Study
A Free Market Solution for Drug Distribution
Executive summary This paper describes and explains the function of Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) in the American health care economy. PBMs are private businesses that…
Blog
The SEC’s anti-competitive assault against private fund advisers
The Securities and Exchange Commission is adopting new rules that radically redefine how investment companies are regulated, undercutting the ability of private fund advisers to…
Blog
Biden admin blocks oil and gas leases in Alaska, hurting Alaskans and all Americans
The Biden administration took two aggressive steps in its war on energy last week. The US Department of the Interior (DOI) announced the cancellation…
News Release
DOJ Antitrust Lawsuit Against Google Would Protect Competing Search Engines, Not Consumers
This week, the trial resulting from the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) antitrust lawsuit against Google parent company Alphabet begins in a Washington, DC courtroom.
News Release
CEI Supports House Bill to Preserve Motor Vehicle Choices for Americans
The House of Representatives is expected to hold a vote this week on H.R. 1435, the “Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act,” which would…
Blog
Under Biden, thousands of government guidance documents are becoming much harder to find
Laws passed by Congress get cataloged in the U.S. Code, while rules and regulations that incubate in the daily Federal Register land in the…
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: crash test dummies and potato promotion
Congress returned from its August recess. It was a four-day week for the Federal Register due to Labor Day, but the Federal Register still grew…
Forbes
Early Warning Signs Emerge For U.K.’s New Innovation Office
A recent Financial Times profile of the U.K.’s newest scientific innovation office has garnered attention, and rightly so. Modeled after the U.S.’s Defense…
Blog
Senate needs to block USDA slush fund in its minibus bill
The House agriculture appropriations bill, which was favorably reported out of the Appropriations Committee, includes language to help put a stop to what has…
Blog
The Powell Memo was good, actually
This week the Competitive Enterprise Institute published my study (co-written with my colleague Iain Murray) on the 50-plus year history of the…
Washington Examiner
“FTC Chairwoman Lina Khan Faces Ethics Complaint Over Alleged Bias Against Pharmacy Benefit Managers”
Cami Mondeaux from the Washington Examiner reports on a potential ethics violation by FTC Chair Lina Khan over the agency’s actions against Pharmacy Benefit Managers…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: freedom and conservatism with Avik Roy
In this week’s episode we talk about the future of nuclear power, the possible end of remote work, and the complexities of…
Blog
If you thought being on the road this past Labor Day weekend was unusually expensive, then you would be right
This August, according to Energy Information Administration (EIA) data going back to 1991, regular retail gasoline prices reached $3.84 per gallon. This marked the…
Real Clear Markets
“The FTC’s New Merger Guidelines Attack Freedom and the Economy”
Charles Sauer, president of the Market Institute, argues that the draft merger guidelines run contrary to a thriving free market.
Forbes
Once-Promising Guidance Document Disclosures Are Stagnating Under Biden: Inventory and Observations
Laws passed by Congress are archived by subject matter in the U.S. Code. The rules and regulations that incubate in the daily Federal…
Wall Street Journal
“Biden FTC’s Antitrust Bark Proves Worse Than Its Bite”
David Wainer from the Wall Street Journal discusses the FTC’s recent settlement in Amgen’s acquisition of Horizon Therapeutics.
Real Clear Markets
“Lina Khan Exhibits Impressive Hypocrisy Even by D.C. Standards”
Norm Singleton from the Market Institute addresses FTC Chair Lina Khan’s resistance to congressional oversight.
Fox News
Snapchat expands into AI with ‘Dreams’ tool: Tech frontiers ‘are messy places,’ expert warns
CEI’s Jessica Melugin is cited on Fox News about the AI Dream Tool: “We’ll see if people think this is super fun and great…
Blog
Politicians take too much credit for good news
Over Labor Day weekend, Inside Sources syndicated an op-ed of mine arguing that politicians do not deserve credit for the economy’s post-COVID recovery. They…
News Release
Leftwing conspiracy theories about 1971 “Powell memo” debunked in new CEI report
A new Competitive Enterprise Institute report debunks a leftwing conspiracy theory that free market interests seek a “corporate domination of America” (as Greenpeace put…
Study
Threats Then and Threats Now
Executive summary In 1971 Lewis Powell, a prominent Republican lawyer who would go on to serve on the Supreme Court, wrote a memo warning about…
Center for Growth and Opportunity
What Does the New FTC Policy Statement Mean for Antitrust?
