News Briefs

✦ Not long after his inauguration on Jan. 20, President Joe Biden issued a “regulatory freeze” memo to the heads of executive departments and agencies — a routine move for new administrations that temporarily halts last-minute regulations issued by the preceding administration pending review. The memo forbids any new rules from being proposed until they are approved by a department head designated by the new president, and it orders those rules not yet published in the Federal Register to be withdrawn for review. For those regulations that have been published but have not yet taken effect, the memo asks the department/agency leaders to consider postponing the rules’ effective dates for 60 days in order to review “any questions of fact, law, and policy the rules may raise.” Read the memo at https://bit.ly/2KA4VZQ.

✦ Also on Jan. 20, Biden unveiled a list of individuals who will serve in acting capacities across his administration until the Senate confirms permanent leaders. Norris Cochran, who previously served as HHS deputy assistant secretary of budget, will be the acting HHS secretary pending the confirmation of Biden’s pick to lead the department, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. Citing a Democratic aide familiar with Biden’s plans, Bloomberg Law reported that the Senate Finance Committee isn’t expected to take up the Becerra nomination until February. Read more at https://bit.ly/3qE0CvY and https://bit.ly/3ixw9Ng.

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