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President Bush has signed a directive that gives the White House much greater control over the rules and policy statements that the government develops to protect public health, safety, the environment, civil rights and privacy.
In an executive order published last week in the Federal Register, Mr. Bush said that each agency must have a regulatory policy office run by a political appointee, to supervise the development of rules and documents providing guidance to regulated industries. The White House will thus have a gatekeeper in each agency to analyze the costs and the benefits of new rules and to make sure the agencies carry out the president's priorities.
This strengthens the hand of the White House in shaping rules that have, in the past, often been generated by civil servants and scientific experts. It suggests that the administration still has ways to exert its power after the takeover of Congress by the Democrats.
http://mediamatters.org/altercation/200701300005
Gimme a break this means political appointees will now have influence over all government agencies. Policy and what the public is told will be dictated by novices instead of scientists and experts in a field.
We had a thread on this same thing happening at NASA where a college drop out was dictating releases of scientific information. This could make agencies like the EPA powerless.