Blog
HSR hibernation: Will the FTC PNO see its shadow during government shutdown?
It’s time for DC to find a real groundhog that can assist in determining if the government will shut down to replace the taxidermied…
Blog
Trump 401(k) EO helps equalize access to alternative assets
For more than a decade at CEI, I have argued that holders of 401(k)s and other defined-contribution plans should have maximum choice in the investments…
Blog
Conservative radio and the risks of FCC pressure on broadcast licensees
Conservative radio is one of the most potent forces in American politics. It emerged from Federal Communications Commission (FCC) deregulation that fostered free speech and…
Blog
Is regulation killing American innovation?
The federal government micromanages American businesses and citizens through excessive and costly regulations. These rules stifle innovation, limit competitiveness, and hinder job creation, while also…
Comment
CEI comments on the Justice Department and National Economic Council’s Request for Information Regarding State Laws with Extraterritorial Economic Impacts OLP182; Docket No. DOJ-OLP-2025-0169
News Release
Trump’s views on Tylenol shouldn’t supersede doctor advice
President Trump railed against Tylenol (acetaminophen) in a press conference this week, imploring, in particular, pregnant women and babies to not take (or be administered)…
The Hill
The Movement: Erika Kirk, Trump showcase clashing messages about conservativism’s soul
The Hill cited CEI’s annual Julian L Simon Dinner The regulatory-reform-focused Competitive Enterprise Institute’s president, Kent Lassman, made a pointed joke about the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) at its swanky annual…
Blog
A provisional look at the Trump 2.0 deregulation record
Early in his first term, Donald Trump ordered agencies to eliminate at least two rules for every “significant” one added – rules generally carrying $100…
Comment
CEI Comments on EPA Proposed Rule “Reconsideration of 2009 Endangerment Finding and Greenhouse Gas Vehicle Standards”
Dear Mr. Stout: On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), we appreciate this opportunity to provide comments on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed…
News Release
Affordable transportation should be celebrated over “World Car-Free Day”
September 22 is associated with “World Car-Free Day”, an occasion aimed at prodding people to find alternative ways to travel around that day. CEI Senior…
Citation
Playbook PM: The shutdown countdown begins
Politico cited CEI’s annual Julian L Simon Dinner. The Competitive Enterprise Institute hosted its annual Julian L. Simon Memorial Award Dinner at the Organization of…
Blog
The week in regulations: Sausage colors and patriotic education
The Federal Reserve cut interest rates. Attorney General Pam Bondi threatened to prosecute hate speech. ABC pulled late night host Jimmy Kimmel off the air…
Fox Business
Social media giants scramble to control Charlie Kirk assassination videos after Utah shooting
The Daily Economy
Why the Old Left–Right Divide No Longer Works
A century ago, Michael Oakeshott, Britain’s great skeptic of politics, a grand project, diagnosed a sickness that now afflicts every Western democracy: the confusion between…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Empowering patients with Vance Ginn
In this week’s episode we cover potential changes to quarterly reporting for public companies, state-level AI regulations, spiking gas prices in…
Blog
California’s climate disclosure laws will devastate interstate commerce
This week, on behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, I submitted a public comment to the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) notice for state…
News Release
Fed independence is the real story in Wednesday’s interest rate decision: CEI analysis
Today, the Federal Reserve announced it is cutting interest rates by 25 basis points, the first cut in nine months. CEI senior economist…
Blog
Progressive states plan end run around federal labor law
The five-member National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the main federal labor law enforcement agency, is currently down to just one member and therefore lacks…
Blog
GOOD Act markup: The first step in illuminating regulatory dark matter
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) is soon expected to mark up the Guidance Out of Darkness (GOOD) Act, an important bipartisan…
The Washington Post
The wine industry doesn’t work the way Washington thinks it does
Owning a vineyard in Napa Valley sounds fancy, but the wine business is, in reality, pretty gritty: It is a low-margin agricultural and food-processing business…
Comment
CEI is in Support of the GOOD Act: Bringing Federal Guidance Out of the Shadows
Dear Members of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, We write to you today ahead of markup of the Guidance Out of…
Blog
Some minimum requirements for a proper WOTUS rule
In the coming weeks, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Army Corps of Engineers are expected to release a proposed rule defining what…
Blog
House subcommittee to discuss important Clean Air Act bills
