Blog
New CEI study: Zero-based regulations
A new CEI study by Alex Adams looks at a regulatory reform approach that succeeded in Idaho: zero-based regulation. The idea is similar to…
Study
The Beauty of Regulatory Sunsets
Introduction In 2019, Idaho pioneered zero-based regulation (ZBR), an orderly approach to statewide regulatory reform. Like zero-based budgeting, ZBR starts with the presumption that existing…
Blog
Courts reject states’ efforts to take over union law enforcement
A California court late last month struck down a law that would have allowed the Golden State to usurp the role of the National Labor…
Letters
CEI Joins ATR in Free-Market Coalition Urging Approval of Warner Bros. Discovery Acquisition
Dear Members of Congress, The proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. by an existing studio would provide great benefits to consumers. Regulators and legislators…
Comment
CEI Submits Comment to Properly Define Regulated Waters under the CWA
RE: Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2025-0322Dear Ms. Jensen and Mr. Boyd: On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, I appreciate this opportunity to provide comments on…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: China’s economy and the US with Derek Scissors
In this week’s episode we talk about corporate real estate investing, woke pension funds, changing fuel economy rules, and questions about…
Blog
The week in regulations: 2025 year-end special
Happy New Year, everyone. The final numbers for 2025’s regulations are in. The first half of this post summarizes those numbers and compares them with…
Citation
Minimum-wage hikes affecting hourly workers in 19 states
The Washington Times cited CEI’s expert on labor’s minimum wage Sean Higgins, an analyst at the libertarian Competitive Enterprise Institute, said U.S. workers earn…
Washington Examiner
Electricity grid reliability diminished by bad government policies
The purpose of the nation’s electricity grid that powers our homes and businesses is to provide reliable electricity. That’s hardly a radical concept. But tell…
Pacific Legal Foundation
Federalism 240 years after the Constitutional Convention: Federalist 32
Pacific Legal Foundation cited CEI on 10kc Federal regulatory accumulation has swarmed the states and localities with hundreds of requirements. Congress has delegated increasing…
Blog
Trump slashed rulemaking in 2025. The hard part starts in 2026
The new year, 2026, marks nearly the first full year of Donald Trump’s second administration. It’s a moment to assess whether regulatory liberalization has genuinely…
Blog
Let’s resolve to repeal Durbin’s debit card interchange price controls in 2026
One safe New Year’s political prediction is that the fight between retailers and financial institutions over so-called swipe fees will continue. The debate has raged…
The Sacramento Bee
POINT: Throwing parental rights on the barbie won’t fly in the United States
The world’s first social media ban of users under age 16 is now in effect in Australia. Whatever parents’ genuine concerns and understandable frustrations around…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Climate policy endangerment with Marlo Lewis
In this week’s episode we talk about tariff refunds, Affordable Care Act subsidies, Ryan Young’s Books of the Year for 2025,…
Blog
Possible Fed pick Warsh has government-backed crypto problem
Kevin Warsh, financial executive and former Federal Reserve governor, is now reportedly among the top contenders being considered to replace Jerome Powell as Fed chairman.
