Gov. Glenn Youngkin this week created a new office designed to slash state regulations and put it under the direction of Andrew Wheeler, the former Trump administration official rejected earlier this year for the Virginia governor’s Cabinet.
“Youngkin just unilaterally worked around the General Assembly to appoint #AndrewWheeler — Trump’s EPA admin — to reduce regulatory oversight,” Del. Kaye Kory . “We’ve already seen the damage done by Trump’s cronies at the federal level, the last thing we want is the same for VA.”
The General Assembly seldom rejects a governor’s Cabinet pick, and the rest of Youngkin’s choices sailed through a divided Capitol. But from environmentalists and the state’s elected Democrats, including members of Congress. The pick prompted 150 former EPA employees to write a letter of protest, contending that he had undermined the agency’s mission.Youngkin and fellow Republicans contended that Wheeler was exceptionally qualified, with a law degree, MBA and government experience at the highest level.
But Democrats who narrowly control the state Senate ultimately rejected him, saying his record under Trump was disqualifying. After that defeat, Youngkin made clear that he intended to keep Wheeler on as a senior adviser, but his role had been unclear until now. The new office will “streamline regulatory activities across the executive branch and manage cross-departmental functions such as regulations, permits, and grants,” according to the announcement. The executive order requires a review of all existing state regulations every four years and will subject proposals for new ones to “cost-benefit and other analyses … to ensure they are not overly burdensome on other public bodies or private citizens,” it said.
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