Blog
Do more deregulation in debt limit deal
The internal GOP debate this week is over lower-case “d” default if a June 6 deadline for an increase in the debt…
Blog
Moore good news? CEI responds to government in landmark tax case
Earlier today, the Competitive Enterprise Institute filed a reply brief in the Moores’ case. A few weeks ago, the government argued that the…
Legal Brief
Moore v. United States Reply Brief
No. 22-800 In The Supreme Court of the United States CHARLES G. MOORE and KATHLEEN F. MOORE, Petitioners, v.
Blog
Debt deal’s PAYGO law won’t pay out. Here’s how to fix it.
In an effort to curb excessive government spending, a provision known as statutory administrative PAYGO (Pay-As-You-Go) has been introduced in the debt ceiling deal…
Blog
Why is the debt ceiling deal helping to ban gas stoves?
When Biden-appointed Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) commissioner Richard Trumka, Jr. announced last January that his agency was investigating gas stoves and…
Blog
McCarthy-Biden debt-ceiling deal fully funds the climate-industrial complex
The deal to raise the debt ceiling announced Saturday by the White House and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) drops the provisions in…
Comment
CEI Comments on Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–OAR–2018–0794
Dear Ms. Benish: I appreciate this opportunity to submit comments on the proposed Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) for power plants. Attached…
Blog
Protecting private property in the Peach State
Institute for Justice communications manager Dan King brings us an infuriating but important story out of the state of Georgia. Property owners…
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: baby formula labels and room air conditioners
Happy Memorial Day, everyone. The Supreme Court upheld property rights in a 9-0 decision in Tyler v. Hennepin County, in which CEI…
Blog
Repealing green energy subsidies must come before permitting reform in debt ceiling package
There are reports that the debt ceiling negotiators are close to agreeing on permitting reform provisions as part of the final package. This may…
Blog
Supreme Court ruling restores property rights, closes spigot on Clean Water Act abuses
The U.S. Supreme Court in Sackett v. EPA has finally provided some clarity on one of the most basic questions in environmental law:…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Transparency for government, privacy for people with Brian Hawkins
In this week’s episode we talk discuss Tim Carney’s view on why big government is good for big business, Stone Washington on…
Blog
Supreme Court breathes new life into Takings Clause in Tyler v. Hennepin County
When you don’t pay property taxes, you run the risk of the government seizing and selling your property. That’s what happened to Geraldine Tyler,…
News Release
Supreme Court Protects Property Rights from Federal Overreach in Sackett v. EPA Decision
The Supreme Court today ruled in favor of the Sackett family in a property rights dispute with the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA…
Reason
“The FTC Is Investigating Anti-Competitive Baby Formula Contracts. Bad Federal Policy Is to Blame.”
Reason Reporter Eric Boehm explains that the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program is to blame for any lack of competition between baby formula…
Blog
Let’s get this huge ‘hidden tax’ of regulation out into the open
Smack dab in the middle of contentious debt limit negotiations, the House Budget Committee held another in its series of hearings on American economic…
Testimony
Testimony of Wayne Crews: Removing the Burdens of Government Overreach
I appreciate the opportunity to discuss issues surrounding Removing the Burdens of Government Overreach, and I thank Chairman Arrington, Ranking Member Boyle, and Members…
Testimony
Testimony of Ben Lieberman : Examining the Biden Administration’s Regulatory Assault on Americans’ Gas Stoves
Introduction Chair Fallon, Ranking Member Bush, and members of this Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today on an issue few…
National Review
Pharmaceuticals: Marching into Trouble
The National Institutes of Health recently rejected a request by private petitioners to exercise “march-in rights” under the 1980 Bayh-Dole Act to control…
Blog
What happens if governments stop trying to make electric vehicles happen?
I recently spotted an interesting analysis of the market for electric vehicles and the prospect for them eventually replacing ones powered by internal…
American Institute for Economic Research
“The FTC Should Answer Its Call of Duty to Gamers”
Dr. Gary Galles, Professor of Economics at Pepperdine University, argues that the FTC is engaging in “antitrust protectionism” while challenging Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision.
