Paul J. Ray is an American attorney and government official who served as the Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) from 2020 to 2021.

Paul Ray
Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
In office
January 10, 2020 – January 20, 2021
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byNeomi Rao
Succeeded byDom Mancini (acting)
Personal details
EducationHillsdale College (BA)
Harvard University (JD)

Early life and education

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Ray is a native of Chattanooga,[1] Tennessee.[2][3] Paul J. Ray is the son of the late Joe Ray, a teacher, and his wife DeLora. He has a brother and a sister. Following their father's premature death his mother brought the children up as a single mother.[4] Ray earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Hillsdale College and Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School.

Career

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After graduating from law school, Ray clerked for Samuel Alito on the Supreme Court of the United States. He then worked as an attorney at Sidley Austin in Washington, D.C., specializing in federal agency proceedings.[5][6] After Neomi Rao, the previous administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, was nominated to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Ray was selected to serve as acting administrator in December 2019. Donald Trump later nominated Ray to serve as administrator. On December 17, 2019, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee[7] advanced Ray's nomination by an 8–4 vote.[8] On January 9, 2020, the United States Senate confirmed Paul Ray as the head of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs by a 50–44 vote.[9][10] Ray took up office having served only just under a year at OIRA, which regulatory experts found reflected in his very limited background on dealing with regulatory issues;[11] and whilst noting his young age and showing little similarity with some of the previous postholders, experts warned against underestimating him.[3]

Before his time at the Office of Management and Budget, Ray was Counselor to the Secretary of Labor, responsible for the supervision of regulatory reform efforts.[12]

Ray left OIRA office on January 20, 2021. In February 2021, it was announced that he would partner with the Texas Public Policy Foundation.[13] Ray was appointed senior adviser at Patomak Global Partners, a financial services consulting firm.[14]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Paul Ray". Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  2. ^ "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Individuals to Key Administration Posts". whitehouse.gov. Retrieved 2020-06-25 – via National Archives.
  3. ^ a b "Reading the tea leaves on Trump's new regulatory czar". POLITICO Pro. October 15, 2019. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  4. ^ "Opening Statement of Paul J. Ray Nomination Hearing" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. December 4, 2019. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  5. ^ "A Law Student's Dream". Hillsdale College. 2016-12-14. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  6. ^ "PN1166 - Nomination of Paul J. Ray for Executive Office of the President, 116th Congress (2019-2020)". www.congress.gov. 2020-01-09. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  7. ^ Homel, U. S. Senate Committee on; Security; Washington, Governmental Affairs 340 Dirksen Senate Office Building; DC; Committee, 20510224-2627 Get Directions Contact The. "Hearings | Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee". www.hsgac.senate.gov. Retrieved 2022-03-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ "Senate Committee Advances Paul Ray's Nomination to Be Regulations Czar". Government Executive. 17 December 2019. Retrieved 2022-03-06.
  9. ^ Shane, Peter M. (2019-12-04). "The Obscure—But Crucial—Rules the Trump Administration Has Sought to Corrupt". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  10. ^ "Senate Confirms Trump's Pick for Regulations Czar". Government Executive. 9 January 2020. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  11. ^ "Trump's OIRA: more bark than bite". POLITICO Pro. April 11, 2019. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  12. ^ "Young Sidley Vet Confirmed As Trump's 'Regulatory Czar' - Law360". www.law360.com. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  13. ^ "Former OIRA Administrator Paul Ray to Partner with TPPF". Texas Public Policy Foundation. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  14. ^ "Trump Regulations Chief Joins Financial Services Consulting Firm". news.bloomberglaw.com. Retrieved 2022-04-07.