Tom Emmer, the majority whip of the House of Representatives and a Republican from Minnesota, is opposing a recent emergency request approved by the US Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to collect data from the country's bitcoin mining operations. Emmer wrote to the OMB stating: "When public safety is at stake, and the threat is imminent, OMB has the authority to grant emergency approval. I am writing to express my concern about the potential for OMB to abuse these powers in this case, as bitcoin miners do not pose a threat to public safety." Emmer requested that the OMB explain why it chose emergency authorization instead of going through the "normal permitting process."