News Release
Surgeon General lacks evidence for warning against social media for young people
U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy today issued a public advisory against alleged risks of social media use to the mental health…
Blog
A remembrance: C. Boyden Gray, 1943-2023
We mourn the passing of C. Boyden Gray. He was a man of his family, the law, and his country. Boyden served in…
Fox Business
VIDEO: CEI’S Jessica Melugin Joins Fox Business to Discuss Twitter’s New CEO and the ‘unintended consequences’ of Children Using A.I.
Competitive Enterprise Institute Center for Technology & Innovation director Jessica Melugin discusses Twitter’s new CEO and the ‘unintended consequences’ of children using A.I.
The American Institue for Economic Research
The FTC should answer its Call of Duty to Gamers
The American Institute for Economic Research cites Vice President for Strategy Iain Murray on the Microsoft-Activision merger: The Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Iain Murray…
News Release
EU’s Massive Fine Against Meta Could End Up Harming European Consumers
The European Union announced a new enforcement actions today against Meta, the parent company of Facebook. The action penalizes Meta for data transfers…
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: lowfat yogurt and halibut sharing
Debt ceiling negotiations remain stalled, and will likely remain that way until the deadline draws nearer. The Supreme Court left Section 230 intact.
American Institute for Economic Research
The FTC should answer its Call of Duty to Gamers
The Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Iain Murray has also noted several other important problems with the assertion that the Microsoft-Activision merger would harm consumers. He has…
Blog
Bill targets ag department slush fund worth billions
The House Appropriations agriculture subcommittee favorably reported its spending bill along party lines Thursday. The bill’s next stop is the full House…
The Washington Post
Social media’s effects on children are not yet clear
In their May 12 op-ed, “We must protect kids online,” Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.)…
Wall Street Journal
“Antitrust Gone Wild Against Amgen”
The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board describes the FTC’s desire to revive the antitrust theory of “potential competition” in light of the agency’s attempt…
The Hill
Don’t give federal agencies carte blanche on regulations — make Congress vote
The Limit, Save, Grow Act, recently passed by the Republican House of Representatives, would raise the nation’s borrowing limit through March 31 of next year…
Discourse
How Can You Advocate for Abundance with Skeptics?
Advocating for abundance will succeed or fail based on how well we address skeptics’ real emotions, legitimate concerns and understandable fears. Far too often,…
Blog
EPA’s new coal rule: Still unlawful after all these years
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last week posted the pre-publication draft of its proposed carbon dioxide (CO2) emission performance standards for fossil-fuel power…
Forbes
Why The Existential Threat Of AI May Be Overblown
In response to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s recent Congressional testimony, a heightened national conversation is taking place surrounding the potential existential risks stemming from…
The Spectator
“One Government Agency Is Undermining Biden’s Cancer Moonshot”
Matthew Foldi argues that the FTC’s blocking of the Illumina/Grail merger undermines President Biden’s goal of fighting cancer.
Blog
Time to rip the veil of secrecy off government agencies’ in-house courts
In a previous piece, we explored some of the pros and cons of administrative law courts (ALCs). These are regulatory agencies’ special in-house…
News Release
Supreme Court Declines to Rule on Section 230, Leaving Protections for Third Party Content in Place
The Supreme Court today in Google v. Gonzales and Twitter v. Taamneh declined to rule on the meaning of Section 230 of…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Letting people prosper with Vance Ginn
In this week’s episode we talk about Warren Buffet’s electric vehicle pessimism, sky-high school funding in New York City, a…
City Journal
Nature’s Vaccine
Public-health officials in the U.S., unlike their counterparts elsewhere, have steadfastly focused on Covid-19 vaccines in fighting the pandemic, acting as if natural immunity…
National Review
The EPA Strikes Back
In last summer’s West Virginia v. EPA decision, the Supreme Court held that the EPA’s claims of vast new powers to reorganize America’s electricity sector…
Blog
Biden administration wants to make bad clothes washers even worse
The Biden administration started the year by targeting gas stoves and has followed it up with a flood of additional appliance regulations.
