regular OIRA director since the office was established some 40 years ago. Block, who declared she had no desire for the permanent role, departed in February.
Dominic Mancini, another temporary leader and a 20-year department veteran, has since taken her place.
Biden Admin Moves To Fund Canadian Mines While Blocking US Mining Effortshttps://t.co/gMU9lqDDLp
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) August 24, 2022
Four people with knowledge of the process claim White House officials have been dithering over choosing a nominee for months.
They have been preoccupied with the administration’s many crises and perplexed by an ideological conflict over OIRA that served as a perfect example of the Democrat Party’s divisions.
Progressive legislators and activists have pushed the Biden government to break with tradition and choose a leader eager to hasten the enactment of a wide range of regulations.
They are still enraged over the Obama presidency’s stance on rulemaking, which they claim was overly conservative and obsequious to corporate entities.
This article appeared in The Patriot Brief and has been published here with permission.
