The week in regulations: Flight safety and organic pet food

Qatar’s government gave Trump a $400 million jumbo jet that he can use after leaving office. The US and China agreed to lower their tariffs for 90 days, though rates remain higher than when President Trump took office. The administration also announced price controls for prescription drugs. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from highway emissions to agency courts.

 On to the data:

• Agencies issued 59 final regulations last week, after 47 the previous week.
• That’s the equivalent of a new regulation every two hours and 51 minutes.
• With 853 final regulations so far in 2025, agencies are on pace to issue 2,269 final regulations this year.
• For comparison, there were 3,248 final regulations in 2024, 3,018 in 2023, and 3,168 in 2022.
• Agencies issued 61 proposed regulations in the Federal Register last week, after 22 the previous week.
• With 496 proposed regulations so far in 2025, agencies are on pace to issue 1,319 proposed regulations this year.
• For comparison, there were 1,769 proposed regulations in 2024, 2,102 proposed regulations in 2023, and 2,044 in 2022.
• Agencies published 444 notices last week, after 443 notices the previous week.
• With 7,278 notices so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 19,356 notices this year.
• For comparison, there were 25,506 notices in 2024, 22,902 in 2023, and 28,932 in 2022.
• Last week, 1,130 new pages were added to the Federal Register, after 1,168 pages the previous week.
• The average Federal Register issue in 2025 contains 226 pages.
• With 21,214 pages so far, the 2025 Federal Register is on pace for 56,420 pages.
• For comparison, the 2024 Federal Register has an all-time record 107,261 pages. The 2023 edition has 90,402 pages, and the 2022 Federal Register has 80,756 pages.
• Rules with $200 million or more of economic effects in at least one year qualify as major under Section 3(f)(1). This replaced the former economically significant tag for $100 million-plus regulations.
• However, the $100 million economically significant tag is now revived under a Trump Executive Order, and the $200 million 3(f)(1) tag is going away. We will likely see rules from both categories this year.
• There are three 3(f)1 or economically significant regulations so far in 2025, with none in the last week.
• This is on pace for eight 3(f)(1) or economically significant regulations in 2025.
• For comparison, there were 20 3(f) significant regulations in 2024, 28 3(f)(1) and/or economically significant regulations in 2023, and 43 economically significant rules in 2022. Note that these are not apples-to-apples comparisons, since 3(f)(1) and economically significant rules have different thresholds.
• This year’s section 3(f)(1) and economically significant regulations have estimated costs ranging from $1.87 billion to $22.57 billion.
• For context, the cost tally for 2024’s 3(f)(1) significant regulations is net savings of $16.42 billion to 26.45 billion. 2023’s 3(f)(1) and/or economically significant regulations estimated costs range from $62.60 billion to 90.48 billion. Cost estimates for 2022’s economically significant rules range $45.28 billion to $78.05 billion. The exact numbers depend on discount rates and other assumptions.
• There was one new final regulation last week meeting the broader definition of “significant,” after one the previous week.
• So far this year, there are 58 new regulations meeting the broader definition of “significant.” This is on pace for 154 significant regulations in 2025.
• For comparison, there were 339 such regulations in 2024, 290 in 2023, and 255 in 2022.
• So far in 2025, 262 new regulations affect small businesses, on pace for 697. Fifteen of them are significant, on pace for 40.
• For comparison, in 2024 there were 770 regulations affecting small businesses, 76 of them significant. In 2023 there were 789 regulations affecting small businesses, 79 of them significant. In 2022 there were 912 regulations affecting small businesses, 70 of them significant.

Highlights from last week’s new final regulations:

• The CFPB is withdrawing numerous guidance documents issued since 2011.
• Spiny dogfish.
• Galdieria extract blue is now exempt from color additive certification.
• Calcium phosphate is now exempt from color additive certification.
• Butterfly pea flower extract is now exempt from color additive certification.
• Fishing-for-hire for red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico.
• Rescission of recordkeeping requirements for certain pesticides.
• Rescission of obsolete data collection requirements for the Child and Adult Care Food Program.
• Federal rules of acquisition for goods not made in the United States.
• The introduction to the 2025 circular for federal rules of acquisition.
• A correction to greenhouse gas emissions measuring rules for highways.
• Removal of obsolete crop assistance program regulations.
• Emergency restrictions on Lebanese archaeological artifacts.
• HHS documents identified for recission.
• FAA rules related to the Gulf of Mexico’s name change executive order.
• The CFPB is rescinding a 2022 regulation on the scope of state enforcement.
• Withdrawal of a regulation making bank mergers more difficult.
• The Interior Department and the Army are delaying reservoir project lands policies.
• The Postal Service’s 5-digt/3-digit sortation is now optional.
• The CFPB is rescinding some Covid-era  real estate regulations.
• It is now a little easier for the Energy Department to fire people.
• The Energy Department is rescinding nondiscrimination rules for education programs receiving federal assistance.
• And for minority businesses seeking contracts.
• The Energy Department is ending nondiscrimination rules on the basis of sex for participating in college sports for colleges receiving federal assistance.
• The Energy Department is rescinding some of its permit regulations.
• And construction requirements related to nondiscrimination.
• Procedures for buying oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

And from last week’s proposed regulations:

• The Small Business Administration runs a tribal mentor-protégé program in Anchorage, Alaska. It is seeking public input on its effectiveness.
• Missed loan payments.
• The Agricultural Marketing Service is ending a subsidy and promotion program for organic mushrooms and pet food.
• The CFPB is rescinding rules from 2022 for its in-house court system.
• CFPB procedures for supervisory designation proceedings.
• The CFPB is proposing to rescind its registration requirements for non covered persons subject to certain agency and court orders.
• FAA rules for reduced reliability flight safety.
• Hydrogen fluoride.
• Safety zones near rocket launches.
• The CFPB is withdrawing a regulation that makes cash transfers more difficult.
• The CFPB is withdrawing a regulation for terms and conditions product agreements.
• The CFPB is withdrawing a proposed regulation on data brokers.
• Stricter Medicaid tax waiver tests.
• Rescinded civil rights data collection for SNAP.
• New rulemaking, guidance, and enforcement procedures from the Transportation Department.
• The Energy Department is rescinding energy conservation standards for conventional ovens, commercial clothes washers, battery chargers, air cleaners, small electric motors; residential dishwasher,; conventional cooking tops, microwave ovens, external power supplies, miscellaneous refrigeration products, consumer furnace fans, compressors, residential clothes washers, compact residential clothes washers, commercial warm air furnaces, certain power supplies, portable air conditioners, automatic commercial ice makers, faucets, commercial prerinse spray valves, dehumidifiers, and fans and blowers.
• The Energy Department is also rescinding voluntary greenhouse gas reporting requirements.
• Application for transmitting electricity to a foreign country.
• Rescinded cellulosic biofuel incentives.
• Rescinded energy production incentives.

For more data, see Ten Thousand Commandments and follow @10KC and @RegoftheDay on Twitter. See also CEI’s Agenda for Congress.