Today, in a 59-36 vote, the Senate confirmed the nomination of Neomi Rao to serve as Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), an arm of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) – a huge win for those of us interested in returning to constitutionally limited government.

Of course, you’re apt not to hear much about Rao from the media — Cosmo is busy touting the likes of progressives like Sen. Warren and Sen. Hillary Clinton as our next female heroes. But we can add Rao to the growing list of impressive, fiscally conservative women taking a leading role in policymaking today.  (IWF is honoring Kellyanne Conway this November at our annual awards gala.)

Rao has a particularly important job in front of her.  The OIRA is responsible for, among other things, reviewing executive branch regulations. In effect, Rao will be essential to fulfilling President Trump’s commitment to eliminate 75 percent of federal regulations during his term—many of which come from the controversial Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which issues regulatory rules based on political bias and has no form of supervision (see more from Patrice and Charlotte on this here).  

An adjunct professor at George Mason’s Scalia School of Law, Rao has written extensively about the need to rein in the administrative state. In fact, in her Congressional testimony she notes that she founded the “Center for the Study of the Administrative State,” which commissions academic research, hosts public policy events, and brings together government figures, academics, and policy experts to consider the economic and legal impact of the every-growing progressive state. 

IWF often debates the importance of having more women serve in government and in public office. But there’s no debate here.  A female leader who wants to roll back the regulatory state so that we can allow for greater economic growth and job creation is a win for women and their families