The week in regulations: Medical devices and tuna

President Trump proposed a 100 percent tariff on foreign movies, and reopening Alcatraz. The US and UK announced a trade deal. The Vatican named a new Pope. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from workplace discrimination to pilot schools.

On to the data: 

• Agencies issued 47 final regulations last week, after 28 the previous week.

• That’s the equivalent of a new regulation every three hours and 34 minutes.

• With 794 final regulations so far in 2025, agencies are on pace to issue 2,230 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 22 proposed regulations in the Federal Register last week, after 19 the previous week. 

• With 435 proposed regulations so far in 2025, agencies are on pace to issue 1,222 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 443 notices last week, after 405 notices the previous week.

• With 6,834 notices so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 19,197 notices this year. 

• For comparison, there were 25,506 notices in 2024, 22,902 in 2023, and 28,932 in 2022.

• Last week, 1,168 new pages were added to the Federal Register, after 1,396 pages the previous week.

• The average Federal Register issue in 2025 contains 226pages.

• With 20,081 pages so far, the 2025 Federal Register is on pace for 56,407 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 regulationsso 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 none the previous week.

• So far this year, there are 57 new regulations meeting the broader definition of “significant.” This is on pace for 160significant regulations in 2025.

• For comparison, there were 339 such regulations in 2024, 290 in 2023, and 255 in 2022.

• So far in 2025, 246 new regulations affect small businesses, on pace for 691. Fourteen of them are significant, on pace for 39.

• 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:

• Import restrictions on archaeological artifacts from Uzbekistan.

• The Energy Department is reviewing clean energy requirements for federal building renovations.

• Red snapper accountability.

• Commercial tuna restrictions.

• A Coast Guard safety zone in the Guld of Mexico for the Pass a Loutre Wildlife Management Area.

• Extended comment period for fair housing regulation revisions.

• Withdrawn energy efficiency standards for miscellaneous gas products.

• Water makeup of spent nuclear fuel pools.

• NASA is inflation-adjusting its civil penalties.

• Corrections to dairy price controls.

• Medical device classification for coagulation systems for measurement of whole blood viscoeleastic properties in perioperative patients.

• Medical device classification for devices to detect nucleic acids from non-viral microorganisms causing sexually transmitted infections and associated resistance markers.

• Medical device classification for the voriconazole system.

• Medical device classification for the breast milk macronutrients test system.

• Medical device classification for cytomegalovirus nucleic acid detection devices for congenital cytomegalovirus infections.

• Medical device classification for microbial nucleic acid storage devices.

• Medical device classification for devices that detect and measure non-microbial analytes to aid in detecting and identifying localized human infections.

• Medical device classification for DNA-based tests to measure minimal residual disease in hematological malignancies.

• Recission of federal workplace non-discrimination clarification rules.

And from last week’s proposed regulations:

• A PATRIOT Act provision is being used against a financial firm “found to be of primary money laundering concern.”

• Natural gas pipelines.

• The Interior Department is delaying new rules of practice.

• Location accuracy requirements for 911 calls.

• Public input on modernizing pilot schools.

• Extended comment period for food labeling regulations.

• Marine mammal casualties due to military exercises.

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