The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Environment will be holding a hearing today entitled “From Gridlock to Growth: Permitting Reform Under the…
News Release
Trump’s call to end corporate quarterly reporting mandates would boost competitiveness, end onerous regulation
President Trump today used a social media post to call on the SEC to end quarterly reporting mandates for publicly traded companies and instead move…
Comment
CEI’S Request for Federal Intervention on State Climate Disclosure Laws That Adversely Affect Interstate Commerce and Violate Constitutional Limits
Request for Information on State Laws Having Significant Adverse Effects on the National Economy or Significant Adverse Effects on Interstate Commerce Dear Mr. Schilling, Thank…
Blog
The week in regulations: Date taxes and manifest mailing
Political commentator Charlie Kirk was killed while speaking at an event. While the Producer Price Index went down in August, the Consumer Price Index climbed…
News Release
Inflation increased 0.4 percent in August, all eyes on the Fed’s next move: CEI analysis
The Consumer Price Index report for August showed a 0.4 percent increase in inflation across all sectors. With Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs being implemented…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Tariffs and economic freedom with Matt Mitchell
In this week’s episode we cover the latest jobs numbers, the emergent community of abundance fans, the limits to taxing billionaires,…
Letters
CEI partners with AFP & Urges Congress to Modernize Labor Laws with Pro-Worker Employee Rights Act
Dear Member of Congress: On behalf of the following organizations, we ask for your full support and co-sponsorship of H.R. 4154, the Employee Rights Act…
Blog
Trump’s Intel stake and the Peronist precedent of Obama’s auto bailouts
President Trump’s decision to take a 10-percent ownership stake in chipmaker Intel has been described by many commentators as “socialism.” Others have…
Blog
Putting an end to the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs
The immortality of federal programs no longer seems to be a certainty. A particularly welcome instance of a federal program drawing to a close is…
Testimony
CEI’s Ben Lieberman testifies on Reforming Appliance Efficiency Standards: Restoring Consumer Choice and Ending Regulatory Overreach
I. Summary The Department of Energy’s appliance efficiency standards program is decades old, and most major home appliances have been subjected to multiple rounds of…
News Release
New downward revision for jobs numbers not surprising: CEI analysis
Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that there were 911,000 fewer jobs between March 2024 and March 2025 than previously reported. While this…
Letters
CEI Joins CFIF in Coalition Letter Urging FCC to Preserve Free Market in Broadcast Negotiations
Dear Chairman Carr: We, the undersigned conservative, free-market and pro-innovation organizations, write in support of your efforts to reduce government regulation and involvement in the…
Letters
CEI joins coalition with TPA in Opposition to Increasing FDIC Deposit Insurance Limits
Dear Chairs Scott and Hill, and Ranking Members Warren and Waters, We, the undersigned organizations, representing millions of taxpayers and consumers nationwide, write to express…
News Release
Report urges ending the unauthorized Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs
The Competitive Enterprise Institute today released a report supporting the dismantling of a legally dubious office within the U.S. Department of Labor: the Office of…
Study
‘Contradictory to Our Country’s Laws’
Introduction In the first days of the second Trump administration, elusive aspirations of confining agencies of the federal government to their legitimate functions suddenly seemed…
Comment
CEI’s comment on FLRA’s Proposed AFCA Regulations: Constitutional Concerns and the Right to a Jury Trial
Dear Mr. Tso: The Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) has proposed procedural regulations for the Administrative False Claims Act (AFCA). Implementation of the Administrative False…
Blog
Trump’s Unified Agenda of deconstruction: Writing rules to erase rules
“It is the policy of my Administration to focus the executive branch’s limited enforcement resources on regulations squarely authorized by…
Blog
The week in regulations: Coachella air quality and yogurt vitamins
The Federal Register, which tracks daily regulatory activity, has become less transparent. Jobs numbers for August were disappointing and actually shrank in June for…
Forbes
Diary Of Deconstruction: Trump Releases Unified Agenda Of Federal Regulations
As the leaves begin to fall, the Trump administration has at last released Spring 2025 edition of the semiannual “Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and…
Politico
How AI could fuel a boom in carbon capture
Politico cited CEI’s expert on temporary regulations “Many of the ‘rules’ that have been issued under Trump aren’t new mandates at all, but rather rescissions,…
Comment
CEI’s comment on Proposed Revisions to Section 503 Regulations and Enforcement Procedures to Align with APA and Executive Order 14173
Re: Comment on Modifications to the Regulations Implementing Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as Amended Docket OFCCP-2025-0003 Dear Director Eschbach: On behalf…