Dr. Ted Bolema provides an analysis of the FTC’s 2022 Policy Statement in a new paper for the Center for Growth and Opportunity at Utah…
Real Clear Markets
“Celebrate This Labor Day, and Thank a Techie”
Paul Steidler from the Lexington Institute discusses the FTC’s growing interest in regulating labor and employment issues.
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: dairy donations and kiosk interpretations
The 2023 Federal Register topped 60,000 pages. Price controls are on the way for 10 common prescription drugs. Hurricane Idalia hit Florida. Culture warriors shouted…
DC Journal
Point: This Labor Day, Don’t Let Pols Take Credit for Economy
Workers have much to celebrate this Labor Day. Unemployment is near its lowest level since the 1960s, and real wages are growing again. Post-pandemic inflation…
The Regulatory Review
Modernizing the “Value of a Statistical Life”
The Biden Administration’s “modernizing regulatory review” initiative offers a rare chance to correct historical mistakes in the federal regulatory framework. Central to this effort…
Fox News
This Labor Day, let’s get real about how things have gotten better for workers in the USA
The nature of employment has changed in the last decade more than many people might realize. More of us work from home. More of us…
The Hill
My job, my choice: The National Labor Relations Act does not require unionization
It’s been just shy of a century since the National Labor Relations Act was signed into law, guaranteeing workers nationwide the right to bargain collectively.
Blog
An invitation for union organizers to cheat in elections
The National Labor Relations Board has issued a new rule for union organizing elections that says the election will go ahead even when there…
Citation
AUDIO: Ryan Young Joins the Bob Harden Show
Senior Economist Ryan Young joined the Bob Harden Show to discuss the current state of our economy: Ryan-Young-September-1Download…
News Release
187,000 jobs added in August 2023, with more people trying to get back to work: CEI analysis
The U.S. economy added 187,000 jobs in August 2023, and the unemployment rate rose to 3.8 percent, according to data released Friday by the…
Washington Times
The rise of ‘old’ politicians likely to continue
Forbes
White House Environmental Regulation Undermines Permitting Progress
In late July, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) dropped a regulatory bomb that threatens to blow up infrastructure permitting reform. The proposal,…
DC Journal
“Keep the FTC from Aiding and Abetting China”
Paul Steidler with the Lexington Institute contends that the FTC’s targeting of American tech companies may benefit China in the race for technological supremacy.
ProMarket
“The Draft Merger Guidelines Abandon the Persuasiveness of their Predecessors”
Bilal Sayyed from TechFreedom argues that Draft Merger Guidelines are more of an advocacy document than an effective tool.