Comment
Comments of CEI and Michael Mannino on Dept. of Energy’s Conservation Standards for Residential Clothes Washers
I. SUMMARY The proposed rule would tighten the energy and water efficiency standards for residential clothes washers, despite the fact that the standards currently…
Discourse Magazine
The SEC’s Progressive Rulemaking Will Be Its Statutory Undoing
Over the past two years, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has radically shifted priorities. It has moved from its mission of protecting investors…
Fox News
Joe Manchin abruptly tanks Biden nominee picked to oversee admin’s crackdown on gas stoves
It’s just spreading to more and more appliances. It seems that almost everything that plugs in or fires up around…
Blog
Robert Lucas, economist of possibilities, 1937-2023
Robert Lucas, 85, passed away this week. He was a prominent macroeconomist who won the 1995 economics Nobel. Others have remembered Lucas’s contributions to…
News Release
CEI Expert Warns One-Size-Fits-All Regulation of Artificial Intelligence will Hamper Innovation, Invite Rent-Seeking
The Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony today from technology executives overseeing artificial intelligence (AI) programs. Those executives were asked about oversight of the…
Forbes
Congress Should Halt OMB’s Rewrite Of Circular A-4 Guidance On Regulatory Cost-Benefit Analysis
People love to gripe about red tape; but not only is there a method to the madness, there’s a certain madness to the method…
Washington Times
EPA green rules increase blackout risks; emission caps on reliable fuels will shut down power plants
CEI’s Daren Bakst is cited on the Washington Times on blackout risk increases: The Environmental Protection Agency’s proposals for natural gas and coal-fired…
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: toy guns and trophy fisheries
The 2023 Federal Register topped 30,000 pages on May 8. New inflation numbers looked better on the surface, but actually got worse. A…
Blog
New credit card late fee rule hurts folks who pay their bills on time
There has rightly been an outcry after the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), which sets policy for the government-sponsored enterprises (GSE) Fannie Mae and…
Truth on the Market
“FTC Returns to Section 18 Rulemaking with Impersonation Fraud Hearing”
Neil Chilson with the Center for Growth and Opportunity identifies the problems with the FTC’s proposed rule on imposter fraud.
Testimony
CEI’s Myron Ebell Testifies Before House Budget Committee on “Exposing the Woke, Wasteful, and Bloated Bureaucracy”
May 11, 2023 (Video of Myron Ebell’s congressional testimony can be watched here.) Chairman Arrington, Ranking Member Boyle, and Members of…
Blog
What I told the EPA about its attack on Americans’ cars and mobility
The Biden administration is using the whole of government to stop Americans from driving gas-powered vehicles. This campaign began right at the start…
Forbes
What’s Inside The House GOP Effort To Roll Back Support For Renewables In Exchange For Raising The Debt Limit?
The Republican Party in the House of Representatives, led by Speaker Kevin McCarthy, recently passed legislation aimed at raising the nation’s debt limit. The…
News Release
Biden EPA’s Power Plant Emissions Rule Seeks to Shutter Certain Power Plants without Authorization from Congress
President Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a new proposed rule today mandating power plants reduce emissions drastically or shut down. The rule…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Freedom is intoxicating with Jacob Grier
In this week’s episode we talk about public opinion regarding capitalism, eliminating COVID relief slush funds, rolling back parking mandates,…
Blog
Senate committee yells ‘all aboard!’ for controversial Railway Safety Act
The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee approved the Railway Safety Act this morning, with all Democrats and Republican Sens. J.D. Vance (OH) and Eric…
Real Clear Markets
“Lina Khan Disdains ‘Big Tech’ and the First Amendment”
The Market Institute’s Norm Singleton argues that the FTC’s actions against Twitter are a threat to the freedom of speech.
Truth on the Market
“Bureau of Let’s Sue-Meta”
Daniel Gilman from the International Center for Law & Economics discuses the consent order saga between the FTC and Meta.
