Blog
Kigali Amendment Would Raise Air Conditioning Costs and Undercut American Competitiveness
Air conditioning season will soon be here, and it may prove to be the most expensive one in years thanks to a new federal…
Blog
CEI Joins Coalition Urging FDA Not to Ban Synthetic Nicotine
This week CEI joined a coalition of groups urging Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Robert Califf not to prohibit synthetic nicotine (read the…
Desert Sun
Gas Station Owners, Oil Companies Are Not to Blame for High Gas Prices
Whenever the price at the pump increases, so does the finger-pointing, but much of the blame game over high gasoline prices is neither accurate…
New York Post
Mayor Adams Wants the Tots to Stay Masked Up, Instead of Listening to Science
Mayor Adams and his new health commissioner, Dr. Ashwin Vasan, have decided to extend the city’s school mask mandate for children under 5. This…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Letter on FDA Ban on Synthetic Nicotine
Dear Commissioner Califf, We write to you in opposition to a new regulation signed into law by Congress that will effectively ban vapor…
Blog
Celebrate Decade of JOBS Act as Deregulatory Success
10 years ago, a GOP-controlled House, a Democrat-controlled Senate, and a Democratic president came together to lighten the regulatory burden on America’s upstart job…
News Release
New IPCC Report Deals in Politically-Convenient Fictions Rather than Fact-Based Reality
WASHINGTON—The United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) today released the findings of its third working group, focused on mitigation and adaptation…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Opposing Weaponizing Antitrust Law
Dear Senator, Despite full control of Congress and President Joe Biden in the Oval Office, the Democratic Party finds many of its top…
Blog
Amazon Union Wins in Staten Island with Backing of 32 Percent of Workers
Key to understanding the union organizing win at Amazon’s Staten Island facility is that there were enough workers who wanted a union, or…
Blog
D.C. Policy Strategy: Recycle Your Work for Maximum Impact
Last week I gave an informal presentation to a group of my colleagues about recycling—not the plastic and cardboard variety, but the work product…
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
The tide is slowly turning in Ukraine, though Europe’s biggest war since World War II continued. Meanwhile, conservative culture warriors declared “moral war…
Comment
Comments to the Federal Trade Commission Regarding Forthcoming Merger Guideline Revisions
Comment Period Closes: April 21, 2022 Comment Submitted: April 3, 2022 Docket No. FTC-2022-0003-0001 On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute…
News Release
House Votes to Decriminalize Marijuana – an Important First Step
The House on Friday passed legislation to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level. The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (or MORE)…
Blog
Pay College Athletes
No March Madness tournament would be complete without at least one school being caught paying its players in violation of NCAA rules. This year,…
News Release
New Job Gains for March 2022 Shows Businesses Open with Jobs to Offer: CEI Analysis
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics announced today that the U.S. economy added over 400,000 jobs in the month of March – good…
Blog
Deregulation is Key to Building a Broad-Based Economy
Critics of free market economic policy often point to declines in manufacturing employment or, worse, to the “hollowing-out” of the American middle class as…
Blog
Lassman Tells Insider President Biden’s So-Called Billionaire’s Tax Is Unconstitutional
In a recent interview with Insider, CEI President Kent Lassman outlined why the so-called Billionaire’s Minimum Income Tax included in President Biden’s 2022…
Blog
Weil, That Was a Close One!
