News Release
Unemployment news may signal difficult inflation fight: CEI analysis
The jobs report for July shows an addition of 114,000 jobs to the economy, pushing unemployment to 4.3 percent. A cooled off labor…
Arena
“The FTC Hates Your Data”
Judge Glock with the Manhattan Institute dispels the FTC’s claims of being the “nation’s privacy agency.”…
National Review
Biden-Harris CFTC Bets It Can Ban Election Wagering
If you’re following the ever-changing news about the 2024 election, you’re probably hearing a lot about odds: Betting odds on who will be the president,…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Paying for mass transit with Marc Scribner
In this week’s episode we cover California’s minimum wage for fast-food workers, overturning the FCC’s universal service fee, and pushing back…
News Release
Fed maintains interest rates while eyeing unemployment: CEI analysis
The Fed has decided to maintain interest rates while also turning its focus to unemployment, a move that CEI senior economist Ryan…
Blog
Jerome Powell risks the Fed’s gains against inflation
The big story from today’s Federal Reserve decision isn’t that interest rates are staying the same. It’s that the dual mandate is back.
Blog
The NLRB’s Orwellian ‘Fair Choice – Employee Final Voice Rule’
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the federal agency that oversees union elections, has a funny idea about what constitutes giving employees an honest…
Blog
America should emulate South Korea on nuclear energy
A South Korean company, Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power, just received a $17.3 billion dollar contract to construct two new nuclear power plants for the Czech…
Blog
EU’s Digital Markets Act: An obstruction to AI innovation?
European consumers are being left behind in the AI revolution due to tightened regulations. Apple’s decision to withhold its new AI features from the…
The Daily Signal
Biden Admin Regulations Cost US Households More Than $15,000 a Year, Report Says
The Daily Signal cited CEI on the Ten Thousand Commandments Households pay an average of $15,788 in hidden regulatory…
National Review
Where to Begin with Regulatory Reform
National Review cited CEI on 10 Thousand Commandments report utting federal regulations can feel a little bit like being a mosquito in a nudist…
Blog
2024 edition of Ten Thousand Commandments is out now
The federal government has a spending budget that the public can see. Every year Congress allocates a certain amount of money to each agency,…
The Daily Caller
$2.1 Trillion ‘Hidden Tax’: Cost Of Federal Regulations Hit Record High In 2023, Report Says
The Daily Caller cited CEI on Ten Thousand Commandments report Federal regulations added record-breaking costs of $2.1 trillion for the average American in…
Washington Examiner
Regulations cost families $15,000, Biden-Harris swamp plans more
Washington Examiner cited CEI on 10KC regulatory reform As bad as those costs seem, they are likely much higher because the administration…
News Release
‘Ten Thousand Commandments’ report on federal regulation exposes Washington’s big costs, little accountability
The Competitive Enterprise Institute today released its annual report on the federal regulatory state, Ten Thousand Commandments by Clyde Wayne Crews.
Products
Chapter 5: Regulatory dark matter: Executive orders and memoranda
Although executive actions ostensibly deal with the internal operations of the federal government, they increasingly can have binding effect and influence private behavior. Executive orders,…
Products
Chapter 6: More than 22,000 agency public notices annually
Along with the few dozen presidential memoranda and other proclamations are the thousands that issue from departments and agencies. Through various species of guidance documents,…
Products
Chapter 13: Needed: An agenda for rightsizing Washington
Rule counts regularly topped 4,000 in the 1990s. That is the wrong comparison for Biden’s lower rule counts. His fewer rules have higher costs, are…
Products
Chapter 4: The expanding Code of Federal Regulations
The page count in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)—where the Federal Register’s rules come to rest in small print in bound volumes of magenta,…
Products
Chapter 7: A note on rule reviews at OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Yesterday’s rule review, where the review authority sought to restrain government intervention and minimize costs, is different from today’s rule review. Now the would-be overseer…
Products
Chapter 12: The 2024 Unconstitutionality Index: 44 rules for every law
Article I of the Constitution notwithstanding, administrative agencies rather than Congress do most of the lawmaking in the United States. Congress enacts weighty legislation but…
Products
Chapter 10: Federal regulations affecting state and local governments
State and local officials’ concerns over federal mandates’ overriding their own priorities and prerogatives resulted in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995, the requirements…
Products
Chapter 11: Government Accountability Office 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 affecting the private sector, as well…
Products
Chapter 2: Why we need a regulatory budget
Well before Biden’s unique transformations, policymakers recognized a role for regulatory restraint, transparency, and disclosure. Federal programs are funded either by taxes or by borrowing,…
Products
Chapter 8: The “Regulatory Plan and Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory 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 9: 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 in a way that…
Products
Chapter 3: Page counts and numbers of rules in the Federal Register
The Federal Register is the daily repository of all proposed and final federal rules and regulations. Although its number of pages is often cited as…
Study
Ten Thousand Commandments 2024
The hidden tax of regulation has proved appealing to lawmakers who feel the pressure of a national debt topping $34 trillion. Off-budget regulations requiring…
Products
Chapter 1: Biden’s whole-of-government regulatory philosophy
Prior editions of Ten Thousand Commandments extensively surveyed the Biden administration’s whole-of-government campaigns and the role of executive actions, rules, and memoranda in their pursuit.
