News Release
Inflation increases again in September, no relief in sight for consumers’ wallets: CEI analysis
September’s Consumer Price Index report shows a 0.6 percent increase in prices across all sectors, up from a 0.4 percent increase in August.
Blog
The week in regulations: Mariner training and Maryland trash
The federal government’s annual budget deficit hit $2 trillion. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pledged to livestream an execution. Thirty-year Treasury bond interest rates continued…
Blog
Asking the right questions on inequality
A recent Congressional Budget Office report finds that inequality in America has declined slightly in recent years. Over at National Review, my colleague…
Blog
The week in regulations: Drug prices and inedible almonds
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) learned the difference between the Atlanta Hawks and the Iowa Hawkeyes. President Trump rolled back some China tariffs and published…
News Release
Modest job numbers signal slow economic growth: CEI analysis
Just 29,000 jobs were added to the US economy in September 2026, according to the latest monthly government report, while the unemployment rate…
Blog
Tinplate tariffs are a microcosm of larger harm
Most of the talk about tariffs raising the cost of living is pretty abstract. In an op-ed syndicated by InsideSources, I look at…
American Petroleum Institute
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING: U.S. Diesel Export Ban Is a Bad Idea
Senior economist Ryan Young was cited by American Petroleum Institute regarding the consequences for a diesel export ban. As API President and…
Blog
The week in regulations: Safe explosives and baker’s yeast
President Trump proposed an export ban on diesel fuel. Mortgage rates topped 7 percent. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from bank mergers to window…
News Release
Diesel export ban idea won’t fix high prices: CEI analysis
Some lawmakers and candidates are calling for a federal ban on exporting diesel fuel as a means to bring fuel prices down. Sen.
Blog
The week in regulations: School libraries and sport pilots
The Federal Reserve raised interest rates. Congress passed a Russia sanctions bill that gives President Trump more tariff authority. Agencies issued new regulations ranging…
Blog
America as an act of disobedience
CEI’s annual Julian L. Simon Memorial Award Dinner is on September 23. The theme is American Treasures. This post celebrates one of the…
Blog
Congress gives Trump new tariff powers
The power to tax is one of Congress’ most important responsibilities. But it keeps looking for and finding ways to dodge it. The most…
Center Square
After rate hike, economists weigh tariffs’ role in inflation
CEI’s Senior Economist Ryan Young was quoted by Center Square in their analysis of tariffs impact in inflation. Ryan Young, senior economist…
News Release
Federal Reserve raises interest rates, eyes on future economic policy: CEI analysis
Today, the Federal Reserve has decided to raise interest rates by 25 basis points, the first increase in over three years. The decision…
Blog
The intergenerational John Adams
CEI’s annual Julian L. Simon Memorial Award Dinner is on September 23. The theme is American Treasures. This post celebrates two of the…
Blog
The pointless trade war against Canada
Starting a trade war with Canada is one of the strangest decisions of Donald Trump’s presidency. Over at the Daily Wire, I try to…
Blog
The week in regulations: Waters of the United States and ASCII formatting
The country reflected on the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. President Trump promised a $5,000 check to every American adult…
Op-Eds
The Self-Harming Logic Of The U.S.-Canada Trade War
Politics is almost never about the merits. This is one of the toughest lessons to learn in Washington. Some people never learn it, especially…
News Release
Higher inflation in August as conflict overseas continues to affect domestic prices: CEI analysis
The Consumer Price Index report for August shows inflation increased 0.4 percent across all sectors, with one-third of the increase being attributed to…
Blog
9/11 and presidential power
America is a complicated country, founded on a simple idea: no kings. Even so, nearly every president since at least John Adams has grown…
Fox Business
Trump’s $5,000 dividend proposal could add $1.2T to federal deficit, analysts say
CEI’s Ryan Young was cited by Fox News regarding Trump’s new dividend proposal. Competitive Enterprise Institute Senior Economist Ryan Young told FOX…
News Release
Another dividend check? Not so fast: CEI analysis
Washington Examiner
Treasury triples buyback of longer-term debt to $6 billion
CEI’s Ryan Young was cited by the Washington Examiner regarding the increased buybacks from the Treasury. Higher yields on longer-term bonds can…
News Release
Canada implements tariffs on American goods as trade war escalates: CEI analysis
