ON FEBRUARY 13th, Donald Trump signed his first major piece of legislation—“a big signing” as he put it. The law repealed a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulation that oil and mining companies should disclose their payments to foreign governments. Kevin McCarthy, the House majority leader, had argued that the rule added “an unreasonable compliance burden on American energy companies that isn’t applied to their foreign competitors”, which would “put American businesses at a competitive disadvantage.” Sean Spicer, Mr Trump's press secretary, suggested that, “misguided federal regulations such as the SEC rule ... inflict real cost on the American people and put our businesses, especially small businesses, at a significant disadvantage.”
It is not the first time Mr Trump and his administration have shown a willingness to sacrifice the freedom of information for other goals. The president ignored the tradition of releasing tax returns during the election, and has since suggested that they will never be released. In the first weeks of the administration, the Environmental Protection Agency removed information regarding climate change and the...Continue reading
Source: United States http://ift.tt/2kG1i1m
EmoticonEmoticon