Blog
The ‘Fake News’ Problem: Health and Safety Edition
The moniker “fake news” may have entered the mainstream lexicon in 2016, but phony and misleading news stories have always been a problem—and it’s a…
Blog
Obama Couldn’t Win a Third Term, Because He Would Have To Own His Global Warming Policy
I strongly doubt that President Obama would win a third term, as he claimed yesterday.
Blog
EPA’s Clean Power Plan Lies Undermine Congressional Oversight
Congress’s primary means of investigation are hearings and follow up questions, but these mechanisms are rendered meaningless when the agency lies.
Blog
Five New Year’s Resolutions for a New Administration
Now is the perfect time for members of the incoming Trump administration to reflect on where America is and set policy goals for the coming…
Blog
RealClear Radio Hour: Executive Actions and Blockchain Technology
In this episode, Andrew Grossman proposes executive actions Trump can take to undo problematic portions of Obama’s pen and phone legacy and Donatien Adou discusses…
Blog
The Libertarian Holiday Gift Guide
Cheers to the brilliant production team at Reason TV, who have provided some welcome comedy this holiday season with their new video, “The Libertarian Holiday…
Blog
Property Rights Are the Key to Protecting Land
We often hear that only government can protect the environment through outright land ownership or heavy regulatory control of private land.
Blog
The Future of Free Trade under a Trump Administration
My colleague Iain Murray has an excellent analysis today in Brexit Central of how a future international trade deal between the United States and a…
Blog
Congress Must Combat Threats to Affordable Energy
Policy makers should reject policies to tax and regulate away mankind’s access to affordable energy.
Blog
Can Trump (or Congress) Rescind Obama’s Arctic Drilling Ban?
President Obama yesterday designated “the vast majority of U.S. waters in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas as indefinitely off limits to offshore oil and gas…
Blog
A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade
Blog
5 Great Books on Politics and Public Policy from 2016
A lot of interesting books on politics, economics, and public policy were published over the last twelve months. It can be difficult, though, finding the gems…
Blog
Some Advice for Trump Appointees
Your role in the new administration is to propose ways of restoring limited government – by privatization, deregulation, extending property rights, and taking on the…
Blog
Congress Should Target Unaccountable EPA Programs
The newly elected congressional majority should be ready and willing to help implement President elect-Donald Trump’s promise to tackle onerous regulations. But what about so…
Blog
TSA Deserves a Lump of Coal
The TSA’s widely unpopular body scanners lead many would-be air travelers to take to the much more dangerous highways instead, where some number of them…
Blog
Must-Have Gifts for America’s Wish List
It isn’t Christmas Day yet, much to the chagrin of impatient youngsters, but it’s already time for America to put together a wish list for…
Blog
Congress Needs to Fix America’s Broken Financial System
Whole forests have been cut down to print the books written about the financial crisis of 2007/8 and America’s response to it.
Blog
RealClear Radio Hour: City Extortion and Cities’ Heroine
In this episode of RealClear Radio Hour, Brian Hodges discusses West Hollywood’s extortion of local developers and Robert Kanigel shares stories of Great American Cities…
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
On Tuesday the 2016 Federal Register topped 90,000 pages for the first time ever, and continues to extend its page-count record every day.
Blog
Federal Register Breaks Record by 10,000 Pages
Today standing at 91,642 pages, the Federal Register is 10,000 pages higher than the prior all-time record.
Blog
Three Regulatory Reforms Congress Can Pass in the First Hundred Days
Here are three they should pursue in the new administration’s first hundred days.
Blog
Can Congress Veto EPA’s Fuel Economy Rush Job?
The Environmental Protection Agency’s recent proposal to keep in place the agency’s model year greenhouse gas emission standards for new motor vehicles is the epitome…
Blog
Death Rate Rose and Life Expectancy Recently Fell in America
The death rate increased 1.2% last year, and life expectancy fell in 2015, the most recent year for which data is available.
