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September 07, 2022 | Revolving Door Project Newsletter

Max Moran

Newsletter

ClimateExecutive Branch

What A Whole-Of-Government Climate Response Would Look Like

On Monday, the Revolving Door Project released a report seven months in the making: a comprehensive look at un- or under-utilized executive branch powers to combat climate change, hold big polluters accountable, and make a tangible difference in the environment and economy for ordinary Americans. Our press release on the report is here, and a two-page summary of some of the highlights is here.

September 02, 2022 | The American Prospect

Timi Iwayemi Alex Moss

Op-Ed Department of CommerceEthics in GovernmentIntellectual PropertyPatent and Trademark OfficeRevolving Door

Trump’s Patent Director Pressured Judges to Rule in His Law Firm’s Favor

There are numerous ways for the Biden administration to implement these safeguards. One option would be to issue a broad executive order that sets a path to restore public trust in the Patent Office. This order would require that the USPTO create a publicly available record of intervention in appeal proceedings by staff other than APJs, and outline new ethics practices that would ensure key USPTO staff recuse themselves from matters involving prior clients or former employers, and refrain from representing clients or working for companies whose cases they decide for at least three years.

August 31, 2022 | Revolving Door Project Newsletter

Hannah Story Brown Toni Aguilar Rosenthal

Newsletter

2020 Election/TransitionConfirmations CrisisExecutive BranchGovernanceGovernment Capacity

The Confirmation Crisis Solidifies

The hyper-politicization of the Senate’s confirmation process, and the manipulation of the procedures by which it is governed, has led us to a dire moment in which Republican Senators have effectively given themselves the power to deny President Biden and the public a fully-staffed federal government. This iniquitous procedural politicking has stalled crucial agencies while denying Democrats rightful majorities at several independent agencies and the long-sought regulatory policies those majorities would bring. 

August 25, 2022 | Democracy Journal

Eleanor Eagan Hannah Story Brown

Op-Ed Department of JusticeEthics in GovernmentFinancial RegulationIndependent Agencies

Enforcement: The Untapped Resource

Chronic underfunding means that the agencies with the most laudable missions—the ones seeking to protect ordinary Americans from profit-driven exploitation—often struggle to go up against powerful corporate interests. Strengthening funding for enforcement to protect Americans from environmental, health, consumer, and labor standards violations is an existing, easily justifiable tool for changing that balance of power.