Blog
Climate policy deserves thoughtful discourse, not petty attacks: a response to Paul Krugman
Just because someone doesn’t support an extreme climate policy agenda, like the Inflation Reduction Act, doesn’t mean that they deny climate change is occurring. Science…
Blog
Biden administration working overtime to regulate working overtime
The Biden administration issued a new rule this week that vastly expands of the number of workers covered by federal overtime rules. While some…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Defend your points and miles with Bryan Bashur
In this week’s episode we talk about where our doctors come from in the US, what current inflation numbers tell us about…
Blog
Why Congress needs to care about Biden’s ‘Circular A-4’ subterfuge
Proposed changes in the American government’s executive regulatory functions showcase a conflict of visions over separation of powers; over executive overreach; over the size and…
News Release
EPA, Corps release WOTUS rule amendments, offer no opportunity for public comments
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) released amendments today to their January “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rule. …
News Release
Grayscale Decision Curtails “Arbitrary and Capricious” SEC and Enhances Investor Options
Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit unanimously ruled in Grayscale Investments v. SEC that the Securities and Exchange Commission’s denial…
Daily Caller
EPA Revises Expansive Water Regulation To Comply With SCOTUS But Doesn’t Allow Public Comment
Daily Caller cites Daren Bakst on recent EPA regulations. “The entire process has been disgraceful starting with the agencies finalizing the January rule even though…
New York Post
Djokovic can compete in the US Open again — after Biden finally ended his unscientific travel ban
The US Open tennis tournament has begun in Queens, and one of the world’s best players will finally be allowed to compete again. Novak…
Washington Examiner
Resistance grows to Biden hiding costly, choking regulations
Washington Examiner cites Clyde Wayne Crews on costly regulations: Two proposed changes have been singled out by groups including the Competitive Enterprise Institute and former…
Crowdfund Insider
Competitive Enterprise Institute Financial Services Expert Comments on Bitcoin ETF Ruling: The SEC Should Heed the Words of the Court
CI received a comment from John Berlau, a Director of Finance Policy and Senior Fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) who said the…
Blog
Trump proposes 10 percent universal tariff
Everyone makes mistakes. It’s part of life. It’s not even necessarily a bad thing. If you’re the entrepreneurial type, mistakes are an opportunity to learn…
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: walnut marketing and railroad dispatchers
The number of new final regulations this year topped 2,000, ending the week at 2,007. Economically significant regulations may be a thing of the…
The Washington Examiner
10% tariff, 100% bad idea
Former President Donald Trump recently pledged to enact a universal 10% tariff on all imports if he regains the presidency. His…
Townhall
“The Biden Administration’s Antitrust Radicalism Reduces Consumer Satisfaction”
Vance Ginn from the Pelican Institute for Public Policy argues that antitrust overreach will ultimately harm consumers and competition.
Forbes
Congress Should Confront Significant Rules And Regulations Obscured By “Bidenomics”
This past week, the number of rules and regulations in the 2023 Federal Register crossed the 2,000 mark. At 59,438 pages today, the tally will top 60,000…
Capitalism Magazine
“What Innovations Will Be Lost Thanks to FTC’s Merger Meddling”
Dr. Kimberlee Josephson, associate professor at Lebanon Valley College and adjunct fellow with the Consumer Choice Center, discusses the flaws of the new merger guidelines.
Blog
S&P Global downplays its ESG ratings. Will rival ratings firms follow suit?
S&P Global, a premier financial data company, has recently put an end to its quantitative environmental, social, and governance (ESG) rankings. Rather than issue…
CBS Austin
Investors, economists hope to gain hints for what’s next as Federal Reserve meets
CBS Austin cites Senior Fellow Ryan Young on Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell’s speech: “Everyone’s gonna be interested in ‘what’s the Fed going to do…
Fox News
We need to avoid a ‘ready, fire, aim!’ approach to AI regulation
The panic to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) came almost immediately after last fall’s release of ChatGPT popularized the technology with the public. Some industry insiders…
Blog
Are you ready for Jacobin the board game?
One of the most beautiful things about capitalism is that, wherever there is demand, there will be supply. Even though dedicated Marxists make up a…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: The ESG Agenda with Jack McPherrin
In this week’s episode we talk about job recruiters who lie to applicants, post-Covid reforms to the CDC, debunking socialist takes…
“Sen. Cruz Blasts FTC for Colluding with EU to Target American Businesses”
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) sent letters to FTC Chair Lina Khan and the head of the EU’s San Francisco office to inquire about collusion between…
Truth on the Market
“Antitrust at the Agencies Roundup: The Cat’s Tuches of Summer Edition”
Daniel J. Gilman from the International Center for Law & Economics discusses the FTC’s upcoming Amazon case and advanced notice of proposed rulemaking on commercial…
Blog
EPA won’t rush ozone decision. Good. Now do the same for particulate matter.
