Deregulation Bodies under Scrutiny by the Congress

Back in September during a private meeting, some congressional aides pressured a top official at the Department of Agriculture with some tough questions about some of its operations. The official was identified as Rebeckah Adcock. The issue at hand was the deregulation team as nobody knew the identities of the people behind the team. The congressional aides wanted to know who these individuals were. The New York Times understands that such teams have come under fire because of the secrecy surrounding their composition. For starters, these are groups that have been formed under the executive order of President Trump. However, Democrats are convinced that some people in these committees have deep connections with the industries that they are supposed to regulate. According to House aides familiar with the situation and those that spoke on the condition anonymity, Ms. Adcock downplayed the question. Ms. Adcock herself is a former executive from the pest industry. She told those that wanted to know the names that it would result in a deluge among the lobbyists. As a matter of fact, the Times discovered that the lady had been meeting with the lobbyists. This was made possible by holding interviews with people who were familiar with the situation and looking at the visitor logs of the Agricultural Department.

The investigation found out that some of these lobbyists were her former employer, a pesticide company that is known as CropLife America. This is an institution in America that wants rules related to the pesticides to be eased. Ms. Adcock continues to maintain contact with her former employers despite signing an ethical agreement that she should stay away from her employers for at least one year. She was also to stay away from matters that she had lobbied for two years before she left the company. It has been discovered that the lady discussed some issues that were banned by the ethics in one of the meetings. This information was obtained by the New York Times through the assistance of ProPublica. However, Ms. Adcock denied these accusations according to the spokesman for the USDA who has been identified as Tim Murtaugh. He also said that the accusations that her boss had discussed issues relating to her former lobbying were false and without basis. For these actions, Ms. Adcock is expected to appear before several House subcommittees. This will include the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. This is a subcommittee that is looking into the deregulation efforts by the current administration.