WASHINGTON—The Heritage Foundation today announced that the Hon. Paul Ray will join the organization’s Domestic Policy team as director of the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies.  

In this role, Ray will oversee Heritage’s efforts to roll back the administrative state and provide regulatory relief to all Americans. He will also lead a dedicated team of experts focusing on solutions to some of the most pressing economic issues facing the country today, including historic inflation, broken supply chains, and the federal government’s pursuit of budget-busting policies.  

Prior to joining Heritage, Ray served as the federal “regulations czar” in the Office of Management and Budget’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), where he was confirmed as administrator by the U.S. Senate in January 2020. In his time at OIRA, Ray oversaw the review of hundreds of regulations and led federal efforts on regulatory reform. Before his time at OIRA, he served as counselor to the U.S. Secretary of Labor, a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, and an attorney specializing in administrative law. 

Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts released the following statement on Ray’s joining the foundation: 

“The American left relies on the administrative state to advance its radical agenda through regulatory power. This power grows by the day, reaching further and further into the daily lives of Americans across this country. It’s no longer enough to have the right policy ideas in Congress. We must know how to fight the left in the executive branch and take back the ground they have won. That’s why I’m so excited for Paul to join our team. He not only brings a dedication to conservative values to the job, but also an unparalleled experience in the regulatory space. He will be a warrior against the administrative state, helping Heritage and our allies in the movement come up with the right policy and overcome the bureaucratic elites to implement it.” 

Roger Severino, Heritage vice president for domestic policy, and former director of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department’s Office for Civil Rights, also released a statement: 

“I can’t think of a better person than Paul to lead the Roe Institute as Heritage increases its focus on defeating the administrative state and its regulatory regime. So many of the policies that affect our daily lives are ultimately driven not just by laws, but by rules and regulations devised by unelected bureaucratic elites in Washington. Heritage is working to bring that to an end. Paul’s passion for regulations is driven by a desire to help Americans flourish and prosper. He has been a force for freedom throughout his career, and will do great things as part of the Heritage team.” 

Ray released a statement, as well: 

“I’m thrilled to join Heritage today. For years, Heritage has been a strong voice for the recovery of our Founders’ vision of a limited, representative government under law—a vision that promotes the thriving of every American as a free and active member of society rather than raw matter to be shaped by a central bureaucracy. Never has there been a greater need to renew that vision and to come to grips with the realities of the modern regulatory system and the barriers it raises to authentic human flourishing. I’m honored to join Heritage to continue to advance this important work.”