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: Water heaters and children’s passports
President Biden dropped out of the race, leaving Vice President Kamala Harris as the likely Democratic nominee. The Federal Register topped 60,000 pages and…
National Review
Does Capitalism Really Need ‘Changing’?
In her influential book Mission Economy: A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism, economist Mariana Mazzucato argues that capitalism is in…
Forbes
“U.S. Antitrust Enforcers Should Reject AI Interventionism”
Alden Abbott with the Mercatus Center discusses the problems with the FTC and DOJ joint statement on AI competition.
Litigation
Bill Word, David Daquin v.U.S. Department of Energy
On June 13, 2024, CEI attorneys (representing David Daquin and Bill Word) filed a lawsuit in federal court in Amarillo, Texas, against the Department…
Litigation
Hobby Distillers Association v. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau et al
In December of 2023, the Hobby Distillers Association – and four of its individual members – sued the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade…
Blog
Harris’s rent control support clashes with even progressive economists
As one of his last policy initiatives before officially dropping out of the 2024 presidential race, President Joe Biden unveiled a housing plan that…
Blog
Top-down economic ‘moonshot’ incompatible with bottom-up ideals
In her book Mission Economy: A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism, economist Mariana Mazzucato proposes rebranding the United States’s economy. An advocate behind…
Blog
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals finds FCC’s universal service fee unconstitutional under the nondelegation doctrine
Late yesterday, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion in Consumer Research v. FCC that breathes new life into the nondelegation doctrine.
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Dead malls and retail nostalgia with Sal Amadeo
In this week’s episode we cover state-level regulatory reform, the opinions of Latino voters, Biden’s tax on stock buybacks, and…
National Review
“The FTC’s Usurpatory Noncompete Ban”
Former acting FTC chair and commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen argues that the Commission lacks authority to issue its noncompete rule.
Wall Street Journal
“Kroger, Albertsons Agree to Pause Merger as FTC, State Challenges Proceed”
The Wall Street Journal reports on the latest with the FTC’s challenge to the grocery merger.
News Release
Positive signs in 2024’s second quarter GDP report: CEI analysis
The nation’s GDP grew 2.8 percent during the second quarter of 2024. Strong growth indicates rapidly improving living standards and an easier fight…
Op-Eds
Tariffs Don’t Protect Jobs
Many Americans, including it seems the presidential and vice presidential nominees of the Republican Party, worry that trade costs jobs. This helps to explain…
Blog
Kamala Harris’s California quid pro quo for unions
Kamala Harris is now the Democrats’ likely nominee to succeed Biden and she may pull the administration’s already pro-union labor policy even further leftwards.
Reason
Senate To Vote on Web Censorship Bill Disguised as Kids Safety
Reason cites Jessica Melugin on KOSA safety flaws “KOSA would trigger mandatory uploading of government id’s, face scans or social security…
News Release
New bill would restore agency deference and weaken Congress’s authority
New legislation introduced today by Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) would reverse the recent Supreme Court decision in Loper Bright and codify deference to…
Blog
CEI’s The Surge: Carbon taxes, Chevron, nuclear bill becomes law, & more!
If you are interested in analysis and perspective on current energy and environmental issues, then we encourage you to subscribe to this new…
Blog
Congress in a post-Chevron world
The House Committee on Administration conducted a regulatory reform hearing today entitled “Congress in a Post-Chevron World.” The title refers to the anticipated…
Blog
House Interior and Environment spending bill: Critical provisions and amendments
This week, the House is expected to take up the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2025 (H.R. 8998).
