WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) joined Senate colleagues in a letter to Acting Director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Russell Vought, requesting that OMB indefinitely extend existing public comment periods and hearings until the public can safely gather after the dangers of the COVID-19 pandemic have passed. The senators are also requesting that the Trump administration pause new federal rulemaking unrelated to the COVID-19 pandemic response during the national emergency.
“While Congress and the executive branch have taken steps to protect the health and welfare of the American people and our economy, more must be done to protect citizens’ fundamental right to participate in the operations of their government. To be clear, we are not calling for this Administration to abandon activities that are essential to the COVID-19 response, that are subject to unalterable legal deadlines, or for which delays would cause foreseeable harm to public health, safety, consumer protections, or financial stability,” wrote Senator Rosen. “Instead, this is an important part of a broader call for this Administration to recalibrate its existing responsibilities with the urgent need of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Read Senator Rosen’s full letter aquí.
BACKGROUND: Last week, Rosen sent a letter to U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, requesting that the Department suspend any new, non-emergency response-related rulemaking and public comment periods during the coronavirus pandemic.
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