WASHINGTON (TIP): On July 10, 2017, the U.S. Senate confirmed Neomi Rao, associate professor at the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University as Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, an agency within the White House Office of Management and Budget. She is the first Indian-American to head the important Office in the White House.

Rao’s confirmation was welcomed by top American lawmakers.

“As regulatory czar for federal policymaking, Director Rao will play an instrumental role in helping the President fulfill his promise to roll back unnecessary red tape and unleash the full potential of the American economy,” said Senator Orrin Hatch, senior member and former Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Hatch said he looks forward to working with Rao to ensure that federal rules and regulations are narrowly tailored to address pressing public health and safety concerns while also leaving plenty of room for job creators and entrepreneurs to expand and flourish.

Rao worked on Senator’s staff several years ago.

Senator Ron Johnson, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, applauded Senate for confirming Rao’s nomination.

“We can all agree that federal regulations should achieve their aim without imposing unnecessary costs on the country’s economy and job creators. I look forward to working with Professor Rao to reduce the burden of regulations – by our best estimates as high as USD 2 trillion a year – that weigh on the American economy,” Johnson said.

Senator John Hoeven said as the head of OIRA, Rao is going to play a vital role in helping to provide regulatory relief and make the country more competitive.

“Further, I appreciate her commitment to work with me to ensure public-private partnerships receive fair treatment by OMB and the Army Corps,” he said.

“In order for our nation to continue to compete around the globe, we need to have a cost-effective, pro-growth regulatory environment,” Hoeven said.

Senator Deb Fischer hoped that in her role as the nation’s top regulatory official, Rao will focus on eliminating the misguided federal regulations harming Nebraska families and communities.

“Cutting through reams of government red tape has long been a priority of mine and I look forward to working with Rao to continue to do so,” Fischer said.

Described by The Washington Post as a “superlative pick”, Rao at the George Mason University founded and directs the Center for the Study of the Administrative State.

Rao’s research and teaching focuses on constitutional and administrative law.

Rao’s scholarship is informed by her service in all three branches of the federal government. Prior to joining the Law School, she served as Associate Counsel and Special Assistant to President George W. Bush. Professor Rao also served as counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, where she was responsible for judicial nominations and constitutional law issues. In between government service, Professor Rao practiced in the London office of Clifford Chance LLP, specializing in public international law and arbitration. She clerked for Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and for Justice Clarence Thomas on the U.S. Supreme Court. She was a visiting professor at the University of Minnesota Law School in fall 2013.