Blog
A Free Market Policy Agenda for the Trump Administration
CEI’s free market policy agenda for the incoming Trump administration is aimed at strengthening the economy and removing barriers to economic freedom in five key…
Blog
How Ridesharing Platforms Help the Economy
We have been saying for a while that ridesharing platforms like Lyft are different from traditional transportation firms, not just in the technology they use,…
Blog
Appeal Heard on ‘Hot Fuel’ Class Action Settlements
Last month, the Tenth Circuit heard argument in CEI’s appeal of the “Hot Fuel” settlements. This is the case where the plaintiffs sued most major…
Blog
Labor and Employment Reforms for the Next Congress
In the arena of labor and employment policy, the next Congress has its hands full in reversing eight years of red-tape that unduly burdens the…
Blog
Court Strikes Down Another Unlawful Labor Rule
On December 12, 2016, the federal Northern District Court of Texas put the final nail in the coffin of the Department of Labor’s misguided persuader…
Blog
Five Ways CFPB Regulations Harm the Middle Class
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) was set up in 2010 to “make consumer financial markets work for consumers, responsible providers, and the economy as…
Blog
Ratios, Not People: The Wrong Approach to Inequality
Thomas Piketty, the best-selling author of Capital in the 21st Century, has a new paper on economic inequality with coauthors Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman.
Blog
RealClear Radio Hour: Political Disasters in Science and Economics
This week on RealClear Radio Hour, Marc Edwards and Dan Liljenquist recount politically induced disasters from the perversion of science to the pension crisis.
Blog
Congress, Trump Administration Must Prioritize Air Traffic Control Reform
Earlier this year, an effort to usher in badly needed air traffic control reform spearheaded by House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster died…
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
The 2016 Federal Register will likely top 90,000 pages next week for the first time ever.
Blog
Trump Picks Scott Pruitt to Head EPA
Yesterday, President-elect Donald Trump picked Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The nomination is significant in several ways.
Blog
Challenging Class Action Law’s ‘Professional Objectors’
Earlier this week the Center for Class Action Fairness filed a motion to intervene and seek disgorgement from for-profit “professional objectors” in the case of…
Blog
A Pro-Growth Agenda for the 115th Congress
At CEI, we believe a clear agenda is necessary to move America toward economic growth, prosperity, and liberty for individuals to chart their own paths…
Blog
EPA Rushes to Lock in Obama Administration Fuel Economy Standards
The Environmental Protection Agency last Wednesday released its proposed Mid-Term Evaluation (MET) of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission standards for model year (MY) 2022-2025 passenger vehicles.
Blog
How Should the President-elect Uphold the Rule of Law?
Under the Obama administration, executive branch departments and independent agencies issued numerous regulations and guidance documents that should be withdrawn or reversed through rulemaking.
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
As the Federal Register climbed above 87,000 pages for the first time in its 81-year history, agencies issued new rules ranging from landfills to movie…
Blog
RealClear Radio Hour: Western and Soviet Politics
In this episode, historian Andrew Roberts and Russian émigré Alexander Markovsky compare Western and Soviet politics.
Blog
FDA’s Sodium Plan Would Continue Four Decades of Failed Policy
Hypertension, which is chronically elevated blood pressure, effects about 70 million Americans, putting them at an increased risk for developing heart disease or having a…
Blog
Treasury Nominee Mnuchin Promising on Volcker Rule and Fannie and Freddie
Steven Mnuchin would bring to the Treasury Department valuable experience managing entrepreneurial ventures and company turnarounds. He has expressed some encouraging sentiments on housing policy…
Blog
Obama Overtime Rule Would Have Wreaked Havoc Starting Today
Today, the Obama Department of Labor’s new overtime regulation was scheduled to go into effect. Thousands of businesses, universities, nonprofits, and local and state governments…
Blog
Drain the Swamp: Sunset the Renewable Fuel Standard
“Draining the swamp” includes abolishing the RFS.
Blog
O’Hare Airport Strikes: Will Anybody Notice?
If 500 workers are absent for several hours and it hardly affects a thing at the airport, then how essential are they?…
Blog
Future Cyber Mondays Could Take a Hit from Proposed Internet Tax
Adobe Digital Insights predicts that Cyber Monday’s sales will surpass last year’s sales by 11.5%, for a total of $3 billion this year.
Blog
Federal Biofuel Programs Headed for Failure
Today the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released two reports on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program.
