White House Slowed Rules in Election Year, Study Says
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The Obama administration last year took longer than normal to clear rules ranging from environment protection to food safety, a shift that an advisory body says may have been politically motivated.
The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, which reviews significant federal rules before they are enacted, took an average 79 days to complete assessments in 2012 and 140 days in the first half of 2013, according to a report by the Administrative Conference of the United States, an independent federal agency dedicated to improving government operations. That compares with an average review period of 50 days for the 1994-2011 period, the agency said.