Group accuses Obama of ‘secrecy, evasion and downright obstruction’

A group that represents small businesses is accusing the Obama administration of “secrecy, evasion and downright obstruction” in the regulatory process.

The Center for Regulatory Solutions released a new report that highlights cases where it says the Obama administration has withheld requested information from Congress, failed to announce public meetings, and blocked Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests with regards to new rules.

“Despite pledging to run the ‘most transparent administration in history,’ President Barack Obama has overseen a federal bureaucracy that is hostile to openness and public participation,” the Center for Regulatory Solutions (CRS) wrote.

The report points to several rules where it sees a particularly alarming lack of transparency, including the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) revision of the social cost of carbon, the EPA’s climate rule, the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) attempt to speed up union elections, and the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Volcker rule.

The NLRB’s attempt to speed up union elections, which Republicans call “quickie elections,” would be a “devastating blow to transparency in the workplace,” the report says.