Patience is still a virtue in the regulatory process

The upcoming confirmation hearing for George Mason University law professor Neomi Rao, President Trump’s nominee to head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, will likely showcase some pundits’ perennial concern that analytical requirements, executive branch review, and judicial decisions have slowed regulation-writing to a crawl since the 1970s.

Before repeating this seductively simple claim, senators would be wise to review some basic facts, and consider whether, even if true, this is a bad thing or just a byproduct of a thoughtful process.