Today, Canada implemented tariffs against a variety of American goods, ranging from 15 percent to 50 percent. CEI senior economist Ryan Young…
Blog
The week in regulations: Honey taxes and airline delays
August’s job numbers were better than expected. President Trump threatened to cut off trade to all nations that export more to America than they…
Washington Examiner
Higher rates spell an end to the case for putting huge programs on Uncle Sam’s credit card
CEI’s Ryan Young was cited by The Washington Examiner regarding higher interest rates. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury security, for…
News Release
US economy adds 162,000 jobs in August, higher than expected: CEI analysis
The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ report for August shows the economy added 162,000 jobs, higher than economists predicted. While the news is a…
News Release
CEI praises Schumer’s good idea on trade reform
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has introduced a bill, the End Trump’s Tariff Tax Act, to repeal Trump tariffs and duties on Canada…
The Washington Sun
Bessent Downplays the Bond Market’s Latest Swing: It’s Not ‘Dire’
CEI’s Senior Economist Ryan Young was cited by The Washington Sun regarding bond markets and Bessent’s reaction. Ryan Young, a senior economist…
Washington Examiner
Grim $40 trillion debt milestone raises questions about fiscal commission
CEI’s Ryan Young was cited by the Washington Examiner regarding tackling debt with bipartisan reform. Ryan Young, an economist at the Competitive Enterprise…
Blog
The week in regulations: Voting by mail and $100,000 visas
The number of new final regulations in 2026 topped the 2,000 mark. President Trump escalated his trade war against Canada and issued an executive…
Reason
Canada Should Ignore Trump’s Protectionism and Unilaterally Enact Free Trade
CEI’s Senior Economist Ryan Young was cited by Reason regarding free trade. “Canadian Prime Minister Carney’s retaliatory tariffs come from understandable feelings…
Washington Times
US Trade War Could Be Bad News for Canadian Wallets
CEI’s Ryan Young is cited by Newsweek regarding the Canadian tariff war. “Trade wars have no winners. President Trump’s spat with Canada…
News Release
Consumers will pay the price of a trade war between US & Canada: CEI analysis
Today, Canada announced retaliatory tariffs against the US, ranging from 15 percent to 50 percent on approximately $20 billion worth of American imports.
Washington Examiner
Gold and bitcoin rise on fears about US debt
CEI’s John Berlau was quoted by the Washington Examiner regarding cryptocurrency in the economy. As gold has gone up, so too have…
Blog
The week in regulations: Roadless areas and squid quotas
The national debt topped $40 trillion. Vice President JD Vance argued for ending the dollar’s status as the world’s reserve currency. The Treasury Department…
Washington Examiner
Bond markets shrug off Treasury intervention, with yields rebounding
CEI’s Senior Economist Ryan Young was cited by The Washington Examiner regarding bond markets. Ryan Young, a senior economist at the Competitive…
The Washington Sun
Economists Warn That Treasury’s Bond Markets Fix Is Short Term
CEI’s Senior Economist Ryan Young was cited by The Washington Sun regarding the Treasury’s plan to buy bonds. The Treasury’s plan to…
Blog
The week in regulations: Fresh produce guidance and naval weapon storage
Inflation remained above target for a 64th consecutive month. President Trump signed an executive order to revise vaccine recommendations. Agencies issued new regulations ranging…
Washington Examiner
Trump administration floats capital gains tax cut on home sales — what to know
CEI’s Ryan Young was cited in the Washington Examiner regarding possible tax cut. Ryan Young, a senior economist at the Competitive Enterprise Institute,…
Letters
CEI joins coalition commending waiver extension for the Jones Act
Dear Secretary Mullin, Secretary Hegseth, Secretary Wright, and Secretary Rollins: The undersigned individuals write to commend President Donald Trump’s decision to…
News Release
Inflation increases slightly in July, Americans still paying higher prices: CEI analysis
July’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) report shows inflation increased 0.1 percent across all sectors, in line with economists’ predictions. With new proposed tariffs…
Washington Examiner
Fed rate hikes likely even with weakening jobs outlook
The Washington Examiner cited CEI’s Ryan Young regarding the Federal Reserves target on employment and inflation. So as long as the unemployment…
Blog
The week in regulations: Professional fireworks and farmer training
The 2026 Federal Register topped 50,000 pages and is on track to exceed 85,000 pages for the year. The economy lost 23,000 jobs, yet…
The Washington Sun
What’s Causing the Financial Industry to Lose So Many Jobs?
