February 7, 2011
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In December, as he prepared to assume the chairmanship of the oversight panel, Issa asked industry groups to identify regulations that "have negatively impacted job growth." He said the probe is "a starting point for the broader discussion that will unfold about the regulatory barriers to job creation.
These aren't judgments or recommendations from a congressional committee, but rather information from job creators about regulations they see as flawed and harmful to job creation and economic recovery."
In their responses to Issa,
many of the industry groups broadly said that government regulations would cost jobs but did not back up their claims with evidence.
Issa's committee can turn a spotlight on the regulations, but it does not have the power to overturn or change them.
On Monday, Obama will deliver a speech at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. And the president recently issued an executive order calling for a government-wide "look back" to modify, streamline and eliminate excessive regulations.
"If there are rules on the books that are needlessly stifling job creation and economic growth, we will fix them," said Jen Psaki, deputy White House communications director.
"But we have a responsibility to protect the health and safety of the American people, and rolling back regulations that ensure access to clean drinking water, protect children from lead poisoning and put in place a safe and secure financial system on the heels of the worst financial crisis in a generation is not a responsible approach to governing."
Murray Energy, a coal-mining company in Alledonia, Ohio, that employs 3,000 people, told Issa that the
Environmental Protection Agency's greenhouse gas and clean air rules, those existing and those proposed,
"must be stopped immediately."
"Jobs and lives are being destroyed by Mr. Obama and his out-of-control, radical U.S. EPA and his appointees to it," chairman and chief executive Robert E. Murray wrote. He concluded: "America, our industry and jobs, are under siege by Mr. Obama and his U.S. EPA."
In an interview Sunday, Rep. Elijah Cummings (Md.), the ranking Democrat on the committee, voiced frustration that Issa's staff had not yet provided him with copies of the letters.
"We, too, are anxious to address regulations that might be out-dated or may be having an unreasonable impact on the production of jobs," Cummings said, but he added that
Congress must weigh industry's desire to repeal regulations with environmental and public safety concerns.
"If just getting rid of regulations was the easy way to create jobs, it would've been done. These are very complex issues. . . .
It's one thing to have a job, and it's another thing to know that there are regulations in place to make sure that you come home at the end of the day, that you're not harmed, and that American people are kept safe. That's the balance."
"They don't seem to be interested in finding out what's true, what's real," Doniger said. He added that if
Issa "really wanted to know what was going on, you would ask both sides to come in and tell you the facts."
Issa's spokesman, Kurt Bardella, said
Issa's outreach was directed intentionally only at job creators. The committee welcomes input from any other stakeholders, he said."
