Blog
Free the Economy podcast: FDR’s political legacy with David Beito
In this week’s episode we talk about communist housing policy in New York City, the best economics and history books to…
Blog
Rescinding the blanket 4(d) rule is good for species and people
At the close of 2025, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) proposed to rescind the blanket 4(d) rule in part due to a…
The Washington Examiner
Trump pulls US from UN’s ‘premier’ agreement on climate change in sweeping order
The Washington Examiner cited CEI’s expert on economic prosperity “Affordable and reliable energy is vital to growth and prosperity, as is removing harmful…
News Release
CEI commends President Trump for withdrawing US from 1992 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
President Trump announced this evening that the United States is withdrawing from many international agreements, including the United Nations Framework Convention on…
News Release
Trump ban on institutional investors will harm housing affordability
President Trump today called for a government ban on “large institutional investors” purchasing single-family homes. While the ban may be aimed at making…
Blog
AI and the electricity blackout America needs
The Washington Post’s latest coverage of the so-called “data center rebellion” highlights a trend building across America: communities rising up against server farms…
Blog
HSAs: A silver bullet for the silver loading conundrum
After the longest government shutdown in American history — ostensibly caused by the expiration of the expanded Obamacare subsidies — Republicans have debated health…
Legal Brief
Brief of Amicus Curiae: In Support of Inclusion of Fixed ACS Costs as Incremental Costs under Regulation II
The Competitive Enterprise Institute requests that the court reverse the district court’s ruling that fixed ACS costs are not considered incremental costs under the…
Blog
Burned by the sun: How tax incentives distort the residential solar market
As the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve, a much-hyped tax credit boosting the installation of solar panels on residential rooftops came to…
Reason
Federal Red Tape Plunges Under Trump
Reason cited CEI’s expert on regulatory activity “While Biden’s 2024 Federal Register totaled 106,109 pages—the highest in history—the 2025 volume closed the year…
News Release
Report urges yearly sunset for all government regulations following Idaho success
A new Competitive Enterprise Institute report urges an annual sunset date for all government regulations, offering a case study on this reform already implemented…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.
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…
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…
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…
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…