CEI’s Ryan Young was cited regarding the finance industry losing jobs in an article by The Washington Sun. The latest numbers raise the…
Daily Caller
SEN. RAND PAUL: Congress Shouldn’t Tax Americans To Fight Putin
CEI’s Ryan Young was quoted by Senator Rand Paul about Ryan Young, a Senior Economist with the Competitive Enterprise Institute, points out…
News Release
Jobs numbers drop in July, May and June’s numbers revised downward: CEI analysis
The new jobs report brings bad news to the labor market, with a net loss of 23,000 jobs for July and a downward…
Washington Examiner
Fed’s transparency playbook changing under Warsh
CEI’s Ryan Young was cited by the Washington Examiner relating to the Federal Reserve. Even with the forward guidance under Powell, Ryan…
Blog
The week in regulations: Peach diversion programs and nuclear packages
The Federal Reserve kept interest rates the same, and an increase may be on the way. Economic growth remained below average, and inflation remained…
The National Desk
Resilient economy faces mounting risks from Iran and inflation
CEI’s Senior Economist Ryan Young was cited by The National Desk relating to the economy and its response to Iran and inflation.
RealClear Policy
The Hidden Tariff Trap in the Russia Sanctions Bill
CEI’s Ryan Young was cited by RealClear Policy regarding hidden tariffs in the Russia sanctions bill. Many experts make the point that…
Market Watch
Do-nothing Fed? Maybe not. Now Wall Street zeros in on rate hike in September.
CEI’s Senior Economist Ryan Young was cited by MarketWatch regarding the Federal Reserves choice to hold interest rates. An economist at the…
News Release
Fed decides to maintain interest rates during July FOMC meeting: CEI analysis
Today, the Federal Reserve announced it will maintain interest rates, signaling a continued commitment to the fight against inflation. The Fed is remaining…
Washington Examiner
Warsh faces rate hike quandary in this week’s meeting
The Washington Examiner cites Ryan Young regarding federal rate hikes. Investors assessed about a 38% chance the Fed would raise interest rates.
Blog
The forced labor fig leaf
The cardinal rule of President Trump’s trade policy is that he just likes tariffs. Any intellectual justification is just rationalizing his gut feelings.
Blog
The week in regulations: Carbon nanotubes and colored sausage casings
President Trump enacted new tariffs against more than 60 countries. Some of the Canada tariffs invoke a never-used statute from the 1930 Smoot-Hawley Tariff…
Washington Examiner
Academics and CEOs dominate Fed advisory boards
The Washington Examiner cited CEI senior economist Ryan Young regarding Federal Reserve Chairman and his new task force Council of Economic Adviser Thomas Sargent.