On Monday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) put an end to the possibility that it would soon revise the existing ozone standards. This was…
Blog
‘Economically significant’ regulations: an obituary
I never thought I’d miss “economically significant” rules and regulations. But Joe Biden’s Executive Order 14094 (“Modernizing Regulatory Review”) has redefined “Significant regulatory action.”…
Blog
How regulations crush small businesses and the poor
Today, the Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship is holding a field hearing in Iowa on the topic of “One Size Does Not…
Testimony
The Disproportionate Burden of Federal Regulation on Small Businesses
Submission to the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship Hearing on “One Size Does Not Fit All: Understanding the Importance of Rightsizing Regulations…
New York Post
Don’t believe doomsayers — new COVID outbreak is mild, and masks don’t help
COVID-19 cases are expected to rise this fall as new variants become more prevalent. And, as unfortunately expected, it’s already triggered demands by…
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: baby bumpers and AI campaign ads
A wildfire in Hawaii killed more than 100 people. Donald Trump was indicted again. Meanwhile, agencies issued new regulations ranging from magnificent ramshorns to pasteurized…
National Review
How to Help Discouraged Working-Age Men
More blue-collar American men aged 25–54 than ever are no longer employed and seeking work. That sad trend started in the late 1960s, coinciding…
Forbes
Beware: The Biden Administration Refers To “Economically Significant” Regulations In The Past Tense
The past few days have brought renewed attention to Biden’s Executive Order 14,094 on “Modernizing…
Reason
“The Biden Administration’s Antitrust Changes Would Be Great for Bureaucrats—and Bad for Consumers”
Veronique De Rugy from the Mercatus Center discusses the new merger guidelines and the negative effects they would have for consumers.
City Journal
“Failing Upward”
Corbin Barthold from TechFreedom points out that FTC Chair Lina Khan’s actions have become more bolden, despite her losing record.
Law and Liberty
The Moral Foundations of Freedom Conservatism
The Freedom Conservatism Statement of Principles, which several of us launched in July, is a simple restatement of the principles that have…
American Banker
Reach out to employees before unionizing becomes an issue
With labor making a bid to unionize the financial services sector, management should proceed with the utmost delicacy. The National Labor Relations Act is almost…
National Review
“The Feds’ ChatGPT Probe Threatens Free Speech”
Christopher Koopman and Neil Chilson from the Center for Growth and Opportunity explain how the FTC’s new investigation into OpenAI raises constitutional concerns.
Truth on the Market
“Competition Increases Concentration”
Brian Albrecht from the International Center for Law & Economics argues that the new merger guidelines ignore economic evidence from the past 20 years.
Blog
Free the Economy Episode 34: Permitting Prosperity with Daren Bakst
In this weeks episode we talk about labor union history, demands for a 4-day work week, YIMBY policy wins, and Reason’s…
Washington Examiner
Industry groups fear new Biden regulatory changes could hobble growth
Washington Examiner cites CEI’s Clyde Wayne Crews economic growth hindrance: Even under the current $100 million threshold, the Biden administration has released a torrent…
Blog
America’s insurance commissioners still pursuing bad investment charges that EU is scrapping
Last month, a significant development took place in Europe that so far has not been widely reported in the US, even though it will likely…
Blog
How the Inflation Reduction Act takes aim at gas stoves
The American people have reacted very negatively to potential federal regulations targeting natural gas stoves in favor of electric versions. But beyond regulations, there…
Blog
Inflation Reduction Act turns one, and wow that’s an ugly baby
As President Joe Biden celebrates the one-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act (here’s the White House “Fact Sheet“) we…
News Release
CEI leads coalition urging Congress to dismantle the environmental subsidies in the Inflation Reduction Act
The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), joined by more than 40 representatives of free-market oriented and conservative groups, sent a letter to Congress today calling…
Fox News
On Inflation Reduction Act anniversary, energy groups demand end to ‘Green New Deal-type policies’
Fox News cites CEI’s Daren Bakst on the Inflation Reduction Act:The letter to Congress, led by the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), argued that “cronyism” and…
Letters
Dismantling the Inflation Reduction Act green Subsidies Coalition Letter
August 16, 2023Dear Members of Congress:On the first anniversary of enactment of the so-called Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the undersigned organizations strongly urge you to…
DC Journal
Railway Safety Act Will Drive Up Prices Without Adding Safety, Critics Say
DC Journal cites CEI’s Iain Murry on the Railway Safety Act: Competitive Enterprise Institute’s vice president for strategy and senior fellow, Iain Murray, agreed, arguing…
Fox News
New report reveals how CDC can be ready for the next pandemic
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a new director, Dr. Mandy Cohen. Her predecessor, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, acknowledged CDC was…
Wall Street Journal
Regulators Gone Wild
Wall Street Journal cites CEI’s Clyde Wayne Crews on overabundance of regulation: According to the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Clyde Wayne Crews, the Biden Administration has 297…
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: ice fog and pre-merger paperwork
Inflation more or less held steady. The FTC is reportedly getting ready to file an antitrust suit against Amazon. The Federal Register had…
Blog
Don’t regulate AI. Defund it.
