[Political Junkie Too]

...it still intended to pursue the new authority to garnish wages without a court order...

I admit that I'm not up to speed on how the EPA came to acquire this "new authority."

Did they just deem it unto themselves and then wait for someone to push back and oppose it, or do they think that Congress delegated the authority to the EPA in some bill?

-PJ

[Timber Rattler]

The EPA is claiming this authority through the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996, which apparently gives all federal agencies the power to conduct administrative wage garnishment, provided that the agency allows for hearings at which debtors can challenge the amount or the terms of a repayment schedule.