David Weil, the Biden administration’s pick to be the administrator of the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division, was rejected…
Blog
Invoking Defense Production Act Won’t Unleash Domestic Mining
President Biden is reportedly going to invoke the Defense Production Act for the minerals needed to make electric vehicle (EV) batteries. But it’s…
The Washington Times
Biden Moves to Incentivize Domestic Mineral Mining for Electric Vehicle Batteries
The Washington Times cites Director of the Center for Energy and Environment Myron Ebell on the supply of minerals used in electric vehicle batteries:…
Inside Sources
Point: Pay College Athletes
St. Peter’s University’s run of upsets wasn’t the only storyline from this year’s March Madness tournament. The other is that the Memphis Tigers men’s…
Business Insider
Biden’s Billionaire Tax Would Work a Lot Like the Withholding You See on Your Paycheck
Business Insider cites CEI President Kent Lassman on Biden’s proposed “billionaire tax” in the release budget for fiscal year 2023: “What’s…
National Review
If You Really Want Broad-Based Prosperity, Dismantle the Regulatory State
National Review cites Vice President for Strategy Iain Murray on dismantling the regulatory state: So argues Iain Murray of the Competitive…
Blog
Testimony on Forfeiture Reform before the Tennessee General Assembly
Earlier today, I testified before the Tennessee General Assembly on HB 2525, a measure that would reform the Volunteer State’s system of asset…
Law & Liberty
Dismantling the Regulatory State
Samuel Gregg’s lead article adroitly sketches the opportunities and obstacles to America building a broad-based economy, but I want to focus on one…
Blog
“Letter” Rip: The Justice Department Would Like More Power, Please
In its first backing of specific antirust legislation, the Justice Department (DOJ) sent a letter in support of the American Innovation and…
Testimony
Testimony on House Bill No. 2525, as Amended (Forfeiture Reform)
House Bill No. 2525, as amended, will improve Tennessee’s justice system. I thank the Criminal Justice Subcommittee for allowing me to express my views…
Blog
Antitrust Triangulation
Sometimes it’s useful to introduce useless bills. The Prohibiting Anti-Competitive Mergers Act , sponsored by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Rep. Mondaire Jones…
The Chicago Morning Answer
Radio: Joel Zinberg Joins Chicago’s Morning Answer to Discuss Vaccine Mandates
Senior Fellow Joel Zinberg joins the Dan Proft Show to discuss vaccine mandates and more. Click here to read more.
News Release
Biden Budget ‘Billionaire Tax’ Constitutionally Troubling
The newly released details of the White House budget for fiscal year 2023 marks a failure in spending restraint and regulatory accountability, say CEI…
Forbes
Biden’s $5.79 Trillion 2023 Budget Proposal Would Also Expand Regulation
A billion here and a billion there, as the old saying went, would eventually add up to real money. Not so…
Blog
White House Confiscatory Tax Proposal Underlines Why CEI Is Challenging Provision of 2017 Tax Reform
Today President Biden previewed his proposed fiscal year 2023 budget. I am in complete agreement with the first five words: “Budgets are statements of…
Blog
Inflation and the Biden Budget
It is good that the Biden administration is beginning to take inflation seriously. Unfortunately, however, there isn’t much that the president and Congress…
The Wall Street Journal
What the SEC Needs to Hear on Climate Risk
There’s an infinite range of greenhouse-emission details that could fall under the SEC’s newly proposed climate-disclosure rules. No doubt the agency will cut that…
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
Ukraine continues to hold out against Putin’s unprovoked invasion. Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Jackson Brown had her Senate hearings. Meanwhile, agencies issued new regulations…
New York Post
Eric Adams Needs to Expand Vaccine Exemptions to Everyone, Not Just Elites
Mayor Adams has exempted professional athletes and performers from the city’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for private employers. This overdue and commendable action highlights the absurdity…
Blog
Why Cannabis Banking Liberalization Would Indeed Increase U.S. Competitiveness
As war continues in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, interest by policy makers and the media has spiked in competitiveness bills passed…
National Review
Climate Change: The SEC Turns Up the Heat
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) voted 3–1 this week to propose new rules by which public companies would be required to…
Ballotpedia
Responses to the SEC’s Disclosure Rule Announcement
Ballotpedia cites Research Fellow Richard Morrison on how the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has proposed new climate rules: Richard Morrison,…
Inside Sources
Who NOT to Blame for High Gasoline Prices