Comment
CEI’s comment on Proposed Reforms to VEVRAA Regulations and Enforcement Procedures in Light of Constitutional and Administrative Law Concerns
Re: Comment on Modifications to the Regulations Implementing the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, as Amended Docket OFCCP-2025-0002 Dear Director Eschbach:…
Comment
CEI’s comment in Support of Rescission of EO 11246 Regulations and Reduction of OFCCP Authority
Re: Comment on Rescission of Executive Order 11246 Implementing Regulations Docket OFCCP-2025-0001 Dear Director Eschbach: On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, I respectfully submit…
News Release
August adds 22,000 jobs, June and July numbers revised downward: CEI analysis
The jobs report for August shows a meager gain of 22,000 jobs, with the unemployment rate and the labor force participation rate remaining relatively…
Blog
Tariffs are taxes and must be legislatively accountable
The Federal Circuit Court of Appeals has delivered a decisive rebuke to the new presidential reciprocal and trafficking tariffs. It ruled that a president…
Blog
The beginning of the end for net-zero financial alliances
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the world’s premier financial institutions formed bold climate finance coalitions. The most notable of these was…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Clear-but-false ideas with Kevin Williamson
In this week’s episode we cover the Trump tariffs being struck down, Biden’s competition order being vacated, and new research on…
Testimony
CEI’s Jessica Melugin speaks on The U.K.’s Online Safety Act
Chair Jordan, ranking member Raskin, and distinguished members of the House Judiciary Committee, thank you for the opportunity to submit written testimony to this critical…
Blog
Messy merger math and the congressional fix
The Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division has offered a glimpse into premerger enforcement activities over the past six months. In February 2025, the new Hart-Scott-Rodino…
News Release
Google Ruling Rightly Rejects Most DOJ Demands, But Appeals Still Warranted
A federal court largely rejected DOJ efforts to break up Google, declining to spin off its Chrome browser or impose sweeping payment bans. But the…
News Release
Federal court strikes down President Trump’s emergency tariffs: CEI analysis
On Friday, a federal court struck down President Trump’s emergency rationale for enacting worldwide tariffs. CEI senior economist Ryan Young applauds the court’s decision.
Center Square Opinion
Op-Ed: Lawmakers deserve credit for recent success against the Green New Deal
Lawmakers took a significant step toward ending the Green New Deal. In the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), they started to dismantle the radical…
Comment
CEI Comments on the Department of Energy’s Report A Critical Review of Impacts of Greenhouse Gas Emissions on the U.S. Climate
Dear Mr. Loucks, On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), we respectfully submit these comments on the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) July 29, 2025,…
Blog
There’s something wrong with the Federal Register
The Trump-era Federal Register website has been glitching recently. Nearly two weeks ago, I noted on X/Twitter (tagging both @USNatArchives and @FedRegister) that the…
Blog
The week in regulations: Deepwater ports and ASCII relays
A court ruled President Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs unconstitutional. The case now moves to the Supreme Court. Countries around the world stopped shipping parcels to…
News Release
Trump pocket rescission move helps eliminate needless spending
The White House announced today that President Trump has moved to rescind $4.9 billion in foreign aid funding. The President is using what’s known as…
DC Journal
Point: AI Won’t Take Our Jobs Away
For an alternate viewpoint, see “Counterpoint: Trump’s Extreme Anti-Labor Policies Could Determine the Effect of AI on Labor.” Read enough headlines about artificial intelligence and…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Ideological diversity on the right with Peter Lipsett
In this week’s episode we cover Ray Dalio’s Big Debt Cycle, scandal in climate finance, jobs destroyed by tariffs, why AI…
Forbes
When Washington Buys Intel, It Owns You Too
The past week has seen many decrying the folly of government picking winners in business. But the Trump administration’s announcement of an 8.9 percent …
Comment
CEI comments on National Academies report on greenhouse gas emissions
Dear Ms. Staudt: On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, I appreciate this opportunity to provide comments regarding the National Academies’ fast-track study that “will…
Blog
Washington just bought Intel—and sold capitalism
Back in 2010, I testified before Congress against reauthorizing the so-called America COMPETES Act. That legislation was the precursor to the much-ballyhooed CHIPS and…
Blog
The week in regulations: Bird hunting and food coloring
The Federal Register’s website became less transparent about rule counts and other data. President Trump threatened to send the military into a third city. The…