RealClear Energy
The SEC’s Climate Disclosure Rule Is a Dark Cloud Over Energy Abundance
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) climate disclosure rule posts real problems for public companies. The SEC’s mission is to do facilitate capital formation…
The Washington Times
KOSA is a poor substitute for parenting
Good parenting was always a lot of work, but guarding kids’ online mental health has added to the parental load. Not every problem has…
Testimony
Wayne Crews testimony before the Committee on House Administration: “Congress in a Post-Chevron World”
Introduction Chairman Steil, Ranking Member Morelle, and Members of the House Committee on Administration, thank you for the opportunity to testify today on issues…
The Wall Street Journal
The FTC Goes Evidence-Free
Through three years of Lina Khan’s leadership, the Federal Trade Commission has suffered an unprecedented streak of high-profile court defeats. That’s because the agency regularly…
The Daily Signal
The Overreaching Power of the Bureaucracy Is Destroying Our Representative Government
The United States is a republic with decision-making power held by elected legislators representing the people. Yet many of the biggest decisions affecting the…
Blog
Generator sales are rising… And there’s good reason
I bought a house earlier this year, and to my absolute delight, it came with a built in 16 kilowatt (kW) generator, plenty of …
Blog
Combatting climate anxiety: Yes, it’s okay to have children
The message that the Earth is rapidly decaying has long been evangelized by college professors and other gung-ho Malthusians in the media. It has…
Capitol Matters
East Palestine Report: Congress Should Rethink Its Reaction
In almost a decade working for the British Department for Transport, no officials impressed me as much as the accident investigators. They were dedicated experts…
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: Blood donors and paper marketing
Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt. The Republicans held their convention in Milwaukee. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) was convicted on bribery charges and resigned,…
Blog
NLRB backs down on Joint Employer
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has withdrawn an appeal of a…
USDA
USDA COULD BE IMPACTED BY PROJECT 2025
USDA cites Daren Bakst on Project 2025: The chapter, written by former Heritage Foundation Senior Research Fellow, Environmental Policy and Regulation, Center for…
Investigate Midwest
Farm programs, USDA would shrink under Project 2025 goals for ag
Investigate Midwest cites Daren Bakst on Project 2025: So, what about the author? Daren Bakst wrote the agriculture chapter in Project 2025. He…
Microsoft Start
Letting Businesses Decide How to Deal With Theft
MSN cites senior economist Ryan Young on self-checkout lanes: Ryan Young, a senior economist at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, said, “Self-checkout lanes can…
The Federalist
It’s Time For Congress To Take Out America’s Regulatory Trash
The Federalist cites CEI on yearly regulations: According to the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), 2019 was the only year on record…
Blog
‘Are you serious? Are you serious?’
Earlier this week, an editorial in the Wall Street Journal recapped former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s famous response when a journalist questioned her about…
Review-Journal
Yes, you do have the right to a jury trial
The Constitution says you have the right to a jury trial. At least in its in-house court, the Securities and Exchange Commission argued against…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Inflation and Bidenomics with Kurt Couchman
In this week’s episode we cover Capital One buying Discover, solutions for high housing prices, China’s soft-power investment strategy, and…
Blog
Enhancing oversight: GAO’s blueprint for congressional control over agency rulemaking
On July 5, the White House released its biannual regulatory agenda for the executive branch, which highlights agency priorities for the next six…
Capital Matters
Corner Post: Helping Hold the Administrative State to Account
Much attention has been paid to the Supreme Court’s recent overrule of the 40-year-old Chevron decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo. Chevron had facilitated the…
Legal Brief
CEI Issues Amicus Brief: Humphrey’s Executor
Humphreys Executor Amicus FinalDownload…
Review-Journal
EDITORIAL: Increasingly desperate Biden steps up the pandering
Review-Journal cited CEI on deregulation of rent control initiative “Getting rid of regulatory barriers … will increase supply and lower cost for homeownership…
DC Journal
Rent Control Idea Undermines Affordable Housing in the Long Run
The Biden administration has called for imposing federal limits on rent increases. This is a profoundly misguided policy from an economic perspective, and since it…
Blog
Book review: The War on Prices by Ryan Bourne
I have reached a stage in my career where younger colleagues sometimes ask me for advice. There are a few evergreen pieces of advice…
News Release
Biden Rent Control Idea is Bad Housing Policy
President Biden today issued a call to impose federal limits on rent increases nationwide. That idea would have many drawbacks, not just for…
Decrypt
Republicans Likely to Follow Through With Pro-Crypto Agenda, Experts Say
Decrypt cited CEI on crypto currency While the details of the next era of crypto regulation remain to be seen, elected officials…
Blog
Rent control doesn’t work. Increase housing supply instead.