Blog
CEI’s The Surge: Clean Water Act reform, new CAFE standards, 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 and…
News Release
Third quarter 2025 GDP growth impressive despite tariff burden: CEI analysis
After a shutdown-related delay, the initial estimate for third quarter GDP is in – a strong 4.3 percent growth. That’s impressive in the midst of…
Blog
Best books of 2025: Johan Norberg’s Peak Human
Johan Norberg’s latest book, Peak Human, is a history of golden ages. After starting in Ancient Greece and then Rome, Norberg tours the Abbasid…
Blog
California and EU’s Climate Disclosure Policies Face Major Setbacks
As we close out 2025, corporate leaders in the US should breathe a sigh of regulatory relief. On top of the deregulatory spree that many…
Blog
Deregulation’s year-end illusion
As the year winds down, The Trump administration is congratulating itself on deregulation. In a White House statement and in what it described as an…
Comment
CEI Comments on the Proposed Rescission of the Blanket 4(d) Rule
Dear Mr. Tirpak, On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, I appreciate this opportunity to provide comments on the Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) proposed…
Citation
How Trump’s First Year Reshaped U.S. Energy and Climate Policy
The Daily Economy
Breakneck: Dan Wang Explores the Strange Symmetry of US and China
The title of Dan Wang’s book Breakneck focuses on the People’s Republic of China (PRC) specifically, but it is really about the self-conscious great-power rivalry…
Blog
The week in regulations: Neck floats and stablecoins
Unemployment went slightly up, and inflation went slightly down. President Trump gave a primetime speech, and earlier in the week commented on Rob Reiner and…
News Release
Rescheduling marijuana to a less restrictive category will benefit liberty and public health
President Trump signed an executive order today intended to fast track the rescheduling of cannabis from a Schedule I substance, the same as heroin,…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Consumer finance and privacy with James Erwin
In this week’s episode we talk about the decline of electric vehicles, liberation for home appliances, the failure of tariffs to…
Blog
Government shouldn’t engage in debanking or forced banking
December is turning into a month in which Congress and Trump administration financial regulators are attempting to tackle debanking – the closure of accounts or…
News Release
Inflation increased by 0.2 percent in November but year-over-year inflation remains above the Fed’s target
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) report for November showed a 0.2 percent increase in inflation across all sectors, lower than market expectations. But the…
News Release
CEI Study: Government laws against pharmacy ownership would increase costs, restrict access for consumers
Innovation is reshaping how Americans get their prescription medications. Whether picking up medications in person, ordering online, or getting same-day delivery from services like Capsule,…
Study
A Free Market is the Best Medicine
Introduction The pharmaceutical supply market is seeing extraordinarily high levels of innovation and consumer-benefiting evolution. The combination of a competitive market for generic drugs, rapid…
The Daily Economy
Keeping the Towers Open When Government Closes
On most days, America’s air traffic control system is invisible. The radar screens flicker, the controllers thread needles as planes approach and depart, and millions…
Blog
Everyone hates congestion pricing…until it is shown to save time, air, and sanity
New York City is famously referred to as “the city that never sleeps.” The hustle and bustle that makes New York City iconic makes it…
News Release
US economy added 64,000 jobs in November but underemployment and stagflation cause concern: CEI analysis
The US Labor Department released its report today on jobs added to the economy in November 2025, a modest gain. But underemployment and the…
Blog
Time to end the Christmas tree tax
Fun holiday fact: the federal government has a Christmas Tree Promotion Board. It works a bit like a trade association does in the private…
Blog
Trump’s AI order: Preempting the states without unleashing Washington
A new Trump executive order, “Ensuring a National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence,” pushes back on most state law and rulemaking affecting AI. Top…
Blog
CEI study says it’s time to unplug federal appliance regulations
Stoves, air conditioners, ceiling fans, water heaters, light fixtures, refrigerators, washing machines, furnaces, dishwashers, and more – nearly everything that plugs in or fires up…
News Release
Report: Government regulations on household appliances increase costs, worsen performance
A new Competitive Enterprise Institute report explains how needless government regulations have made everyday household appliances cost more and perform worse. “Appliance regulations have gotten…
Blog
The week in regulations: Fuel casks and water beads
The Federal Reserve cut interest rates. President Trump proposed $12 billion in giveaways to farmers harmed by his tariffs. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from…
Study
Free the Appliances!
Introduction The Department of Energy’s (DOE) appliance efficiency standards program has been in place for decades, subjecting nearly every major home appliance to multiple rounds…
News Release
AI Executive Order preempts state regulation, promotes US competitiveness: CEI analysis
President Trump on Dec. 11 signed an executive order to preempt states from regulating artificial intelligence and establishing a federal framework focused on child…
Blog
AGOA renewal should hold South Africa accountable
Free traders scored a victory in Congress this week when the House Ways and Means Committee passed the AGOA Extension Act. The legislation, sponsored…
Blog
Trump’s baby accounts: Wealth builder or redistribution trap?
