Our Blog
September 23, 2021
Omarova Appointment Brings Expertise And Independence To Comptroller Role
Professor Omarova has spent over a decade fighting for the belief that the public should set rules for banks, rather than banks setting rules for the public.
September 23, 2021
The Other Ethics Issues At The Fed Regional Banks
Kaplan and Rosengren’s scandals aren’t the only ethics questions surrounding the Fed leadership’s conduct which merit greater scrutiny.
September 17, 2021
The State of Independent Agency Nominations - Update for Summer 2021
Since the start of the year, we have warned that failure to promptly fill vacant and expired seats on independent agency boards would undermine the Biden administration’s agenda across many issue areas. Now, as executive branch policymaking kicks into high gear across this administration, we are seeing examples of this warning becoming a reality.
September 17, 2021
Powell's Carlyle Past Meets The Fed's Ethics Scandal Present
For those less familiar with the Carlyle Group, the private equity firm where Powell was a partner and senior lawyer from 1997 – 2005, here’s a quick overview of their history with capitalizing on political connections and the revolving door.
September 16, 2021
Fed's Powell Must Place Embattled Bank Presidents On Leave, Ethics Watchdogs Write In Letter
It really shouldn’t surprise anyone that a former Carlyle Group executive — a firm whose whole profit strategy is based on exploiting insider connections in the federal government — hasn’t prioritized ethics and oversight in running the nation’s largest stockpile of potentially market-moving information.
September 16, 2021 | The American Prospect
Closing the Revolving Door in Antitrust
Economic consulting firms hire former officials to undermine antitrust efforts. Here’s how to stop that.
September 15, 2021
Do Not Give Gina Raimondo A Promotion
The Commerce Secretary is a dedicated corporate crony. Making her Treasury Secretary would be a catastrophic mistake.
September 10, 2021
Blog Post Executive BranchFederal ReserveFinancial RegulationIndependent AgenciesLarry SummersMatt Yglesias
A Brief Taxonomy Of Bad Jerome Powell Arguments
Even when these pundits have the facts right, their actual argumentation is still pretty weak.
September 09, 2021
Northwestern University Must Change Ethics Regime To Disclose Professors' Big Tech Ties, Letter Argues
The letter calls on the university to implement fair disclosure requirements for its faculty and condemn the unethical practices of former Pritzker Dean Dr. Daniel Rodriguez.
September 09, 2021
Nominating Utility And Oil Crony Brings Frustrating End To #HotFERCSummer
Phillips has done the bidding of utilities giants during his time on the D.C. Public Service Commission, and spent years working for corporate BigLaw firms which represent oil and gas interests.
September 07, 2021 | American Prospect
A Fintech Fox In The Regulatory Henhouse
Apparently, Harris just doesn’t get why regulators have to be so skeptical of the industry all the time—which makes sense, coming from a fintech executive who’s advocated for the industry on both sides of the revolving door.
September 01, 2021 | Sludge
Biden Oil Envoy Advised Emirati Gas Firm and Owns Stock in Human Rights-Violating Companies
A financial disclosure reveals that Special Envoy for Energy Affairs Amos Hochstein operated a shadow consultancy with foreign fossil fuel clients.
September 01, 2021 | The New Republic
Big Tech’s Attacks on Biden’s Anti-Monopoly Regulators Are a Joke
In a move cheered by progressives and antitrust reformers, President Biden has nominated Jonathan Kanter to serve as assistant attorney general for antitrust. Kanter’s nomination, alongside that of Lina Khan to lead the Federal Trade Commission earlier this year, is the latest sign that this administration is, for the first time in generations, fiercely committed to enforcing antitrust laws. However, this generation’s most notorious monopolies—Amazon, Facebook, and Google—are making it vividly clear that they will try anything to retain their power. That apparently includes lobbing poorly reasoned, transparently bad faith calls for their newly anointed foes to recuse themselves from relevant cases.
August 31, 2021
Biden Must Prioritize Rural Development To Help Rebuild The Heartland
With the right staff at the helm, USDA’s Rural Development Division could be the key to rebuilding rural America.
August 30, 2021
Coalition Calls On President Biden To Consider Four Key Principles In Fed Nominations
The organizations call for the next Chair, Vice Chair, and Vice Chair for Supervision to prioritize protecting against recessions, combating systemic racism, fighting climate change, and ensuring full employment.