Blog
The week in regulations: Steel tariff inclusions and policies for arresting journalists
The 2025 edition of Wayne Crews’s Ten Thousand Commandments is out now. The economy shrank 0.3 percent in the first quarter of…
Blog
CEI primer on agency adjudication
Agency adjudication is the process by which administrative agencies resolve legal disputes that implicate regulatory policies. Agencies render decisions through in-house tribunals commonly known…
Blog
CEI’s The Surge: California waivers, IRIS, and more
If you are interested in analysis and perspective on current energy and environmental issues, then we encourage you to subscribe to this new publication…
News Release
April adds 177,000 jobs to economy, tariff policies yet to majorly shakeup labor market: CEI analysis
The job numbers for April show 177,000 jobs were added to the economy, with the unemployment rate staying steady at 4.2 percent. While job…
Blog
CEI suggests DOT put the brakes on train two-person crew rule
The Transportation Department recently asked the public for comments on how to reduce the regulatory burden. One thought that the Competitive Enterprise Institute…
News Release
House moves to stop California ban on gas-powered cars: CEI statement
The House today overwhelmingly passed a resolution rejecting a Biden-era EPA waiver allowing California to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035.
Comment
CEI’s Comments to the Department of Transportation on Ensuring Lawful Regulation
Dear Mr. Cohen: The Department of Transportation’s above-captioned request for information seeks “public comment on how best to ensure lawful regulation and to…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Waste, fraud, and tax hikes with Emily Ekins
In this week’s episode we cover workplace injuries, MAGA antitrust in theory and practice, portable benefits for gig workers, and…
CNN
America’s economy may actually be even weaker than it appears
CNN cited CEI’s expert on the financial state of the economy “People are stockpiling now. That’s helping the economy now — and…
Comment
Competitive Enterprise Institute Letter in Support of DOT Request to Reduce Regulatory Burden
On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), I respectfully submit the following comments in response to the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) request for…
Yahoo Finance
Trump decries ‘Biden’s Stock Market’ after capping worst 100-day market performance in decades
Yahoo Finance cited CEI’s expert on the newest GDP report The Competitive Enterprise Institute, a free-market-focused think tank in Washington, D.C., was one…
Letters
CEI joins ATR in a Call for Repealing Green New Deal Subsidies in Reconciliation
We, the undersigned organizations, are writing in support of repealing the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) green new deal subsidies to pay for tax cuts…
Blog
Congress can end California’s EV mandates
This week, the House is expected to vote on three important Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolutions of disapproval that would repeal California waivers…
Blog
That didn’t take long: Tariffs shrink economy in just two months
The US is halfway to a self-imposed recession, and tariffs are to blame. A healthy economy started shrinking even before President Trump’s Rose…
The Washington Post
House GOP proposes removing antitrust authority from FTC
The Washington Post cited CEI’s expert on antitrust “Consolidating antitrust enforcement at one agency would give businesses more certainty on the rules of…
Newsweek
US Industrial Output To Be Worst Hit Globally by Trump Tariffs
Newsweek cited CEI’s expert on tariffs Ryan Young, senior economist at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, previously told Newsweek: “Tariff-related shipping slowdowns will cause a…
News Release
Economy shrinks following Trump tariffs: CEI analysis
America’s GDP shrank during the first quarter of 2025 following President Trump’s spate of trade tariffs imposed on various countries in his first…
The Economic Standard
Rebecca Minkoff’s Success: A Testament to the Importance of Personal Credit
Nobody likes paying interest on a credit card bill. It may seem like an easy out to just have Congress forbid it. But what…
News Release
Pumping the brakes on permitting reform in Michigan: CEI report
Today, the Competitive Enterprise Institute released a new report on Michigan’s recent history of environmental permitting policies. “Michigan has undergone several attempts…
Study
Pumping the Brakes on Reform
This report examines Michigan’s recent permitting reforms, highlighting how some productive efforts to enhance accountability and efficiency have largely stalled. While the state took…