News Release
Trump pivot to Section 338 for tariffs poses problems for economy, separation of powers
Citing Section 338 of the 1930 Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, President Donald Trump on July 20 announced steep 50 percent tariffs on Canadian goods,…
Blog
The week in regulations: Razorback suckers and conflict of interest requirements
Congress is considering honoring the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) by passing a counterproductive Russia sanctions and tariffs bill. Inflation numbers for June…
News Release
Trump trade threats over Canada wildfires should trigger clawback of trade power by Congress
On social media today, President Trump threatened to impose extra tariffs on Canada, citing the government’s “willful negligence” in quelling massive wildfires currently causing…
Blog
Sanctioning Russia Act: Tariffs won’t change Putin’s mind
When Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) passed away last week, he left behind a bill called the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026. Congress is…
News Release
Inflation drops some in June, does not yet indicate inflation relief is here to stay: CEI analysis
The Consumer Price Index report for June fell 0.4 percent, mostly canceling out May’s 0.5 percent increase. While this may provide some immediate…
Washington Examiner
US set to dodge Biden-level inflation despite Iran disruptions
CEI’s Ryan Young was cited in the Washington Examiner regarding Biden-level inflation. But experts say the fundamentals underlying the 2021 and 2022…
Blog
The week in regulations: Plywood emissions and squid specifications
President Trump’s war with Iran heated back up. ICE agents killed at least one more person. Senate candidate Graham Platner ended his campaign after…
The National Desk
Jobs report: Steadier hiring returns as construction and manufacturing rebound
CEI’s senior economist Ryan Young cited regarding June’s job report. It comes as the economy has grown at a modest but steady…
Blog
The week in regulations: Supersonic flight and circuit board acquisition
America turned 250 years old on July 4. The Unified Agenda, which lists all upcoming regulations, came out in the July 3 holiday weekend…
Reason
Trump called the USMCA his ‘best deal.’ Now, he wants out of it.
CEI’s senior economist Ryan Young was cited in Reason regarding Trump’s USMCA deal. The Trump administration believes that greater uncertainty will give…
News Release
Economy adds 57,000 jobs in June; labor market continues to stabilize: CEI analysis
The labor market gained 57,000 jobs in June, while the unemployment rate remained steady at 4.2 percent. The likelihood of an interest rate…
News Release
Trump administration decides to not renew current USMCA, adds to trade policy uncertainty
Today, the Trump administration announced its intent to not renew the US’s trilateral trade pact with Canada and Mexico, known as the USMCA.
Blog
CEI and the minimum wage
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) recently proposed a bill to increase the federal minimum wage to $25. Listed below are 18 arguments against raising the…
Blog
The week in regulations: Blacksmith shops and airman certificates
Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan passed away. Neither the Reflecting Pool debacle nor its algae have faded away. PCE inflation is over 4…
Blog
Remembering Alan Greenspan
Alan Greenspan passed away this week. National Review was kind enough to run my remembrance of him: There…
National Review
The Lessons of Alan Greenspan’s Life
Blog
The week in regulations: Radiology software and foreign atomic energy assistance
No new regulations were issued on Friday in honor of Juneteenth, the most classically liberal holiday there is. President Trump signed an agreement…
News Release
Federal Reserve moves to keep interest rates steady during its June meeting: CEI analysis
The Fed has decided to keep interest rates where they are, signaling the focus is still on economic uncertainty and asserting its independence…
Blog
The week in regulations: Cyber sanctions and tinnitus relief devices
Inflation is now more than double the Federal Reserve’s target. The Iran war heated up again. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from vending stands…
News Release
Inflation still stubbornly high in May, future rate increase growing more likely: CEI analysis
The Consumer Price Index report for May shows inflation rose 0.5 percent across all sectors, with energy continuing to be a major factor…
Blog
Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations at 250
Last week I participated in a National Association of Scholars event on the 250th anniversary of Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations. The…
Blog
The week in regulations: Bone void filler and halibut action
May’s job numbers were strong for the third month in a row, though job growth since Liberation Day remains under 100,000, for a labor…
