Issa to Big Biz: What Can I Do for You?

Darrell Issa saved lobbyists some time last month: he went to them. The incoming chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee sent more than 150 letters to various industry groups and businesses, asking what regulations they think inhibit job growth, Politico reports. Democrats bemoaned the move, but Eric Cantor yesterday signaled that he was behind Issa, and that deregulation would be a major piece of the House GOP agenda.

Those businesses of course, were thrilled. “I believe for the last couple of years that we were honestly shut out of this debate,” said the president of the National Petrochemicals Refiners Association, adding that he now expected “what I would consider a more fair hearing.” But consumer groups cried foul. “Issa should be subjecting corporate claims to the withering scrutiny he promises for the Obama administration,” one told the New York Times. (More Darrell Issa stories.)