Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Ranking Member Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., Tuesday issued the following statement in response to the White House announcement that it would nominate Susan E. Dudley to be Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the Office of Management and Budget:
“As Director of the Regulatory Studies Program at the conservative Mercatus Center at George Mason University, Ms. Dudley is known for questioning the economic justification for certain environmental, safety, and health protections, including ones that have proven important to safeguarding the well-being of many Americans.
“OIRA reviews major rules proposed by federal agencies and assesses information on risk, cost, benefits, and alternatives before the regulations can go forward. The agency, therefore, is a gatekeeper of the federal role in protecting the health, safety, and environment of the American people.
“That protective role, especially when applied to the environment or the health and safety of consumers and workers, is worthy of a vigorous defense, and I intend to give this nomination my most stringent scrutiny.”