Updated at 6:30 p.m. EDT.
Major trade associations representing key industry sectors are urging the White House to bring on a top official to manage regulations across the federal government.
More than 130 business groups have warned in a letter to White House chief of staff Jeff Zients about the impact the Biden administration’s proposed regulations will have on their bottom line. President Joe Biden has sought to rev up domestic manufacturing in response to the economic downturn and supply chain disruptions sparked by the Covid-19 pandemic, which could be a key plank of his reelection bid in 2024.
“To ensure manufacturers remain competitive, we respectfully request that a senior-level adviser be designated to coordinate efforts within the White House to ensure that federal regulators are implementing policies that align with the president’s promise to promote the growth of manufacturing in America,” said the letter to Zients.
The letter was signed by the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Mining Association, the American Chemistry Council and others and was sent last Thursday.
NAM has also recently helped launched a new coalition, Manufacturers for Sensible Regulations, to address new rules coming from agencies.
White House press officials didn’t respond to a request for comment for this story.
Biden does have a regulatory chief in place already: Richard Revesz, whom the Senate confirmed as administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in December last year. As part of its responsibilities, OIRA reviews regulations proposed across the executive branch.
Industry groups’ request for a high-level coordinator on rules comes after the White House released its latest regulatory agenda earlier this month. That agenda outlined the president’s aggressive push on rules as he enters his reelection campaign, including moving up the deadline for EPA’s standards to curb power plants’ greenhouse gas emissions.
Biden will campaign on his fight against climate change. Finalizing environmental regulations soon will be vital not only to deliver on that pledge but also protect the rules from being axed by Republican lawmakers in the future.
But that goal will also encounter resistance from several trade associations. New regulations, some of which are previewed in the plan, are stalling investment, hiring and pay raises, according to the manufacturers’ letter.
“Our industry has been extraordinarily resilient in recent years, leading the country forward amid global upheaval,” the letter said. “The federal regulatory barrage threatens our ability to continue growing and creating jobs and to compete on the global stage.”