Forbes
Regional Innovation Hubs: Engines Of Economic Dynamism Or Wolves In Sheep’s Clothing?
Regional innovation hubs are one of the latest trends in American industrial policy. On the surface, they sound like a plausible way for the…
Wall Street Journal
Biden Cracks Down on Gas Stoves—and Much More
Consumer Product Safety Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. fired a shot heard ’round America in January when he informed the public of his agency’s plans for…
News Release
Economist James Broughel joins Competitive Enterprise Institute as senior fellow
The Competitive Enterprise Institute is pleased to welcome economist James Broughel as a Senior Fellow with a focus on innovation and dynamism. Dr.
News Release
Inflation worse than headline number suggests
The annual inflation rate in April was the lowest it’s been in two years, according to Labor Department data released today – 4.9 percent.
Washington Examiner
Under Walensky, the CDC has destroyed public trust in its credibility
The White House announced last week that Dr. Rochelle Walensky will be leaving her post as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Blog
EPA’s almost bare-naked electric car mandate
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last week proposed new greenhouse gas (GHG) emission standards for model years (MYs) 2027-2032 passenger cars, light…
Blog
Don’t drink the ‘right to repair’ Kool-Aid
“What’s in a name?” William Shakespeare posed the question in Romeo & Juliet to illustrate that a rose, even if called by a different…
Blog
Calling legislation the AMERICA Act doesn’t make it a good bill
The Competition and Transparency in Digital Advertising Act is back but under a new name: The Advertising Middlemen Endangering Rigorous Internet Competition Accountability…
Blog
Screw up the dishwashers, save the planet?
The Department of Energy (DOE) proposed more stringent energy and water efficiency standards for dishwashers Friday, despite the fact that the regulations currently…
Land Line
Avoid seizures of cash by taking prudent measures
Recently, the Competitive Enterprise Institute distributed a report titled “Five Myths of Civil Forfeiture, Second Edition.” It is a nonprofit libertarian think…
Issues & Insights
Biden Unleashes The Regulatory Kraken — And There’s No Land In Sight
As the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Clyde Wayne Crews put it recently, “President Biden is leading an unprecedented expansion of the administrative…
AEIdeas
“Federal Trade Commission Launches a Missile to Kill a Mouse”
Daniel Lyons from the American Enterprise Institute raises concerns over the legality of the FTC’s recent modification of the 2020 consent decree with Meta.
Wall Street Journal
“Lina Khan Has a Meta Fixation”
The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board discuses Chair Lina Khan’s decision to replace a 2020 consent decree with Meta.
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: cloudy guidance documents and potato ledprona
The number of new final regulations this year topped 1,000 last week. It was the rare 3,000-page for the Federal Register, which will likely…
Blog
Retirement finance worries increase for Americans
The Employee Benefit Research Institute and Greenwald Research have published their 33rd Annual Retirement Confidence Survey, and it’s got some interesting results. The…
Wall Street Journal
Don’t Let Unspent Covid Funds Become Slush Funds
The House has passed the Limit, Save, Grow Act, which would raise the debt limit for a year in exchange for deficit-relief measures. One…
Blog
Americans agree: Politics doesn’t solve most problems
Our friends at the Pew Research Center have some new political survey results out, and the numbers are…not encouraging. The research summary finds:…
Blog
New Jersey fishermen challenge Chevron deference
Big news out of the Supreme Court this week as justices have agreed to hear a lawsuit challenging the so-called Chevron doctrine, a policy…
Blog
Punishing success with higher mortgage rates?
