Andrew Zajac reported today that Cass Sunstein, the chief regulator for President Barack Obama, said today he will resign, leaving behind a record criticized by both political opponents and White House allies.  Sunstein, 57, will return to Harvard Law School later this month after three years at the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, which oversees federal rules.  Cass Sunstein is administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, part of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) responsible for analyzing whether U.S. regulations are worth their cost.

As many know, the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was passed by bipartisan majorities in Congress and signed by President Obama in January 2011, but implementation details have not been widely shared outside the federal government.  This is because Food and Drug Administration (FDA) implementing regulations have been held up at OMB.

My hope is that with Sunsein’s departure the FSMA FDA regulations that have been held hostage at OMB will be released for public comment and implementation.

Or, as I said to Bloomberg:

Bill Marler, a Seattle attorney who represents food- poisioning victims, said that he hoped that with Sunstein gone, food-safety rules “that have been held hostage at OMB will be released for public comment and implementation.”