Blog
The Future of Work
Blog
Fidel Castro, Longtime Dictator of Cuba, Dies
The longtime dictator of Cuba, Fidel Castro, died Friday at the age of 90.
Blog
RealClear Radio Hour: Cancer Care, Chaos, and Climate
This week on RealClear Radio Hour, Drs. Debra Patt and Kerry Emanuel discuss the politics of cancer care, chaos theory, and climate science.
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
Thanksgiving week was a busy one, with new regulations ranging from potatoes to royalties.
Blog
Reflecting on the Obamacare Disaster and Chief Justice Roberts
on their vows to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), now is a good time to examine “what might have been” in light…
Blog
Court Blocks Overtime Rule
Labor Secretary Thomas Perez learned a harsh lesson this month. Public servants at federal agencies cannot allow their political preferences to guide their regulatory agenda.
Blog
Reasons to be Thankful: The CFPB is Accountable
Blog
O’Hare Workers to Strike for $15 Minimum Wage
Blog
Myron Ebell: Promoting sound policy for real environmental improvement
My love of nature began with a deep appreciation for the magnificent landscapes of the intermountain West. Growing up on a cattle ranch in eastern…
Blog
Clean Power Plan Is Dead
David Bookbinder, formerly chief climate counsel for the Sierra Club and now a consultant with the Niskanen Center, is one of the sharpest policy experts…
Blog
What Regulators Want Off Your Thanksgiving Table
Blog
Coalition Submits Comments on Federal Automated Vehicles Policy
Today, CEI was joined by R Street Institute and TechFreedom in comments submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on the recently released…
Blog
RealClear Radio Hour: Free Trade and Trade Finance
Blog
Another Court Ruling Confirms IRS Illegally Targeted Tea Party and Conservative Groups
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
On November 17, the 2016 Federal Register set an all-time record page count—an impressive feat for a document that has been published continuously since 1936.
Blog
Courts Reject Department of Labor Decrees
Blog
Counteracting the Midnight Rush of Regulations
Now that the White House will officially be switching parties, the outgoing Obama administration will likely pass as much of its regulatory agenda as quickly…
Blog
Free to Prosper: Top Priorities for the 115th Congress
Blog
Obama’s 2016 Federal Register Just Topped Highest Page Count of All Time
Well that didn’t him take long. President Barack Obama’s Federal Register, the daily depository of rules and regulations, added 572 pages today, and stands at…
Blog
The New Congress Should Repeal All Energy Efficiency Mandates
As part of its new agenda for January, Congress should repeal every energy-efficiency mandate on the books, ranging from Corporate Average Fuel Economy…
Blog
Which of Obama’s Midnight Regulations Will Get Rolled Back?
Yesterday, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and every Republican House Committee Chairman sent a one-paragraph letter to all executive agencies cautioning them “against finalizing…
Blog
Federal Register Tops 80,000 Pages, 3rd Highest Ever Count
Today’s Federal Register added 572 pages, and stands at 80,562 pages for 2016.
Blog
Congress Should Use REINS Act to Reform Regulation
CEI released a new report today about the REINS Act, which would require Congress to vote on all new executive branch regulations costing more than…
Blog
Supreme Court Can Save America by Taking a Gamble on Sports Betting
America is a betting nation, and last Tuesday we elected something of a wild card to be our next Commander in Chief.
Blog
Report: Nationwide Grading of Government Union Laws
At the federal level, the two primary labor and employment statutes—National Labor Relations Act and Fair Labor Standards Act, have remained relatively untouched for decades.
Blog
Three Climate Policy Executive Orders the President-Elect Should Repeal
President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to “cancel immediately” all of President Obama’s “illegal and overreaching executive orders,” and he strongly opposes Obama’s climate agenda.
Blog
RealClear Radio Hour: Veterans Day Special
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
Veterans Day made it a short work week, but agencies still filled more than 1,300 Federal Register pages with rules ranging from trailer tires to…
Blog
Federal Register Hits 4th Highest Ever Count, Will Top 80,000 Pages Tuesday
Yesterday the Federal Register hit its fifth-highest count of 79,380 pages.
