Hatch on President’s Announcement to Reorganize Federal Agencies

SALT LAKE CITY – U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, today issued the following statement after President Obama announced that he would seek congressional authority to reorganize the Executive Branch, including merging six trade and commerce agencies:

“Eliminating wasteful government programs and reducing spending is a laudable goal and one we should all work to achieve. After three years in the White House presiding over the largest expansion of government in generations, the timing of this announcement and the failure to consult Congress raise questions about the President’s commitment to a real reorganization and reduction in the size of the federal government. 

“What’s disconcerting is that the President has again chosen not to work with Congress – even after I specifically asked the Obama Administration to fully brief Congress if it chose to reorganize our trade agencies.  The White House needs to remember that Congress has responsibilities to the American people that it represents. As the lead Republican on the Finance Committee, I will discuss this matter with my colleagues and will expect a full accounting by the Administration in short order.”

NOTE: Last August Hatch, whose Committee has jurisdiction over the nation’s trade policy and agencies, called on the Obama Administration to fully brief Congress on its original proposal to reorganize the 12 federal agencies involved in exports. To date, the Administration has failed to respond to Hatch’s request. 

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