A White House roundtable this week spotlighted Michael and Susan Dell’s $6.25 billion philanthropic contribution seeding newborn investment “Trump Accounts” beyond the federal…
Congressman Gabe Evans
Reps. Evans’, Gray’s bipartisan FIRE Act passes through E&C’s Environment Subcommittee.
Congressman Gabe Evans cited CEI’s expert on the CAA “Congress needs to take action to ensure that, codified within the CAA, states are not unfairly…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: The business of America with Neil Bradley
In this week’s episode we cover the economic effects of net-zero policies in blue states and Europe, top targets for environmental…
Blog
Debanking flows downhill from progressive policymakers
The US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), a leading federal financial regulator, has released preliminary findings from its review of debanking…
News Release
Fed cuts interest rates in December meeting: CEI analysis
The Federal Reserve today cut interest rates by 0.25 percentage points, a sign the board is wrangling with tradeoffs, say CEI economy experts. Ryan Young,…
Blog
CEI files amicus brief in SCOTUS case to protect homeowners from tax equity theft
On December 8, 2025, CEI filed an amicus brief in the case Michael Pung v. Isabella County, Michigan at the United States Supreme Court. This case…
Blog
What’s coming in 2026 for energy and environmental policy
There are many important energy and environmental developments in the works, both in the executive branch and in Congress. The following are two different lists.
Blog
Subcommittee to markup commonsense Clean Air Act bills
Tomorrow, the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Environment Subcommittee is scheduled to hold a markup of several Clean Air Act-related bills.NAAQS refers to the…
Blog
The Supreme Court should restore the president’s removal authority
This week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in one of the most consequential administrative law disputes of the century. Trump v. Slaughter…
Blog
A year end blessing: No net neutrality
As we approach the end of the year, it’s a natural time to reflect on what we’re grateful for. While many blessings come to mind,…
Legal Brief
Brief of Amici Curiae: Pung v. Isabella
In Pung v. Isabella County: CEI attorneys urged the U.S. Supreme Court to stop tax-foreclosure practices that strip homeowners of their equity, because they violate…
Blog
Two cheers for ending Humphrey’s Executor
Oral arguments in Trump v. Slaughter begin today. While debates over the legitimacy of presidential removal authority and the degree of Senate involvement…
Blog
The week in regulations: Cable television rates and estate sales
President Trump announced an easing of vehicle fuel economy standards. Netflix struck a deal to buy Warner Bros. and HBO. The Defense Secretary is in…
The Daily Wire
Australia’s Novel Social Media Ban For Kids Sparks Debate As Some Platforms Get A Free Pass
The Daily Wire cited CEI’s expert on kids safety online “We haven’t really seen a plan like this be put into action,” said Jessica Melugin,…
Letters
CEI Joins Center for Freedom and Prosperity to Highlight Urgent Need for Reform at the SEC
Dear President Trump: We are writing to highlight an important issue that directly impacts your administration’s efforts to democratize access to the alternative investments in…
Blog
Politics over pensions: An ESG report card for proxy voting
Unleashing Prosperity (UP) recently released a timely report, “Putting Politics Over Pensions: The 2025 Unleash Prosperity Report Card on Investment Fund Managers and Proxy…
News Release
Consumer price inflation accelerating, recent government report shows: CEI analysis
Today the federal government released inflation data on consumer prices dating back to the month of September (having been delayed due to the weeks-long government…
Comment
Supporting Clarification for Consumer Regulated Electricity: Reply Comments of Paige Lambermont
Reply Comments of Paige Lambermont of the Competitive Enterprise Institute I appreciate this opportunity to provide feedback on the Secretary of Energy’s advance notice of…
Civitas Outlook
In the Long Run, the Meta Case Is Dead
It’s official: Meta is not illegally monopolizing the “personal social networking” (PSN) market through its 2012 purchase of Instagram and 2014 purchase of WhatsApp. The…
Blog
Off the rails and behind the times: How FRA rules hinder automated track inspection
The railway system has long been the backbone of the American economy by connecting communities, supporting supply chains, and carrying passengers safely to their destinations.