News Release
Economy added 172,000 jobs in May, better than expected report: CEI analysis
The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ jobs report for May shows an unexpected increase of 172,000 jobs, indicating an economy that has…
Blog
The week in regulations: Onion marketing and refrigerator leaks
PCE inflation, which the Federal Reserve uses for its interest rate decisions, rose to 3.8 percent, nearly double the Fed’s 2.0 percent target. President…
Washington Examiner
Market expectations for rate hike haunt Warsh and GOP
The Washington Examiner cites Senior Economist Ryan Young on the consumer price index: Additionally, the producer price index showed wholesale inflation shot up…
National Review
Three Arguments Against Tariffs
President Trump loves tariffs. The Americans paying them don’t. A recent CNN poll found that 65 percent of Americans blame Trump’s tariffs…
Blog
Solving the tariff problem
Over at National Review, I summarize my recent paper making three arguments against tariffs. These are the knowledge problem, the incentive problem,…
Blog
The week in regulations: Black boxes and weather reports
The 2026 Federal Register topped 30,000 pages. President Trump’s Justice Department is poised to give him a $1.776 billion fund he can use to…
NOTUS
EPA Eases Limits on ‘Super Pollutants,’ Claiming It Will Lower Food Prices
The Trump administration is loosening restrictions on “super pollutant” chemicals that are highly potent greenhouse gases, claiming that allowing their increased use will drive…
News Release
New CEI report outlines the major reasons why tariffs don’t work
Today, the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) released a new report by CEI Senior Economist Ryan Young entitled “Three Reasons Tariffs Don’t Work”…
Study
Three Reasons Tariffs Don’t Work
He just likes tariffs. President Trump’s decades-long love of tariffs comes from the heart. The intellectual arguments Trump and his aides use to justify…
Blog
New CEI paper: Three arguments against tariffs
I have a new paper out today that explores three arguments against tariffs. They are the knowledge problem, the incentive problem, and the…
Washington Examiner
Inflation still has room to run, experts fear
Washington Examiner cited senior economist Ryan Young on producer price index numbers. And on Wednesday, the producer price index showed wholesale inflation…
Blog
The week in regulations: Date taxes and microreactors
It was nearly a 3,000-page week in the Federal Register, roughly double the usual pace. Year-over-year inflation jumped to 3.8 percent, the worst reading…
News Release
Inflation increases again in April, no end in sight for higher energy prices: CEI analysis
The Consumer Price Index for April shows inflation increased by 0.6 percent across all sectors, slightly lower than March’s 0.9 percent but still…
Blog
The week in regulations: Fluid milk options and battleship safety zones
The Court of International Trade struck down President Trump’s Section 122 tariffs. The labor force shrank by 92,000 people over the last year. Agencies…
The Hill
Trump, frustrated by courts, sees his tariff policies take new hit
The Hill cites senior economist Ryan Young on tariff policy. “If anything, it just pushes forward the administration’s timetable to turn to…
News Release
Economy added 115,000 jobs in April, modest boost amidst economic uncertainty: CEI analysis
The jobs report for April shows 115,000 jobs were added to the economy, a modest boost compared to previous months. While unemployment remains…
News Release
Court ruling against Trump tariffs upholds rule of law
The US Court of International Trade on Thursday ruled 2-1 against tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, finding a 1970s era law did not…
The Washington Examiner
Kevin Warsh set up for failure with Powell staying on and markets expecting rate hike
The Washington Examiner cites senior economist Ryan Young on the Fed and the Department of Treasury. Ryan Young, senior economist at the Competitive…
Blog
The week in regulations: Marine terminal fires and marijuana rescheduling
The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady, and outgoing Chairman Jerome Powell will remain on the Fed’s Board of Governors when Kevin Warsh takes…
News Release
Fed keeps a hold on interest rates for now, debate on balance sheet a highlight for next Fed Chair-hopeful Warsh: CEI analysis
The Federal Reserve has decided to keep interest rates steady, aligning with economists’ and financial analysts’ predictions. With the Senate Banking Committee voting…
News Release
Foreign automakers’ threat to exit US market illustrates Trump tariff consequences
Foreign automakers are reportedly threatening to pull their most affordable models out of the US market if terms of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement aren’t renewed.