The Biden administration recently implemented changes to fees on mortgages that are backed by government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Our old…
National Review
Stop Empowering OPEC+ by Restricting the Domestic Oil Supply
When, at the beginning of April, the 23 oil-exporting countries of OPEC+, including Russia and Saudi Arabia, announced cuts in…
Blog
Regulatory reform in the 118th Congress: Regulatory Accountability Act
In 2003, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published Circular A-4. A-4 is little-known but crucial oversight measure for new regulations. It…
News Release
253,000 Jobs Added in April 2023, but Labor Force Participation Lags
The U.S. economy added 253,000 jobs in April, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, but the labor force participation rate remains…
Washington Examiner
Effort to limit children’s social media access draws bipartisan support in the Senate
Congressional efforts to regulate the internet to shield minors from harm online is an old story, going back to the…
The Boston Herald
Bakst: EPA Targets Americans’ Ability to Choose their Cars
The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed tailpipe emission regulations for new cars, making it more difficult for Americans to buy gas-powered vehicles. The rule is part…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Letter on H.R. 1525, the FAIR Act (Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform)
Dear Chairman Jordan and Ranking Member Nadler, On behalf of the undersigned organizations dedicated to the protection of civil liberties and property rights,…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Grow for tomorrow with Adam Millsap
In this week’s episode we talk about judicial deference at the Supreme Court, Biden’s new mortgage rate policy, how Americans are…
News Release
EARN IT Act Would Have Dangerous Unintended Consequences for Consumers
The Senate Judiciary Committee is meeting today for a markup for S. 1207, the EARN IT Act of 2023. Director of CEI’s…
Washington Times
“Bipartisan Scrutiny of How FTC Reviews Mergers Is in Order”
Former U.S. Representative Rich Boucher argues that the FTC’s hostile stance towards mergers and acquisitions is deserving of criticism from both sides of the…
ITIF
“FTC Overreach Is Inappropriate and Bad for Children, Says ITIF”
Daniel Castro, vice president for the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, calls the FTC’s recent proposed modification of Meta’s consent decree a “politically motivated…
The Hill
Chevron case: Supreme Court could take sledgehammer to agency power
Devin Watkins, an attorney at Competitive Enterprise Institute, which filed a brief supporting the fishermen, argued the case demonstrates how powers…
News Release
Fed Rate Increase the Right Move for Economy, Credibility
As expected, the Federal Reserve raised the federal funds rate by a quarter percentage point. CEI senior economist Ryan Young supports…
News Release
New York Law Banning Natural Gas in New Construction Is Bad Environmental Policy, Will Increase Costs for Residents
New York passed a new law banning natural gas and other fossil fuels in most new buildings today, the first state in the…
National Review
The Crusade against Things That Work Is Coming for Your AC
CEI’s Ben Liberman is cited on National Review about the home appliance debate: In an op-ed for Fox News, the …
The Daily Signal
Congress Must End This Multibillion-dollar Government Slush Fund
A little-known slush fund at the U.S. Department of Agriculture has become a go-to funding source for billions of dollars of abusive…
Comment
CEI leads comments on CFPB’s $8 price controls on credit card late fees
In the matter of the proposed rule“Credit Card Penalty Fees (Regulation Z)”Consumer Financial Protection BureauDocket No. CFPB–2023–0010; RIN 3170–AB15 Prepared by: John…
Forbes
A Congressional Regulatory Report Card Can Begin to Address Biden’s New Attempts to Downplay Regulatory Costs
The Federal Register website, portals like Regulations.gov and other online databases make it far easier than in pre-Internet times to acquire information on the assortment of…
News Release
Report: Civil Forfeiture Policy Unjustly Deprives People of Property
An updated Competitive Enterprise Institute report calls attention to five myths used to justify the unjust law enforcement practice known as civil asset…
Blog
Taking people’s stuff: Civil forfeiture is widespread, unjust, and resists reform
Civil forfeiture is a deeply unfair practice in which government agents take and keep billions of dollars of personal property every year – usually…
Study
Five Myths of Civil Forfeiture
Executive Summary Every year, federal, state, and local government agents take—and permanently keep—billions of dollars of Americans’ property through civil forfeiture. The practice…
National Review
Politicians Are Squandering America’s Chance to Get It Right on TikTok
National-security concerns about the world’s most popular app, TikTok, might be legitimate, but addressing them is proving a master course in Washington dysfunction. Significant questions…