Obama Halts New or Pending Bush Regulations

By Ed O'Keefe

Acting only hours after his inauguration, President Barack Obama has ordered a freeze on new or proposed regulations at all government agencies and departments. In a memo issued by new White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, the president tells agency and department heads that :

"...no proposed or final regulation should be sent to the Office of Federal Register for publication unless and until it has been reviewed and approved by a department or agency head appointed or designated by the President after noon on January 20, 2009, or in the case of the Department of Defense, the Secretary of Defense."

The memo also orders the withdrawal of all final or proposed regulations not yet published by the Federal Register. Department and agency heads have also been asked to "consider extending for 60 days the effective date of regulations that have been published in the Federal Register but not yet taken effect" unless they impact health, safety, environmental, financial, or national security matters -- obviously now subject to the interpretation of Obama's appointees.

The Eye will keep ... an Eye ... on the various regulations kept, canned or reconsidered. (Read the full memo here.)