Just yesterday, Smart Home speakers were infuriating us with their confused and stubborn responses to simple questions. These days, the ascent of something closer to…
Washington Times
“Targeting Amazon: ‘Bidenomics’ at Work at the FTC”
Scott Brown, former U.S. Senator and ambassador, discusses the FTC’s anticipated antitrust suit against Amazon.
Citation
Dr. Joel Zinberg discusses his report on refocusing and reforming the CDC after COVID-19 on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal
CEI Senior Fellow Joel Zinberg joined Washington Journal on August 11, 2023 to discuss new study from CEI and Paragon Health Institute which found…
Blog
America receives first debt downgrade in 12 years as history repeats itself
Fitch Ratings, a credit reporting agency, recently issued a foreboding outlook on America’s credit health. For the first time in 12 years, the United States…
Fox News
Biden turns the lights out on yet another one of your home’s essentials
Don’t expect to see incandescent light bulbs for sale anymore. They are now an illegal product thanks to a Biden administration regulation, and…
Wall Street Journal
Biden Knocks Opportunity Cost
The federal government is about to upend how regulations are imposed on businesses and citizens. The White House Office of Management and Budget is quietly…
Blog
Work, dignity, and the common good
Many on the right (especially self-described “national conservatives”) say that there is no “dignified work” for Americans today. What they mean by this is,…
Blog
Free the Economy Episode 33: Federal Trade Commission Failures with Kimberlee Josephson
In this week’s episode we talk about defending financial privacy, new polling on what Republican voters want, reactions to new employment…
News Release
Falling energy prices mask inflation, despite official numbers showing little change from June to July: CEI analysis
The Consumer Price Index ticked up slightly from June to July, but CEI Senior Economist Ryan Young explains why the true inflation problem was…
Bloomberg Law
“The FTC Doesn’t Have the Power to Issue Substantive Rules”
Professor Richard Pierce from George Washington University Law School explains that the FTC lacks the statutory authority to issue a ban on employee non-compete agreements.
Blog
CEI warns EPA: Biden Blackout Plan is unauthorized, harmful, and unrealistic
In West Virginia v. EPA, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan, which was the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA)…
USA Today
“If Biden’s FTC Breaks Up Bezos’ Company, Consumers Lose.
Yaël Ossowski from the Consumer Choice Center warns against Chair Lina Khan’s desire to break up Amazon.
DC Journal
“FTC Is Expanding Big-Is-Bad Philosophy to Food”
Trey Price from the American Consumer Institute highlights the FTC’s growing interest in regulating sugar and grocery store mergers.
News Release
Biden Labor Department offers new rule on “prevailing wages” that is less accurate
The Biden Labor Department today announced the issuance of the final rule making changes to Davis-Bacon Act labor regulations, ostensibly aimed at helping construction…
New York Times
Climate Is Now a Culture War Issue
Comment
CEI Comments on the EPA’s CO2 Powerplant Emission Performance Standards
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) proposed greenhouse gas (GHG) emission standards and guidelines for new and existing…