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Balancing the budget with Kurt Couchman
In this week’s episode we talk about our 150th episode anniversary party, the documentary Dear Mr. President: The Letters of Julia…
Comment
Reply Comments of the Competitive Enterprise Institute in Support of Charter Communications, Inc. and Cox Communications, Inc.
The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) appreciates the opportunity to file reply comments on the application to transfer control of Cox Communications, Inc. (Cox) to Charter…
News Release
Transportation Department seeks to restore sanity to fuel economy standards: CEI analysis
The Trump administration is proposing new fuel economy standards for vehicles that would get rid of unwarranted and unrealistic requirements set during the Biden…
Blog
Politico’s failed critique of DOE’s climate science report – who’s misleading on hurricanes?
In September, Politico published an article titled “How a major DOE report hides the whole truth about climate change.” In October, I rebutted that…
Letters
CEI In Support of the SCORE Act and Opposition to the SAFE Act
Dear Speaker Johnson, We write today in support of H.R. 4312, the “Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act.” The SCORE Act…
The Washington Times
Record-high 203 million people shopped over Thanksgiving weekend, says National Retail Federation
The Washington Times cited CEI’s expert on The Federal Bureau of Economic Analysis “The good news is that inflation hasn’t deterred people that much,” said…
Blog
Stop the snapback: Congress can make small-business deregulation stick
This week, CEI sent a letter to Congress urging the House to pass Rep. Beth Van Duyne’s (R-TX) H.R. 2965, the Small Business…
News Release
CEI supports SCORE Act protecting college athletes’ right to profit
The Competitive Enterprise Institute endorses the Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act sponsored by Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), which would ensure…
Letters
CEI Letter of Support on the Small Business Regulatory Reduction Act
Members of Congress, We write to reiterate our strong support for Rep. Van Duyne’s (TX-24) Small Business Regulatory Reduction Act (SBRRA). Recent…
Blog
Court rejects New York bid to take over federal labor enforcement
An effort by the New York legislature to usurp the role of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the main federal labor law enforcement agency,…
News Release
Melugin: Preempting state-level AI regulation shouldn’t come at the expense of speech rights and parental responsibility
The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade will hold a hearing this morning on several bills related to technology,…
Comment
How EPA’s Regional Haze Overreach Undermines State Authority and Ignores Emissions Progress
I. Introduction The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) is a policy and research organization dedicated to advancing the principles of free markets and limited government.
Blog
The week in regulations: From postal possession to foreign atomic energy
It was a four-day week due to Thanksgiving. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from postage pricing to non-endangered woodpeckers. On to the data: Agencies issued…
DC Journal
Public Interest Requires the FCC to Abolish the News Distortion Standard
For decades, the Federal Communications Commission has invoked the public interest to regulate the speech of television and radio stations licensed by the agency. Television…
Law & Liberty
America’s Hidden Judiciary
Unbeknownst to most Americans, federal regulatory agencies have their own court system for adjudicating disputes that businesses and citizens have with regulators. These agencies rely…
The Daily Signal
The Woman Who Redeemed Chester Arthur
The new Netflix series “Death by Lightning” (based on the fantastic book, “Destiny of the Republic”) tells the true story of President James Garfield’s assassination in 1881 and…
Blog
What permitting reform should and shouldn’t include
Congress is working on bipartisan permitting reform. This is a good sign, but any such efforts need to ensure they deliver genuine permitting reform that…
The Dispatch
Antitrust Law Has Never Been Static
Last week a federal judge ruled that Meta was not an illegal monopoly, citing the changes in the social media landscape since the company bought…
Blog
Trade can aid wildlife recovery, latest global confab should admit
Yesterday was the first day of the 20th meeting of the Conference of Parties (CoP20) to The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of…
Blog
DOGE cancellation theatrics change nothing in the regulatory power game
“Trump administration officials have not openly said that DOGE no longer exists.” That admission came 10 paragraphs into a widely reported “exclusive” Reuters story claiming…
