It Can Wait: Obama Admin Reportedly Putting off Costly & Controversial Regs Until After the Election

The Obama administration is avoiding implementing “costly and controversial” regulations so as not to upset the president's chances of a November win, according to USA TODAY.

“The pace of regulations issued by the Obama administration is receding as the nation’s economy falters and the 2012 election approaches,” Richard Wolf reports.

“Several of the most expensive and controversial rules -- to protect the food supply, reduce exposure to silica dust, require rear-view cameras or other devices on cars, and more -- remain under review by the White House long after they were expected to be published,” he adds.

Of course, depending on your political persuasion, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“Advocates for the environment, health and safety say the delay signals an effort by the administration to reconsider the economic and political impacts of its actions, in light of the struggling economy and the 2010 midterm elections that empowered Republicans,” the report adds.

Simply put, someone in the White House thinks enacting all these regulations might hurt the president’s reelection bid.

“Earlier this year, the Government Accountability Office scolded the administration for delaying the significant Medicare cuts outlined in the new health care law until after the election to avoid political backlash,” the Washington Free Beacon adds to the report.

Unsurprisingly, some of the president’s supporters claim this is proof he isn’t regulation-crazed.

"This notion that there's been this huge upsurge is just a fantasy," says Randy Rabinowitz, director of regulatory policy at the government watchdog group OMB Watch. "This year, it drops considerably."

For the White House’s part, it explains that the decision to hold off on the regulations “simply reflects careful analysis of the costs and benefits of regulations before they are implemented — a process that can lead to delays and changes,” as Wolf puts it.

"It's not the case that our regulatory framework or results changed," says Cass Sunstein, administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the White House. "The goal all along has been to make sure that the rules we issue are first, consistent with law, but second, if they're imposing significant costs, they better have significant benefits."

(H/T: WFB)