Whenever the price at the pump increases, so does the finger-pointing, but much of the blame game over high gasoline prices is neither accurate…
Blog
Climate Police Occupy Wall Street
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Monday, March 21, released its proposed rule to require every “registrant” (i.e., publicly-traded company) to provide…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Letter on Durbin Amendment
Dear Chairman Brown, Ranking Member Toomey, Chairwoman Waters, and Ranking Member McHenry: The undersigned organizations write in opposition to any legislation that would…
Blog
Edward Scissorhands and Federal Regulatory Disclosure
Recently, President Joe Biden proclaimed before the Business Roundtable’s CEO Quarterly Meeting on March 21 that there’s “going to be new world…
Comment
CEI Comments to the FCC: FCC-21-127
Introduction On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), I respectfully submit these comments in response to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) notice of…
Real Clear Policy
Conservatives Will Rue the Day They ‘Common Carrier’ Social Media
Real Clear Policy cites Senior Attorney Dan Greenburg and Director of the Center for Technology & Innovation Jessica Melugin’s paper arguing against regulating social…
Citation
RADIO: Research Fellow Richard Morrison Joins Agriculture of America
Research Fellow Richard Morrison joins Agriculture of America to discuss recent SEC rule making on climate disclosures:…
Forbes
SEC’s Climate Disclosure Rules Advance Biden’s Epic Whole-Of-Government Regulatory Agenda
“The President will advance his climate agenda using every tool at his disposal and can make significant progress in curbing emissions, growing our economy,…
Blog
Climate Overreach at the SEC: What Comes Next
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) today voted to recommend new proposed rules by which public companies would be required to disclose additional information…
News Release
SEC Climate Disclosure Rule Will Cause Big Problems, CEI Experts Predict
Today the Securities and Exchange Commission described a new rule it plans to impose concerning climate disclosure requirements that may affect even private companies…
Blog
Amazon Antitrust Lawsuit Dismissed
Last year, District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine filed an antitrust lawsuit against Amazon over its third-party seller program. On Friday, a judge…
Blog
FDA’s Dysfunctional Regulation of E-cigs Created the Synthetic Nicotine Problem
Winston Churchill once said that “If you destroy a free market you create a black market” and nowhere is the validity of that…
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
The March Madness college basketball tournament began, continuing this month’s theme. Ukrainians continued to fight valiantly against Putin’s army, while ordinary Russian people are…
The Washington Examiner
Will Ukraine Invasion Spark Another Trans-Alaska Pipeline Moment?
Could Russia’s invasion of Ukraine convince the Biden administration to abandon its opposition to increased domestic oil and natural gas production? It seems doubtful,…
Real Clear Policy
Expect Big Pivot from SEC on Climate, ESG
The biggest decision the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is likely to make this year will be on mandated disclosure of information related to…
Blog
New Anti-Merger Bill Not Indexed for Inflation
Yesterday, I wrote about four problems with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-NY)’s new antitrust bill, the Prohibiting Anti-Competitive…
National Review
Now, Voyager: Ending the Covid Travel-Testing Charade
As Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths continue to plummet, lawmakers around the country are beginning to lift restrictions. The Biden administration, however, is clinging…
Forbes
Yes, Cannabis Banking Liberalization — SAFE Banking Act — Would Indeed Make U.S. More Competitive
As war continues in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, interest by policymakers and the media has spiked in the America COMPETES Act,…
Blog
The Best Thing the Department of Labor Can Do for Freelancers is Keep the Trump-era Rule
In a surprising move, a federal court has thrown out the Biden administration’s attempt to throw out the Trump administration’s new rule to…
Blog
Further Thoughts on the Supreme Court’s Clean Power Plan Case
I heartily recommend the reply briefs by petitioners West Virginia and Westmoreland Mining Holdings, LLC in the Supreme Court’s Clean Power Plan…
The Washington Examiner
Biden’s Executive Order Marks the Government’s Initial Foray into Cryptocurrency
The regulatory future of cryptocurrency looks uncertain in Washington, but there is growing acceptance that blockchain finance is here to stay. President Joe…
The Washington Examiner
Biden Regulating ‘Wokeness’ and Socialism into Federal Policy: Expert