Blog
Time to shut down IRIS—for good
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is reportedly preparing to eliminate its Office of Research and Development, which houses the controversial Integrated Risk Information…
News Release
Ondray Harris joins CEI as General Counsel
The Competitive Enterprise Institute is pleased to announce that attorney Ondray Harris is CEI’s new General Counsel. Harris joins CEI from law firm Gordon…
Fox News
Trump’s executive order surge: The unprecedented use of presidential authority
Fox News cited CEI’s expert on federal government power Trump’s approach signals that power has been diverted away from Congress and that the …
Politico
Playbook: 100 days of magnitude
Politico cited CEI’s new General Counsel FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Ondray Harris is now general counsel at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. He previously was counsel…
Blog
Commencing deconstruction of the administrative state – Trump’s next 100 days
Federal regulation costs trillions of dollars each year. Call it the “costberg”—a vast, submerged amalgam of rules, guidance, and paperwork reshaping the economy without…
Washington Examiner
Trump 100-day report card: Tariff rollout ‘the biggest unforced error in American economic history’
The Washington Examiner cited CEI’s expert on tariffs In an interview with the Washington Examiner, Ryan Young, a senior economist at the Competitive…
Blog
The week in regulations: Taconite plans and ante-mortem horse inspections
Markets went down when President Trump threatened to fire Fed chair Jerome Powell and went up when he backed off. Agencies issued new regulations…
Bloomberg Law
Trump’s Plan to Control More Civil Servants Disrupts Opposition
Bloomberg Law cites CEI’s Devin Watkins on Trump’s civil service overhaul. Trump’s civil service overhaul could still be challenged in court once the…
Letters
CEI joins Institute for Energy Research to address EPA errors
Dear Administrator Zeldin: We applaud your efforts to reform the Environmental Protection Agency through the Powering the Great American Comeback initiative. In his…
930AM The Answer
Federal regulations cost average American household $16,000 a year, group finds
930AM The Answer cited CEI’s Ten Thousand Commandments report The nonpartisan Competitive Enterprise Institute released its annual Ten Thousand Commandments report Thursday. It shows…
Issues & Insights
Can Trump Kill This $2.2 Trillion Regulatory Beast?
Issues and Insights quoted CEI’s Ten Thousand Commandments report But that barely scratches the surface. Thursday, the Competitive Enterprise Institute released its annual …
NewsMax
Study: Biden’s ‘Hidden’ Tax on Households Hit $16K in 2024
NewsMax quoted CEI’s expert on Ten Thousand Commandments report Federal regulations imposed by the Biden administration reached costs of $2.16 trillion in 2024,…
Blog
Ten Thousand Commandments 2025 is out now
The 2025 edition of CEI’s flagship report, Ten Thousand Commandments, is out today. For more than 30 years, my colleague Wayne Crews has…
The Washington Times
Federal red ink now costs businesses more than $2.1 trillion per year, report says
The Washington Times quoted CEI’s expert on 10kc report “Congress should be held accountable for such large regulatory actions,” wrote Clyde Wayne Crews…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Reforming Washington’s 10,000 Commandments with Wayne Crews
In this week’s episode we cover the political roots of totalitarianism, why we should put Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac out…
Daily Caller
Cost Of Regulatory Burdens Reached Staggering Levels In 2024, Report Says
Daily Caller cited CEI’s expert on Ten Thousand Commandments report Federal regulations added an estimated total cost of a whopping $2.155 trillion for…
The National News Desk
Biden leaves behind $16,000 hidden tax for everyone
The National News Desk quoted CEI’s expert on Ten Thousand Commandments report That according to a new report released Thursday from…
News Release
“Ten Thousand Commandments” report on federal regulatory burdens identifies problems, reforms
The Competitive Enterprise Institute today released its annual Ten Thousand Commandments report on the cost burden of federal regulations, revealing a cost exceeding $2…
Products
Chapter 11: 2025 Unconstitutionality Index: 19 rules for every law 78
Article I of the Constitution notwithstanding, administrative agencies, not Congress, do most of America’s lawmaking. Congress enacts weighty legislation but delegates the details to agencies.
