House Democratic leaders and numerous ranking committee members late last week fired off a letter to acting Office of Management and Budget Director Jacob Lew, expressing serious concerns with Senate legislation designed to reform the federal regulatory process.
Democrats, including House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, D-Mo., Minority Whip David Bonior, D-Mich., and Commerce ranking member John Dingell, D-Mich., among others, raise numerous questions in the letter, and appear to be asking for justification for Lew's decision last month to sign off on the Senate bill.
Sponsored chiefly by Senate Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Fred Thompson and Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., that measure has drawn criticism from many corners--including supporters of regulatory reform who nonetheless say moving the controversial Levin--Thompson vehicle is politically perilous.
Democratic members of the relevant committees in the House claim they were never consulted on the compromise legislation, and members say they are extremely puzzled as to why either the White House or Senate Democrats would have any desire to move the bill this year.
Lew has not yet responded to the letter.
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