President Biden will soon announce a proposed 5 percent cap on rent increases. Rent control is one of the most ridiculed economic policies…
The Wall Street Journal
The Trump Economy, Past and Future
The Washington Examiner cites Fred L. Smith Fellow in Regulatory Studies Wayne Crews on deregulation and the Federal Register: The Trump deregulation may…
Blog
Union leaders need Trump more than he needs them
Credit where credit is due, Teamsters President Sean O’Brien faced a tricky tightrope walk when he spoke before the Republican National Convention…
Blog
The deregulation maverick
A deregulation wave occurred in the American economic landscape in the late 1970s, particularly in the utility and airlines sectors. This shift was driven…
Blog
There is no such thing as a free lunch, especially under MMT.
Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) has emerged in recent years as a highly-debated economic concept, challenging traditional views on national debt and money. MMT is…
News Release
CEI President and CEO Kent Lassman reacts to assassination attempt in Pennsylvania
Reason
“FTC Opens a Backdoor Route to Age Verification on Social Media”
Elizabeth Nolan Brown with Reason discusses the FTC’s order against social media app “NGL.”…
Blog
Kansas REINS Act overrides governor’s veto
Advocates for government accountability recently scored a big win with the passage of House Bill 2648 in Kansas. The Regulations from the Executive…
Blog
How major rules are surging under the Biden administration
We’ve taken a look at the total numbers of significant regulations issued this year in the Biden administration as well as at the…
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: Watermelon taxes and crash test dummies
CEI’s home distillery court case had a good week. President Biden had a bad week. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from rotorcraft to…
Fox News
Federal judge rules that 156-year-old ban on at-home distilling is unconstitutional
Fox News cites CEI’s Devin Watkins and Dan Greenberg on Hobby Distillers Association v. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau et al:…
National Review
Teamsters for Trump?
Among the speakers at the GOP convention this year will be International Brotherhood of Teamsters president Sean O’Brien. He will…
Real Clear Markets
“Lina Khan Seeks More Funding to Help Europe Regulate U.S. Companies”
Charles Sauer with the Market Institute urges Congress to not increase the FTC’s budget.
The Washington Examiner
The Inflation Reduction Act’s buyback tax restrains public company growth
The Biden administration and a Democratic-controlled Congress imposed a new tax on corporate stock buybacks as part of…
News Release
CEI to Recognize Entrepreneurship and George Will’s Promethean Contributions at Julian L. Simon Memorial Dinner in September
Blog
Energy freedom on the ballot in Washington State
Climate change policies tend to become unpopular as soon as the public realizes the effects such policies will have on them. That certainly is…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: The new progress movement with Ronald Bailey
In this week’s episode we cover the end of Chevron deference at the Supreme Court, the economic impact of future Trump…
News Release
Federal court declares federal ban on at-home distilling unconstitutional
Late last night, after months of litigation, a federal court in Texas decided the federal ban on at-home distillation of beverage spirits is unconstitutional.
News Release
Inflation remains stubborn despite June’s good report: CEI analysis
Monthly inflation dropped -0.1 percent in June after being unchanged in May, according to the latest Consumer Price Index report. While this is…
The Washington Examiner
Inflation has spread to your air conditioner, and federal regulations are the cause
Fourth of July kicks off the hottest two-month stretch of the year in the United States, and for much of the nation,…
Blog
Missing the economists in FTC’s latest PBM study
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released its not-so-objectively titled interim report on Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs): Pharmacy Benefit Managers: The Powerful Middlemen Inflating…
Inside Sources
Yes, You Do Have the Right to a Jury Trial
The Constitution says you have the right to a jury trial. At least in its in-house court, the Securities and Exchange Commission argued against…
Truth on the Market
“Reports of the Current FTC’s Intellectual Integrity Have Been Greatly Exaggerated”
Dan Gilman with the International Center for Law & Economics discusses the economic shortcomings of the FTC’s 6(b) study on pharmacy benefit managers.
Blog
You have the right to a jury trial
The Supreme Court’s recent Jarkesy decision affirms that people have the right to a jury trial, even in regulatory agencies’ special in-house courts. My…
Washington Examiner
Conservatives must remain committed to dismantling the IRA’s “green” subsidies
The Inflation Reduction Act is partisan legislation packed with what could amount to more than one trillion dollars in “green” …
News Release
Report: Nine essential principles for the power grid
A new Competitive Enterprise Institute report calls on legislators to consider nine important principles for the power grid before passing any legislation that…
Study
How to Keep the Lights On
A reliable electrical grid is essential to all aspects of daily life. Power keeps the lights on, appliances running, and keeps our homes warm…