Products
Chapter 4: Regulatory dark matter
Although executive actions are typically supposed to deal with the internal operations of the federal government, they increasingly can have binding effect and influence private…
Products
Chapter 3: Numbers of rules and page counts in the Federal Register
The Federal Register is the daily repository of all proposed and final federal rules and regulations. Although its page counts are often cited as a…
Products
Chapter 2: Why we need a regulatory budget
The federal government publicly discloses its fiscal costs. It does not disclose most of its regulatory costs. Federal spending programs are funded either by taxes…
Products
Chapter 7:Unified Agenda of regulatory actions
Along with the Report to Congress, Federal Register, and Code of Federal Regulations, another vehicle for regulatory disclosure is the spring and fall editions of…
Products
Chapter 12: An agenda for rightsizing Washington
Rule counts regularly topped 4,000 in the 1990s. That is the wrong comparison for Biden-era lower rule counts. Those fewer rules have higher costs, are…
Products
Chapter 5: Well over 20,000 agency public notices annually
Presidents issue a few dozen memoranda and other proclamations each year. Departments and agencies issue thousands. These include guidance documents, notices, memoranda, letters, bulletins, action…
Products
Chapter 6: A note on rule reviews at OMB
OMB’s Biden-era shift to regulatory advocacy, particularly since the Circular A-4 rewrite, diminishes what can be gleaned from EO 12866 rule reviews. Nonetheless, like pages…
Products
Chapter 1: Biden’s whole-of-government push
Let’s be clear, Kamala and I came into office determined to transform how the economy works—change the way it literally functions. —Joe Biden, September 23,…
Products
Chapter 8: Federal regulations affecting small business
The aforementioned National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) report found that average annual per-employee regulatory costs to firms vary by firm size. The smaller the firm,…
Products
Chapter 10: GAO database on rules and major rules
The federal government’s regulatory reports and databases serve different purposes. The Federal Register presents all proposed and final rules, along with numerous presidential documents and…
Products
Chapter 9: Federal rules affecting state and local governments
State and local officials’ concerns over federal mandates’ overriding their own priorities resulted in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) of 1995. It requires Congressional…
Study
Ten Thousand Commandments 2025
Introduction Record federal debt is contributing to record-setting regulatory burdens. While new spending programs show up in budget figures, new regulations requiring the private…
Blog
Otherwise Objectionable episode 6: ‘The Rest of the World’
The sixth episode of Otherwise Objectionable, the narrative-driven podcast that tells the true story of Section 230 of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, focuses…
Blog
Earth Day is broken—only private conservation can fix it
With this week’s 2025 Earth Day came the usual media and progressive lawmaker fanfare lauding government programs and regulatory solutions to environmental concerns.
Comment
CEI Comments on Waters of the United States (WOTUS)
Dear Ms. Jensen and Mr. Boyd: I appreciate this opportunity to provide comments on the notice “Implementation of the Definition of Waters of…
Blog
How valuable will anonymous comments be to the Ferguson FTC?
Comments to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for its “Inquiry on Tech Censorship” are due next month on May 21, 2025, and the public…
Wall Street Journal
“FTC Sues Uber, Alleging Deceptive Billing, Cancellation Practices”
The Wall Street Journal reports on the FTC’s lawsuit against Uber.
News Release
Escalating trade war with China won’t fix the need for reform: CEI analysis
On Monday, China vowed to retaliate against nations that corporate with President Trump’s tariffs against Beijing, putting potential trade deals between the US and…
Blog
Regulators right to approve Capital One/Discover merger
On Friday, federal financial regulators made the right decision in approving the merger of Capital One and Discover. In their joint approvals of the…
Blog
Don’t let the next crisis grow the government—again
“Now, I’m going to sign this, and it’s a great honor — $6.2 trillion. I’ve never signed anything with a…
Forbes
Trump Reforms Die Without An Abuse-Of-Crisis Prevention Act
Amid frustrations with interventionist elements of the Trump agenda—such as tariffs and revived antitrust zeal—many have nevertheless been encouraged by the…
Blog
The week in regulations: Wildfire appraisals and portable spas
President Trump and El Salvador president Nayib Bukele confirmed that they would continue to imprison people without due process. Agencies issued new regulations ranging…
Blog
Trump’s tariffs: Look for the union label
One of the biggest boosters of President Trump’s tariffs has been the United Auto Workers (UAW). The venerable union wants to see domestic factories…
Truth on the Market
“The FTC’s Zombie Antitrust Action Against Meta Continues to Lurch Forward”
Dan Gilman with International Center for Law & Economics discusses various aspects of the FTC’s case against Meta.
