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The Other Recess Appointments

As Nicole noted yesterday, Bush's recess appointment for Sam Fox is pretty offensive. But as ridiculous as the Fox stunt is, let’s also not

As Nicole noted yesterday, Bush's recess appointment for Sam Fox is pretty offensive. But as ridiculous as the Fox stunt is, let’s also not overlook the other two recess appointments the president made, which were just as bad.

For example, the president appointed Andrew Biggs to serve as the next deputy commissioner of Social Security, despite the fact that Biggs is an aggressive advocate of privatizing the Social Security system. His nomination in November was considered ridiculous by Senate Democrats, and with this recess appointment yesterday, Bush effectively announced that he no longer wants to even consider negotiations over reforming the system.

And then there’s Susan Dudley, who Bush appointed to oversee federal regulatory policy at the Office of Management and Budget, despite her anti-regulatory career at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.

The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs holds sway over federal regulatory agencies like the EPA and helps set regulatory policy for a wide range of issues, from workplace safety to water quality....

As the director of regulatory studies at the industry-backed Mercatus Center she has worked to oppose vital public health regulation as a “hidden tax” that hinders profits.

Some of her targets have included EPA health standards for smog, opposition to lower-polluting cars, opposition to air bags, and opposition to stronger regulations for arsenic in drinking water. For some reason, the Senate had some concerns about her nomination. The White House not only doesn’t care about the concerns, it also decided it doesn’t care about the constitutional nomination process.

The Bush gang knows no limits; they have no shame.

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