4/11/2019

BUDGET/CONGRESS/REGULATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration issued new guidelines on Thursday [4-11-19] that will expand White House and congressional oversight and review of federal agencies’ rule-making processes, including those for traditionally independent agencies such as the Federal Reserve. The 15-page memo, issued by Office of Management and Budget acting Director Russell Vought, outlines how the OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs will be granted further jurisdiction in the regulatory process for all agencies. The memo, which goes into effect next month, will require agencies to submit regulations and official guidance to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in order to determine whether the proposed rules are ‘major’ or ‘minor.’ If a regulation or guidance is deemed ‘major,’ OMB now says, it will have to be submitted to Congress for review and to be voted on. Previously, Congress was able to vote only on regulations, not agencies’ guidance. Though the memo doesn’t specifically name any agency or office that will be affected, the guidelines are expected to impact offices traditionally independent of executive branch oversight, such as the Federal Reserve, the Federal Election Commission, and the Securities and Exchange Commission, whose leaders do not report directly to the President.”

Maegan Vazquez, “Trump’s OMB expands oversight over how independent agencies create rules,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, April 11, 2019 8:59 pm