Wall Street Journal
How to Beat the High Cost of Cooling
President Trump doesn’t hide his dislike of federal appliance regulations, from water-stingy shower heads that he says make it difficult “to take care of my…
WSJ Opinion
How to Beat the High Cost of Cooling
President Trump doesn’t hide his dislike of federal appliance regulations, from water-stingy shower heads that he says make it difficult “to take care of my…
Blog
DC Circuit Court shields proxy advisor duopoly
In an unfortunate move, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals recently struck down the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) 2020 Proxy Advisor Rule. The…
Blog
The harm is the process: Unconstitutional NLRB proceedings halted
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals threw a wrench into the gears of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) this week, and for good reason.
News Release
US/EU trade agreement underwhelms: CEI analysis
As a follow up to last month’s US/EU trade agreement that set 15 percent blanket tariffs on EU exports to the US (among other provisions), today…
News Release
Possible US government stakes in chip manufacturers threatens executive overreach: CEI analysis
The Trump administration’s announcement of possible US government stakes in chip manufacturers that receive CHIPS Act funding raises concerns about concentrated executive power. In response,…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Subsidies for billionaires with David McGarry
In this week’s episode we cover White House intervention in corporate ownership, the nation’s falling economic freedom ranking, and welcome new…
News Release
Federal appeals court rules on NLRB unconstitutionality
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals today issued a ruling suggesting the structure of the federal government’s top labor dispute regulator, the National Labor Relations…
Blog
The current state of pharmaceutical tariffs
Background Amid the Trump trade upheaval, pharmaceutical products receive different treatment than many other US imports. Pharmaceuticals are treated differently for reasons such as their…
Blog
Virginia regulations guarantee secret ballots for public sector union elections
New regulations from the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry on “Local Government Union Requirements and Employee Protections” became effective July 30, 2025. An…
Blog
Antitrust abuse threatens America’s AI dominance
On July 14, 2025, Jensen Huang, CEO of Santa Clara-based NVIDIA, and President Donald Trump agreed to allow NVIDIA to resume its exports to…
Blog
The week in regulations: Import paperwork and postal possession
The 2025 Federal Register topped 40,000 pages. President Trump met with Vladimir Putin in Alaska. The Producer Price index rose at its fastest level since…
Blog
Power plant greenhouse gas emissions don’t contribute significantly to ‘dangerous air pollution’
CEI recently submitted comments on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Proposed Rule to repeal greenhouse gas (GHG) emission standards for fossil fuel power…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Welfare and work with Kevin Corinth
In this week’s episode we cover new inflation data, public attitudes about Social Security, and California’s self-inflicted energy crisis. Our interview…
News Release
Supreme Court ruling on social media age verification isn’t the final word: CEI analysis
The Supreme Court today in an emergency ruling declined to block Mississippi from enforcing an age-verification law imposed on nine social media platforms. The trade group…
Blog
Trump revokes Biden’s bogus competition order, but it’s only a start
President Donald Trump just revoked President Biden’s 2021 “Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy.” That’s welcome news, as I explain in…
News Release
Latest Producer Price Index numbers show a 0.9 percent increase, tariffs to blame: CEI analysis
July’s Producer Price Index (PPI) numbers show a 0.9 percent increase in final demand prices, up 3.3 percent over the past 12 months. CEI…
The Daily Economy
The Founders Would Be Appalled by Trump’s Tariff Policy—Even Hamilton
President Trump has, it is clear, upended the global trading system and America’s place in it through his aggressive use of tariffs as a tool…
The Daily Economy
The Founders Would Be Appalled by Trump’s Tariff Policy—Even Hamilton
President Trump has, it is clear, upended the global trading system and America’s place in it through his aggressive use of tariffs as a tool…
Blog
EPA right to propose repeal of 2024 power plant mercury rule
The Obama EPA’s 2012 rule for mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants may have been the agency’s least defensible measure ever under the Clean Air…
The Washington Examiner
Biggest immediate change for Fed under new chair likely to be tone shift
The Washington Examiner cited CEI’s expert on inflation Ryan Young, a senior economist at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, pointed out that the new chair would…
The Washington Free Beacon
Mainstream Media Reports Cite ‘Nonpartisan’ Research Firm to Trash Trump’s Repeal of Green Energy Subsidies. Its Leader Helped Biden Write Those Subsidies Into Law.
