33 Government Auto Regulators Now Work for Auto Industry

[The Straight Story]

33 Government Auto Regulators Now Work for Auto Industry

The auto industry has benefited mightily from hiring almost three dozen former government officials whose jobs were to regulate car manufacturers. An investigation by The Washington Post revealed that 33 ex-employees of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Department of Transportation have joined automakers as lawyers, consultants and lobbyists.

The revolving door between public and private sectors has included the hiring of Rodney Slater, transportation secretary under President Bill Clinton, by embattled Toyota to head its newly-created North American Quality Advisory Panel. Other ex-NHTSA employees now working for Toyota are Chris Tinto and Christopher Santucci, formerly of NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation, and lawyers Kenneth Weinstein and Erika Jones, both of whom worked on defects issues

Some lawmakers want to slow down the revolving door, arguing that the practice has contributed to weakened federal oversight and enforcement of the industry. There is talk of adopting legislation that would make regulators wait two years before from going to work for auto companies

“The relationship is too cozy, and it is not an equal playing field,” U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) told The Washington Post. “They need to insulate themselves a bit. People of our country expect there will be checks and balances and that someone will be looking out for them.”

http://www.allgov.com/Controversies/ViewNews/33_Government_Auto_Regulators_Now_Work_for_Auto_Industry_100312