This afternoon, Demand Progress Education Fund, Revolving Door Project, and Action Center on Race and the Economy hosted a press briefing on President Biden’s first 100 days in office. Specifically, the organizations discussed Biden’s early personnel and executive branch policies, and what these decisions suggest about the role of corporations in influencing Biden’s administration.
Q1 2021 hedge fund letters, conferences and more
The Role Of Corporations In Influencing Biden’s Administration
Vasudha Desikan, Political Director at Action Center on Race and the Economy:
She compared the recent announcement of John Morton as the Treasury Department’s climate czar to the administration’s continuing refusal to name a head of the Office of the Comptroller of Currency. “John Morton does not have any regulatory experience. How is he somehow more qualified than Mehrsa Baradaran to lead as the climate finreg czar, and she’s not good enough for OCC? These are the places where we have a lot of issue with this administration.”
David Segal, Executive Director at Demand Progress Education Fund:
“Jeff and I titled our recent Democracy Journal piece ‘Building Back Better (Than Expected),” and I think that sums up our thinking on personnel and policy so far,” said Segal. He said that a range of factors have created “an administration that’s generally exceeded our expectations,” specifically calling attention corporate regulation: “From the corporate regulatory realm, there's a lot to like about appointments made so far with Rohit Chopra at the CFPB and Lina Khan at the FTC, representing the ideal of installing people who are clearly oriented towards working in the public's interest.” But it was also noted that “the national security realm will deserve ongoing scrutiny by activists, and members of Congress, and by journalists.”
Jeff Hauser, Executive Director at Revolving Door Project:
“We're also seeing that the Justice Department and Merrick Garland is not reversing Trump era litigation positions quickly and that very much includes on the environment, but also includes on higher ed, just across the executive branch we're seeing that Garland is running a very Big Law, corporate-friendly Justice Department, and it's also one that likes to move slowly... We think [Garland] is hiring bad people, we think he is not replacing Trump people. And he, we think he is maintaining, he and his acting Solicitor General and acting head of the Civil Division are maintaining indefensible Trump positions in court, and we'd oppose all those things.”
About Demand Progress Education Fund
Demand Progress Education Fund is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) entity that educates our 1.5 million+ members and the broader public about matters pertaining to the impacts of corporate power over our economy and democracy. Visit our website: https://demandprogresseducationfund.org