In other words, Energy Innovation didn’t properly analyze the impacts greater wind and solar reliance have on consumers, Stein told the Washington Free Beacon. “They make…
American Greatness
Chester Arthur was a Champion of Government Accountability, not the Architect of the Deep State
Was America’s 21st president responsible for spawning a perpetual class of unaccountable power-wielding bureaucrats? In an article for American Greatness, Thaddeus McCotter…
Blog
Happy birthday, Smokey Bear! Let’s fight forest fires the right way
Smokey Bear, the famous US Forest Service (USFS) mascot, celebrated his 81st birthday this past Saturday, August 9. Smokey Bear was created in 1944…
News Release
Trump’s pick for Bureau of Labor Statistics should update data collection methods, not play politics
CEI labor and economy experts say President Trump’s nominee to head the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics should improve data collection for jobs and…
Blog
July CPI: Inflation still above target, politicized clouds on the horizon
Today’s CPI report is not apocalyptic, but still concerning. This is in line with expectations. The CPI rose 0.2 percent during July, and 2.7…
Blog
Closing the window on public media funding
A door has closed, but windows remain open. Recently, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) announced that it would discontinue operations in light of…
Blog
Half of 2025’s public laws are Biden rule killers
In a notable twist, Congress has spent half of 2025’s lawmaking undoing Biden regulations. So far in the 119th Congress, 31 public laws have been…
Comment
CEI Comments on Proposed Environmental Protection Agency Rule Repealing 2024 Mercury Provisions for Coal-Fired Power Plants
August 11, 2025 Environmental Protection Agency: National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Coal- and Oil-Fired Electric Utility Steam Generating Units Notice…
Blog
The week in regulations: Blue food coloring and pipeline recordkeeping
The Liberation Day tariffs took effect on August 7. The president continues to announce new tariffs on pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and more. Republicans are proposing gerrymandering…
Blog
Trump’s economy off to a slow start
Last week, the Bureau of Economic Analysis released its estimates of the performance of the US economy in the second quarter. The headline result…
Blog
Trump EO on debanking is a mixed bag for financial freedom
President Trump’s new Executive Order (EO) on debanking correctly decries the weaponization of the financial regulation, and contains many good provisions preventing government regulators…
Comment
CEI Comments on EPA’s Proposed Repeal of Powerplant Greenhouse Gas Emission Standards
Re: Docket No. EPA–HQ–OAR–2025–0124 Dear Ms. Thompson: On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), we respectfully submit these comments on the Environmental Protection Agency’s…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Girlbossing the discourse with Emma Camp
In this week’s episode we cover the controversy at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, myths of the auto industry, and a…
Letters
CEI Joins AEA in Request to Align IRS Clean Energy Guidance with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s Sunset of Wind and Solar Subsidies
Re: Request for Revision of IRS Notices related to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act Dear Secretary Bessent, We respectfully request that the Internal Revenue…
Letters
Request for Revision of IRS Notices to Align with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and Executive Order 14315
Re: Request for Revision of IRS Notices related to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act Dear Secretary Bessent, We respectfully request that the Internal Revenue…