Blog
Interior secretary announces new pro-energy plan for offshore oil and gas
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum recently issued a Secretary order to replace the Biden administration’s 2024-2029 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program…
RealClear Markets
Freeing the U.S. Economy From Lina Khan and “Khanservatism”
RealClear Markets cited CEI’s expert on the FTC The FTC may have satisfied their duties under the Government Performance and Results Act. However, as …
Blog
New York, California make a play for federal labor law enforcement
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the main federal labor law enforcement agency, currently lacks a quorum to act. Ordinarily, that type of federal…
Blog
The week in regulations: Airport fees and pesticide fragrances
September’s jobs report came out after a shutdown-related delay. The FTC lost its antitrust case against Meta. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from postage pricing…
Blog
The Endangerment Finding’s disqualifying systemic biases, part 2
The previous post in this series documented the 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding’s reliance on overheated models and inflated emission scenarios to estimate…
News Release
New Interior Department plan to increase offshore lease sales will help lower prices, increase supply – CEI experts
Yesterday, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum issued a Secretary Order that would replace the Biden administration’s 2024–2029 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas…
Blog
CEI warns House committee of dangers of deposit insurance hike
Starting with our late founder and president Fred Smith, CEI has long warned of the risks posed by government-provided deposit insurance to the nation’s banks.
The Washington Times
Thanksgiving dinner prices fall for 3rd straight year as inflation cools
The Washington Times cited CEI’s expert on prices Ryan Young, a senior economist at the libertarian Competitive Enterprise Institute, said more families are opting for…
Comment
Coalition Comment on EPA’s Proposed HFC Technology Transitions Reconsideration Rule
Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2025-0005: Phasedown of Hydrofluorocarbons: Reconsideration of Certain Regulatory Requirements Promulgated Under the Technology Transitions Provisions of the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act…
The Washington Examiner
Coconut, citrus, and tea: Here’s what got tariff relief quietly over the weekend
The Washington Examiner cited CEI’s expert on tariffs Ryan Young, a senior economist at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, said the list of tariff rollbacks is…
RealClear History
Death by Lightning: Fact vs. Fiction
People may think the 2020s in America seem like strange times, but 1881 could give it a run for its money. A corrupt Vice President,…
Blog
Bank regulators repeal intrusive ESG guidance
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and Federal Reserve Board of Governors (Fed Board) withdrew their controversial interagency guidance on climate financial risks on…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Sesquicentennial celebration
In this week’s episode we celebrate the show’s sesquicentennial anniversary – that is, our 150th episode. We look back at the dozens of smart,…
News Release
US economy adds 119,000 jobs in September amid tariff turmoil
American employers added 119,000 jobs in September, the government reported today in the first jobs report since the weeks long federal government shutdown. CEI experts…
Blog
The Endangerment Finding’s disqualifying systemic biases, part 1
On August 1, 2025, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed to repeal its December 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding. In the Endangerment Finding,…
The National News Desk
Rollbacks on tariffs for food could bring shoppers some relief on prices
The National News Desk cited CEI’S expert on tariffs raising prices “The positive experience that consumers will see with price reductions on their food…
Blog
Camelot and misuse of the public interest
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr has used the Communications Act’s public interest obligation to pressure broadcast licensees. This includes threatening ABC over…
Blog
A tariff-funded UBI? Trump just gave progressives their blueprint
Donald Trump’s pitch for a $2,000 “tariff dividend” check to be issued sometime next year (during election season) is being marketed as a windfall…
Blog
Shutdown lesson: Depend less on DC
The record-length shutdown showed how dependent many Americans are on Washington. This is one of the biggest flaws in the ongoing nationalization of politics. In…