Reason
“The Trump Administration Wages War on Meta”
Reason’s Jack Nicastro details the facts in the FTC’s antitrust case against Meta.
News Release
Decision in Google antitrust case a major blow for online competitiveness: CEI analysis
On Thursday, a federal court ruled that Google violated antitrust law by maintaining a monopoly over online advertising. CEI experts caution about the precedent…
Washington Examiner
FTC’s antitrust crusade against Meta contradicts key parts of the Trump agenda
We’re all about to find out if it’s the White House or what’s left of the administrative state that’s calling the shots…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Economic ideas for American workers with Ryan Young
In this week’s episode we cover teaching with AI, clearing the way for new nuclear development, and eliminating soda and…
The National News Desk
Federal Reserve chair sees growing risk of stagflation as Trump pushes rate cuts
The National News Desk quoted CEI’s expert on tariffs. “It’s a realistic fear,” said Ryan Young, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise…
Wall Street Journal
Zero Is the Magic Number for Cutting Red Tape
One of President Trump’s executive orders could transform how the federal government reviews and manages energy regulations that rule and constrain our…
Blog
President Trump’s three new energy executive orders: A quick overview
On April 8, President Trump signed three new executive orders (EOs) that address the United States’s energy sector. The key themes of the…
Real Clear Politics
“FTC v. Meta Is All About Politics, Not Antitrust Law”
Yael Ossowski with the Consumer Choice Center argues that the FTC’s antitrust case against Meta is about sticking it to “big tech,” not helping…
Truth on the Market
“Network Effects in FTC v Meta”
Brian Albrecht with the International Center for Law & Economics explains how the FTC’s case against Meta misunderstands how network effects interact with competition…
Letters
CEI joins ATR to Protect Taxpayers Wallets
Dear Members of Congress, Taxpayer dollars should benefit Americans, not subsidize organized labor. Under current law, federal employees can continue to earn their…
News Release
A US/UK trade deal faces barriers: CEI analysis
Amidst the ongoing tariff drama, Vice President J.D. Vance said this week that the United States and the United Kingdom could strike a…
Blog
Otherwise Objectionable episode 5: ‘Blowback, and the Dust Settles’
The fifth episode of Otherwise Objectionable, the narrative-driven podcast that tells the true story of Section 230 of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, recounts how…
Wall Street Journal
“Inside Mark Zuckerberg’s Failed Negotiations to End Antitrust Case”
The Wall Street Journal reports on the FTC’s attempt to garner billions of dollars from Meta to settle antitrust suit.
Blog
Trump is right to target showerheads, but he’ll need Congress to finish the job
President Trump is taking another pro-consumer step, this time on showerheads. His April 9th executive order, Maintaining Acceptable Water Pressure in Showerheads, reinstates…
Citation
Happy Hour May No Longer Be So Happy
The American Spectator cited CEI’s expert tariffs Economists aren’t surprised that the alcohol industry is talking about price hikes. “Tariffs are…
Blog
The executive order that could kill trillion-dollar bailouts
The federal government doesn’t just spend—it also regulates through spending. That’s one reason crises so often inflate Washington’s role in American life. But as…
Wall Street Journal
“Is Lina Khan Back at the FTC?”
The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board ponders whether FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson’s stance as an antitrust regulator is much different than his predecessor.
