Ever since the Reagan administration, a powerful but obscure White House agency called the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) has reviewed the rules that agencies propose and used a biased assessment tool called cost-benefit analysis to weaken or abandon them. This “centralized regulatory review” process operates with little public oversight, under rules that favor corporate over public interests.
We are calling attention to the harms of centralized regulatory review and pressing to overhaul OIRA to protect the public and strengthen our system of governance. We’re also advocating for new approaches to regulatory analysis that center people and communities, meaningfully account for equity, and restore agency expertise as the foundation of regulatory decision-making.
