It will now be much more difficult for individuals and small businesses to make comments on federal agency regulatory proposals.
As of Aug. 15, the General Services Administration, or GSA, removed a tool from Regulations.gov that allows advocacy groups and other third-party organizations to collect and submit public comments to federal agencies.
It was called the POST Application Programming Interface, or API.
“Notice and comment is one of the few opportunities most Americans and small businesses have to shape regulations by telling agency officials how proposed rules benefit or hurt them,” Katie Tracy, senior regulatory policy advocate for Public Citizen, a public interest group, said in a statement. “Removing the POST API sends a clear message that the Trump administration does not want public input on its actions. The GSA must reverse course and reinstate this critical tool immediately.”
The Regulations.gov POST API made it easier for the public to give their opinions on federal rules by submitting comments on user friendly third party interfaces. Without the API, anyone who wants to comment on a regulation will need to navigate the complicated system on Regulations.gov.
This decision hurts individuals and small businesses and rewards major corporations and their lobbyists who play the inside game to influence policies outside of the notice and comment process, Tracy said.
“Removing the POST API targets people who may need assistance or support with the comment process,” she said. “It’s often people and businesses that need the most support who have the most unique and valuable insights that agencies need to consider when developing new safeguards.”
Tracy said the decision is especially significant amid the Trump administration’s efforts to curtail public participation and slash hundreds of safeguards that guarantee clean air and drinking water, safe consumer products, and prevent predatory lending and bank fraud.
“It’s clear that Trump doesn’t want the public weighing in on these dangerous deregulatory initiatives,” she said.