Blog
Definitely maybe tariff relief on electronics
Smartphone and laptop buyers got some good news over the weekend with a lower tariff on Chinese-made electronics, at least for now. The…
Letters
CEI joins Coalition for Innovative Laboratory Test, FDA’s laboratory developed tests rule
Re: Court vacating FDA’s final rule on LDT regulation, Executive Order 14219, Executive Order “Reducing Anti-Competitive Regulatory Barriers”, & FDA Regulation of Laboratory Developed…
Blog
The week in regulations: Pool ladders and helicopters
President Trump paused his Liberation Day tariffs after financial markets crashed. Even with the pause, America’s tariffs are still among the world’s highest. Agencies…
Blog
Congress needs to repeal the Biden EPA and California attack on gas-powered cars
The attack on gas-powered vehicles exists on multiple fronts, including through federal and state regulation.Regarding federal regulation, much of the attention has been focused…
Blog
Paul Atkins is an excellent choice to lead the SEC
On Wednesday, the Senate confirmed Paul S. Atkins to serve as chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). As I have stated…
Blog
What happened to never-needed regulations
CEI led a never-needed campaign during the COVID-19 pandemic. The idea was simple: if a regulation was causing harm in good times, it was…
News Release
Senate votes to repeal Biden rule against water heaters
Today the U.S. Senate voted on a joint resolution to repeal a Biden-era Energy Department rule imposing unwarranted energy efficiency restrictions on consumer…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Trade myths (and facts) with Prof. Michael Coon
In this week’s episode we cover smartphones for kids, insomnia and anxiety in pre-industrial times, and a blueprint for modernizing…
News Release
Competitive Enterprise Institute documentary selected for Anthem Libertarian Film Festival, begins streaming on SalemNow May 7
Today, the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) is proud to announce the release of a special documentary project, Dear Mr. President: The Letters of…
News Release
President Trump announces Executive Orders aimed at slashing overregulation within federal agencies: CEI analysis
On Wednesday, President Trump announced several Executive Orders aimed at slashing overregulation in federal agencies through sunsetting and repealing outdated or unnecessary rules. The…
Cato Institute
The Fate of ‘Never Needed’ Regulations
Parking lots and parking garages have served for decades as venues for clandestine meetings in the movies and often in reality. In the early…
News Release
Inflation decreases in March, tariff turmoil yet to have an effect: CEI analysis
The Consumer Price Index for March shows a 0.1 percent decrease across all sectors, deviating from previous months. CEI senior economist Ryan…
News Release
House poised to end Biden-era CFPB overdraft rule: CEI statement
The House is expected today to vote on a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution overturning a Biden era Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule to…
Blog
Why government reform may hinge on ending federal unions
President Trump’s executive order ending collective bargaining for a wide swath of federal cabinet agencies and other government entities is a laudable…
Letters
CEI joins National Taxpayers Union coalition letter in support of H.R. 640 and S. 615, Chemical Tax Repeal Act of 2025
Dear Chairman Smith, Ranking Member , Chairman Guthrie, Ranking Member Pallone, Chairman Crapo, Ranking Member Wyden, Chairman Capito, Ranking Member Whitehouse, and Members of…
News Release
Trump’s 90-day tariff pause is a welcome decision, but market uncertainty still looms: CEI analysis
On Wednesday, President Trump announced a pause on most of his “Liberation Day” tariffs. CEI senior economist Ryan Young says the president has…
Issues & Insights
Reviving Community Banking By Lifting Barriers To New Banks
Americans have far fewer banks to choose from than they once did. The American banking industry has consolidated, with the number of U.S. banks…
Blog
Otherwise Objectionable episode 4: ‘The Solution’
The fourth episode of Otherwise Objectionable, the narrative-driven podcast that tells the true story of Section 230 of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, picks…
Blog
Senate should support S.J.Res.4 repealing Biden’s anti-consumer water heater regulation
The Biden administration gave us far too many anti-consumer appliance regulations, and some of the worst were ones supported by manufacturers angling to create…
Blog
CEI celebrates agency giving up power
Even if it becomes commonplace, we should pause in wonderment whenever an agency repeals its own regulations and relinquishes power, whether voluntarily or not.