Blog
The Great Infrastructure Myth
President-elect Donald Trump has promised to boost infrastructure investment by $1 trillion because there is supposedly an “infrastructure crisis.”…
Blog
Free Market Opportunities for the Trump Administration
This election has given us one more demonstration that knowledge is dispersed and “trusting the experts” to know the future is foolish. The unexpected success…
Blog
Federal Register Hits 5th Highest Ever Count, Days from All-Time High
We’ve documented here throughout November that the Federal Register is steamrolling through 2016, Obama’s final year.
Blog
Worker Freedom Wins Big on Election Night
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
The Federal Register continued its record pace last week, with Friday’s edition alone having 1,177 pages.
Blog
Obamacare Policies Are Costly and Unpopular
Obamacare policies are unpopular, and people often dump them months later.
Blog
RealClear Radio Hour: The Nanny State Down Under and the Robot Revolution
In this week’s episode, Topher Field discusses lifestyle regulation madness Down Under and Katherine Mangu-Ward ushers in the robot revolution.
Blog
Paris Climate Treaty Goes into Force, COP-22 Starts in Marrakesh
The Paris Climate Treaty went into force, or as the Associated Press story put it “became international law,” on 4th November. Ninety-seven countries accounting for approximately…
Blog
Is EPA’s Clean Power Plan “Transformative”?
Blog
Federal Register Adds 1,177 Pages, Hits 7th Highest Ever Count
We noted here on November 1 that the Federal Register is on a roll, hitting 76,270 pages, the 8th highest level ever.
Blog
The UK Uber Ruling and Two-Sided Markets
One of the things that the UK Employment Tribunal’s recent ruling (that people who use the Uber platform should be employees of the company)…
Blog
Permitting Government Employee Strikes is Bad Policy
On Tuesday, the Transportation Workers Union Local 234 (TWU) union bosses ordered nearly 5,000 public employees who work for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA)…
Blog
Obamacare Punishes Hard Work
It’s perverse to drive up the costs of someone’s health insurance—and then punish them for working two jobs to pay for that health insurance. But…
Blog
Fight Zika with Smarter Pesticide Rules
Last month, Congressional lawmakers set aside partisan disagreements and agreed to dole out $1.1 billion to combat the spread of the mosquito-transmitted Zika virus.
Blog
National Sandwich Day Sharpens Hunger for Subway Class Action Decision
It’s a good day to get a deal on a sandwich. It’s also a good day to take note of the case we’ve got pending,…
Blog
The Real Victim in the Dakota Access Pipeline Controversy Is the Company behind the Project
The real victims in the controversy over the Dakota Access Pipeline is Dakota Access Services, the company behind the 3.7 billion project that would move…
Blog
Audience Reactions to “I, Whiskey”
Since releasing the new film I, Whiskey: The Human Spirit last month, we’ve had an excellent response from people around the country.
Blog
The “Voluntary” Component of EPA’s Clean Power Plan Makes It Even More Unlawful
Today I filed a comment letter on the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed rule titled “Clean Energy Incentive Program Design Details.” The comment period closes today…
Blog
New Credit Union Deregulation Helps Consumers and Entrepreneurs
In my Forbes column last week, I wrote about how America’s credit unions faced massive new regulatory burdens from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Blog
A Federal Register Growth Spurt, Third Day of Record-Breaking Streak
The Federal Register is on a roll. On Friday, it hit 75,314 pages, the 10th highest level of all time, even though more than two…
Blog
Uber and the Market Price
I have an article today up at the Foundation for Economic Education that looks at the UK’s employment tribunal ruling that Uber drivers are employees…
Blog
Dog Bites Man: Nature Magazine Endorses Hillary
“Hillary Clinton will make a fine U.S. president.” So declares the title of a recent lead editorial in Nature magazine.
Blog
A Monster Federal Register This Halloween
Today, the 2016 Federal Register stands at 75, 670 pages, the 9th highest “yearly” count of all time—but it’s only Halloween.
Blog
5 Scariest Halloween Regulations
Regulatory dark matter is a Washington boogeyman. In 2015, there were 39 regulations for every one law passed by Congress. That’s a lot of rules…