The Bush Record:

Special Interest Takeover

Overwhelming majorities believe the government has an important role in protecting the public health, safety, and environment, but the Bush administration has been eliminating and weakening those vital safeguards. How far has the administration gone in placing special interests over the public interest? Find out in Special Interest Takeover: The Bush Administration and the Dismantling of Public Safeguards. Read the report and learn more!

Subtopics

Regulatory Record: The First Term

Regulatory Record: A Pattern of Failure

Special Interest Takeover

Background of Bush Officials

The Record on Unsound Science

News

Federal Agencies Knew of Diacetyl Dangers and Kept Silent 09/11/2007
Federal regulatory agencies have known for years the dangers that diacetyl exposure creates among workers in factories where bags of microwave popcorn are tested. The only agency to have taken any action, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has kept its study of the chemical's impact on consumers secret except for sharing it with the popcorn industry. Now the first case of potential consumer illness from exposure to diacetyl has been documented. Read More

Bush's Anti-Regulatory Ideology under Increasing Scrutiny 09/11/2007
The public and the media are paying more attention to and showing increasing frustration with the anti-regulatory ideology of President George W. Bush. A new report by the Center for American Progress traces several recent failures of the federal government to the anti-government views of Bush and senior administration officials. Separately, increasing concern over the federal product safety net is causing many to question Bush's seriousness about using government resources to protect American consumers. Read More

Bush Administration Skirts Broad Environmental Law 08/21/2007
The Bush administration has expanded exclusions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The administration will allow private industry to engage in selected land management projects without first assessing the potential impact on the environment. Furthermore, by excluding these activities, the administration has stripped the public of its opportunity to provide input into potentially damaging projects. Read More

Toy Recalls Bring Attention to Commission's Inadequacies 08/07/2007
The Aug. 2 recall by Mattel, Inc. of 1.5 million toys that may contain excessive levels of lead paint once again calls into question the Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC) voluntary approach to regulating industry. Mattel's recall follows the June recall of 1.5 million toys by the RC2 Corp. for the same lead-based paint danger. Read More

Bush's Regulatory Changes Set to Go into Effect 07/24/2007
As of today, July 24, federal agencies are to be in full compliance with all the provisions of Executive Order 13422 (E.O. 13422), which amends the regulatory process for agencies, and the Final Bulletin for Agency Good Guidance Practices. Both documents were issued Jan. 18 and work in concert to bring significant changes to the way agencies develop and enforce public protections. Read More

House Hearing Asks Interior: Entangled in Politics, or Enlightened by Science? 05/15/2007
In a May 9 hearing, the House Committee on Natural Resources heard witnesses discuss the extent to which Interior Department officials have manipulated scientific assessments when implementing the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The hearing came on the heels of the resignation of a top-ranking official and the release of a departmental investigation that found rules violations and intimidation of agency scientists. Read More

Courts Rebuke Bush Administration's Forest Actions 04/17/2007
On April 6, the Bush administration appealed the first of two recent federal district court decisions that held the U.S. Forest Service violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Endangered Species Act when it overturned the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule and rewrote forest management plans. Read More

Bush Anti-Regulatory Policy Makes Headlines 08/20/2004
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Report Details Bush Donors, Industry Paybacks 03/08/2004
The Bush-Cheney re-election effort has received $58.1 million from “Rangers” and “Pioneers” (those able to bundle contributions of at least $200,000 or $100,000) who overwhelmingly represent corporate special interests, according to a new report by Public Citizen. Read More

Enforcement of Environmental Laws Lagging Under Bush Administration 12/15/2003
The Bush administration is pursuing and punishing far fewer polluters than the two previous administrations, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
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Report Shows Bush Administration "Hostile" to Regulation 10/28/2002
The Bush administration showed a "pre-determined hostility" toward regulation in reviewing, and in some cases weakening, environmental protections adopted under President Clinton, according to a new report, entitled "Rewriting the Rules," released by Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), chairman of the Governmental Affairs Committee. Read More