The Washington Examiner cites Vice President for Policy Wayne Crews’ report on Biden’s government equity agenda: “Biden’s ‘whole of government’ equity…
Los Angles Daily News
Menthol Ban a Bad, Harmful Idea
Los Angeles Daily News cites Senior Fellow Michelle Minton on why e-cigarettes offer smokers a better alternative: “While some smokers might…
Blog
New Antitrust Merger Bill Is Fatally Flawed
There is yet another antitrust bill in Congress. The Prohibiting Anticompetitive Mergers Act, sponsored by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Rep. Mondaire…
National Review
Population Bomb Scare
CEI’s visiting investigative writer, Kevin D. Williamson, shares part two of a three-part cultural investigation of the environmental movement Les U. Knight has the gentle voice of…
Blog
New Climate Disclosure Rule Coming Soon from SEC
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will soon release a new proposed rule that will likely require climate change disclosures by public companies. Douglas…
Blog
Biden Administration Seeks to Redefine Word “Prevailing”
The Biden administration has come up with an innovative way to aid its union allies: redefining the word “prevailing” to mean its opposite.
News Release
In Order to Counter Inflation, Federal Reserve Should End Bond Buying Spree
The Federal Reserve announced today it would raise benchmark interest rates by a quarter percentage point with the aim of counteracting the effects…
Blog
The Russian Invasion of Ukraine And Energy Prices: Myth vs. Fact
Candidate Joe Biden repeatedly promised to aggressively target new domestic oil and natural gas projects in the U.S. as part of his climate…
News Release
After Bloom Raskin Withdrawal, Biden Should Nominate Someone Focused on Financial Stability, Monetary Policy
President Biden’s nominee to be Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Sarah Bloom Raskin withdrew her nomination from consideration today, after it became clear…
National Review
Supply Shocks Are Not Inflation
Gas prices are spiking due to Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. President Biden announced a ban on importing Russian oil, which…
News Release
Mandating Reciprocal Switching Would Trample Property Rights and Raise Costs for Consumers
The Surface Transportation Board will hold a hearing on March 15 and 16 to consider a proposal to mandate reciprocal switching for freight…
Blog
Correcting a Couple of Inflation Whoppers
Over at National Review’s Capital Matters site, I have a piece pointing out that today’s high gas prices aren’t caused by inflation. They’re…
Blog
Antitrust Is Political
Antitrust regulation is just as politicized as other forms of regulation. Arizona attorney general Mark Brnovich’s just-announced investigation into investors whose politics he doesn’t…
City Journal
Food for the Table, Not for the Gas Tank
City Journal cites Senior Fellow Mario Loyola on the nature of the Environmental Protection Agency: The EPA has the authority to…
Blog
Biden’s Whole-of-Government Equity Agenda Precludes Limited Government
A 1977 Reason magazine review of Friedrich Hayek’s “Law, Legislation, and Liberty (Vol. 2) noted Hayek’s contention “that the prime public concern should…
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
Putin continued his unprovoked war, and Ukrainians and their allies continued their heroic resistance. Inflation rose from 7.5 percent to 7.9 percent. Gas…
Wall Street Journal
If You Play With Antitrust Fire, You Might Get Burned
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich has opened an antitrust investigation into investment funds centered around environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals. He argues that…
New York Post
CDC’s Silly Stalling on Flight Masks
The Transportation Security Administration, following the recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will extend its mask mandate for airplanes through mid-April. Once…
Blog
CEI Submits Appeal of Lack of Peer Review for EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding
The Competitive Enterprise Institute is challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s Endangerment Finding for Greenhouse Gases on procedural grounds. This is the document which…
USA Today
What Did Biden Get Wrong on Crypto? His New Order Threatens to Smother Innovation
President Joe Biden released an executive order Wednesday that could curtail opportunities that cryptocurrency provides for economic advancement, notwithstanding the order’s hopeful tone…
CoinDesk
The First Crypto War May Lead to Lasting Peace
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is the first crypto war. The digital asset front follows only the actual fighting in importance. Crypto has…
Op-Eds
Watch Us Fight Covid
The Biden administration’s 97-page National Covid-19 Preparedness Plan, released this month, features a “Test to Treat” initiative that would set up…
Blog
Social Cost of Carbon Litigation – Who Will Have the Last Laugh?
