Analysts say the quality of OIRA reviews has gone down. The agency’s top job is to review rules coming out of the different agencies before they’re finalized.
Stuart Shapiro, a former OIRA analyst under the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations, said the agency has produced weak analysis of late.
“Neomi Rao was an intellectual powerhouse, and a lot of flawed analyses came out on her watch,” said Shapiro, now at Rutgers University. “We now have three years of experience with the Trump administration; it’s hard to imagine things will change.”