The Head of the Cass

Just a few minutes ago, the Senate confirmed Cass Sunstein to serve as the Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) at OMB.  All of OMB and the rest of the Obama Administration appreciates the Senate’s support and for securing smart, effective leadership at the top of our regulatory division.

As the President noted in nominating Cass, his pioneering work has defined many frontiers of understanding—in law, economics, and human behavior.  That’s why he enjoyed support for his nomination from across the political spectrum—previous OIRA Administrators appointed by both Democrats and Republicans, prominent conservatives, the Farm Bureau, business, and environmentalists.  Cass is the type of data-driven, creative thinker that we need in public life, and I am happy to welcome him to the OIRA post.

As I’ve written about Cass before (and recognizing how hard it is to provide any complete survey of such an accomplished scholar—and squash player!), I will keep myself to this: there is no one better poised than Cass Sunstein to drive the Administration’s regulatory reform agenda and thereby help to keep Americans safe and our economy strong.

The work ahead entails not only the daily challenge of oversight of rule-making and regulating, but also the larger effort of re-examining the way OIRA does business.  Together, we’ll consider some of the fundamental questions facing modern government, including ways to increase participation and transparency in rulemaking, and to strive for regulation that supports fairness and equity.

Today, however, we take a moment to celebrate our new OIRA Administrator: from all of us at OMB, congratulations to Cass Sunstein.