The 10-State litigation led by Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry to block the Biden administration’s use of social cost of greenhouse gases (SC-GHG) estimates…
Blog
Inflation Numbers Show a Minimum Wage Hike Is Still A Bad Idea
Like a slasher movie villain who refuses to die, the push to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour seems to have…
Inside Sources
Russia’s Invasion Impact Hits Beyond Oil to Mining and Metals
Much has been said about the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on oil and natural gas markets and the lessons for American energy…
Blog
Climate Risk, Climate Policy, and the Ukraine Crisis
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) sea-level rise report made a media splash when the agency released it in February. Headlines in…
Blog
Inflation Sets Another 40-Year High: Relief Is in Sight, with Caveats
Inflation set a new 40-year high in February. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by 0.8 percent in February, which annualizes to 7.9…
Fox and Friends First
VIDEO: Myron Ebell Joins Fox & Friends First
Director for the Center for Energy and Environment Myron Ebell joins ‘Fox & Friends First’ to discuss President Biden’s Russian oil ban and the…
The Washington Times
Why Biden Energy Policies Have Contributed to Surging Oil Prices
The Washington Times cites Director of the Center for Energy and Environment Myron Ebell on why the Biden Administration should change its…
Fox Business
West Virginia vs. EPA at Supreme Court: Energy Costs at Stake as Ukraine-Russia War Rages
Fox Business cites Director of the Center for Energy and Environment Myron Ebell on the West Virgina v. EPA Supreme Court case:…
The Washington Times
Journalists Under Fire in Russian Invasion of Ukraine
The Washington Times cites Director of Center for Energy and Environment Envir Myron Bell on how the Biden Administration’s anti-energy policies will continue to…
National Review
The ESG Backlash
The movement for environment, social, and governance (ESG) investing, after several years of headline-grabbing growth, is about to hit a wall of resistance. Conservatives have…
News Release
CEI Statement: Biden Executive Order to Target Crypto for Regulation
The White House is set to release an executive order today regulating cryptocurrency. CEI Senior Fellow John Berlau expressed concerns about the order and…
News Release
Biden Admin’s Reinstatement of California’s Power to Rig Auto Markets Deserves to Lose in Court
The Biden Administration announced today it will reinstate the waiver that allows California to set its own fuel economy standards. CEI experts argue it…
Reason
Can the FDA’s New Commissioner Save the Agency from Itself?
Public trust in the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is at an all-time low, largely due to its bumbled handling of the pandemic.
Blog
Biden’s Repudiation of Trump’s Regulatory Streamlining Agenda: An Inventory
The explicit pro-regulatory shift by the Biden White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has entailed abandonment not merely of…
News Release
Unless Biden Admin Reverses its Anti-Energy Policies, Russian Oil Imports Ban Will Hurt American Consumers
The Biden administration announced a ban on oil imports from Russia, in response to the invasion of Ukraine. CEI experts reacted to the decision.
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Opposing March-In over Drug Prices
Dear Secretary Becerra, On behalf of millions of Americans across the country, we urge you to ignore calls and petitions asking you to…
Blog
House Subcommittee on Energy and Commerce Hosts Less than Festive Parade for Big Tech Accountability
The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce met on Tuesday, March 1, for a legislative hearing on “Holding…
The Washington Times
Researchers Warn Trendy CBD Gummies Can Cause Failed Drug Tests
The Washington Times cites Senior Fellow Michelle Minton on popular consumer gummies and vaporizers: Michelle Minton, a senior fellow at the…