Corey Frayer
Appearances
Planet Money
OIRA: The tiny office that's about to remake the federal government
In my particular world, there were a lot of career staff who, because they had worked on crypto issues with me and with Gary Gensler, they were essentially moved to Siberia once the new leadership took over. That's unprecedented. I worked with a great litigator at the SEC on lots of our crypto issues. He was well understood to be one of the top litigators at the SEC.
Planet Money
OIRA: The tiny office that's about to remake the federal government
Once we left, he was reassigned to the IT department.
Planet Money
OIRA: The tiny office that's about to remake the federal government
It is very easy to just not enforce laws. That's a form of deregulation that requires no work at all.
Planet Money
OIRA: The tiny office that's about to remake the federal government
Slowing down the process itself is a political decision about whether or not you want these independent agencies aggressively enforcing the law.
Planet Money
OIRA: The tiny office that's about to remake the federal government
Sort of the highest level, being an independent agency means that although the leadership of the agency is appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, the They are expected to act at an arm's length from the administration that appointed them.
Planet Money
OIRA: The tiny office that's about to remake the federal government
The hope is that would mean that these independent agencies would make fair, unbiased decisions, would not be subject to political influence, and use their technical expertise to come up with the best policies that they can
Planet Money
OIRA: The tiny office that's about to remake the federal government
You don't want a president to just be putting their finger on the scale all the time and picking winners and losers in a marketplace. You want somebody there who is going to make good rules that apply broadly and equally and fairly and to avoid the perception even that those decisions are made with the idea of benefiting a particular friend or contributor to the president.
Planet Money
OIRA: The tiny office that's about to remake the federal government
The point of the independence of these agencies is not that a president isn't allowed to have an opinion and not that a president isn't allowed to express that opinion. It is that they don't have a way to enforce that opinion.
Planet Money
OIRA: The tiny office that's about to remake the federal government
This is a terrible idea. When you outright state that your intention is to interfere in an agency's independent rulemaking process, that is the kind of action that doesn't just undermine faith in the financial marketplace. It undermines the basic institutions of democracy.