Executive Session

Floor Speech

EXECUTIVE SESSION -- (Senate - September 09, 2009)

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Mr. BUNNING. Mr. President, I rise today to speak on the nomination of Mr. Cass Sunstein for the Office of Management and Budget's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, OIRA. Most Americans have never heard of OIRA, but it has great influence on the daily lives of all Americans. OIRA is responsible for the execution of a wide range of government policies and regulations with its oversight of the executive branch rulemaking. In other words, the OIRA can heavily influence or change the intended purpose of any regulatory proposal. Therefore, it is important for the head of OIRA to be a rational thinker who has every American's best interest at heart.

After reviewing Mr. Sunstein's opinions and past comments, it is very clear that his views are far outside of the mainstream. For example, Mr. Sunstein believes that animals should be given the same rights as humans. In 2004, he wrote, ``We could even grant animals a right to bring suit without insisting that animals are persons, or that they are not property.'' According to Mr. Sunstein's logic, your dog could sue you for putting its collar on a little too tight. Furthermore, Mr. Sunstein is against hunting and compares it to the `` mass extermination of human beings.'' Whether it is for population control or for food consumption, hunting plays a vital role in the lives of many Americans, especially in Kentucky. It is irresponsible for Mr. Sunstein to compare a person who kills a deer which can provide food for his or her family for several weeks, to the likes of Stalin. He has also been very hostile to second amendment rights and has publically stated his resistance to an individual's right to keep and bear arms.

Any regulation that comes out of the Department of Agriculture could negatively impact farmers across the Nation if Mr. Sunstein is the person responsible for implementing that regulation. Livestock farmers across Kentucky could potentially be forced out of business if Cass Sunstein had his way. Additionally, vague rulemaking by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives could result in Mr. Sunstein filling in the gaps to push his and the President's radical agenda. There are plenty of other qualified people whom President Obama could have chosen for this very significant position. I cannot support this nomination, and I urge my colleagues to vote against this nomination.

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