The Hill News

President Obama's order to reduce unnecessary regulations doesn't go far enough, a Senate Democrat said Tuesday.

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) welcomed an executive order from the president issued this morning that would rein in unnecessary and overlapping regulations for businesses. But the plan could go further, said the former telecommunications investor.

"The regulatory framework announced by the White House today is a promising first step to adopt a more rational approach to government oversight, but we can and should go even further," Warner said in a statement. "I have spoken with [Office of Management and Budget] Director Jack Lew about these proposals, and he shares my view that existing regulations must be reviewed from time-to-time to determine if they are still necessary and crafted effectively. If they are not, they should  be changed or repealed."

Warner's been one of the Democratic emissaries to the business community, a relat! ionship the Obama administration has sought to repair by its staff and policy announcements in recent weeks.

The Virginia centrist urged the administration to get even more aggressive in its overtures to business.

“I will continue to urge the Administration to act even more aggressively on regulatory reform," Warner said. "No one is talking about reducing or removing effective protections of the public’s health and safety, but we need to be able to get rid of the old, stale regulations that inhibit economic growth."