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News Release
21st Century Worker Act Aims to End Worker Classification Confusion
Today, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced the 21st Century Worker Act, a much needed practical step to clear up persistent confusion surrounding worker classification under…
News Release
92,000 jobs were lost in February, turbulent labor market continues: CEI analysis
The latest Bureau of Labor Statistics’ report shows 92,000 jobs were lost in February, indicating a turbulent labor market. Given today’s report, attention will…
The Daily Economy
‘Violent Saviors’: William Easterly’s Book on Imperialism and Conquest
While framed as a book about economic development theory and the history of colonialism, William Easterly’s latest tome is actually something grander and more ambitious:…
Search Posts
News Release
21st Century Worker Act Aims to End Worker Classification Confusion
Today, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced the 21st Century Worker Act, a much needed practical step to clear up persistent confusion surrounding worker classification under…
News Release
92,000 jobs were lost in February, turbulent labor market continues: CEI analysis
The latest Bureau of Labor Statistics’ report shows 92,000 jobs were lost in February, indicating a turbulent labor market. Given today’s report, attention will…
The Daily Economy
‘Violent Saviors’: William Easterly’s Book on Imperialism and Conquest
While framed as a book about economic development theory and the history of colonialism, William Easterly’s latest tome is actually something grander and more ambitious:…
National Review
Freedom from the Robinson-Patman Act Is Never More Than One Generation Away from Extinction
The National Review cited CEI’s new report on the Robinson- Patman law As I detail in a new report for the Competitive Enterprise…
The Washington Examiner
Despite its reluctance, tariff setting is the job of Congress — not Trump
The Supreme Court’s recent ruling against the legality of President Donald Trump’s tariffs was fundamentally about the rule…
The Daily Economy
The Old World’s Last Export
It used to be said that the sun never set on the British Empire, so far-flung were its possessions. Britain has long since retreated from…
Blog
Yes, Trump has shrunk the government
President Trump’s big jobs boast in his State of the Union address Tuesday was that under his watch every job created in the US…
Letters
Accountability in Action: Repeal the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation
Dear Representative/Senator, We appreciate your leadership in advancing President Trump’s agenda to reduce government spending and restore accountability by reining in bureaucracy and rooting out…
Blog
Supreme Court reaffirms that tariff power belongs to Congress, not the president
In Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump and the consolidated case Trump v. V.O.S. Selections, Inc., the Supreme Court delivered an important separation of powers ruling…
Blog
Merger relief vs. the consolidation regulators ignore
A federal court’s decision blocking a 2024 Federal Trade Commission’s expanded merger-disclosure rule is welcome. But its significance risks being overstated. Skirmishes over reporting…
Trib Live
Tariff ruling bolsters Supreme Court’s credibility in eyes of Duquesne President Ken Gormley
Trib Live cited CEI’s expert on business Major corporations have sought legal counsel in anticipation of filing lawsuits to secure these payouts, according to…
Citation
Trump’s New Tariff Plan Faces a Complicated Future In Congress
Notus cited CEI’s expert on tariffs and trade “The administration was expecting this decision to come out and strike down the 1977 IEEPA tariffs, so…
National Today
Cooling Inflation Faces Test as Stubborn Costs Linger
New York Today cited CEI’s expert on Tariffs & Trade. “The trouble is that most of what America imports is inputs for other goods, which…
Study
Zombie Antitrust: Is Robinson-Patman a Dead Law Walking?
Introduction Lawrence O’Brien, well-known confidant and aide to the Kennedys at the height of their 1960s power, entitled his political autobiography No Final Victories. What…
Study
Stop Making Sense: Reviving the Robinson-Patman Act and the Economics of Intermediate Price Discrimination
I. Introduction Early in the 20th century, a new model for retail sales arose: chain stores. One chain, the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P), became America’s largest retailer during 40…
News Release
FTC should return to bipartisan consensus deemphasizing Robinson-Patman enforcement in competition policy
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) under two consecutive administrations is reviving enforcement of a 1930s law that was dormant for decades after a bipartisan consensus…
Las Vegas Review-Journal
EDITORIAL: Real progress on federal regulatory reform
Las Vegas Review Journal cited CEI’s expert on the Federal Register It was a herculean task, given President Joe Biden’s slavish devotion to a…
News Release
Statement by Competitive Enterprise Institute President Kent Lassman on Ed Crane’s passing
Ed Crane, libertarian activist and co-founder of the Cato Institute, passed on Wednesday, February 11. CEI President Kent Lassman remembers Crane for his profound legacy,…
Capitol Research Center
American Compass vs AFL-CIO battle isn’t what it appears to be
Capitol Research Center cited CEI’s expert on Labor & Employment The language of the title is notable, and evidence of where the Compass faction…
News Release
January adds 130,000 jobs, economists still cautious: CEI analysis
The economy added 130,000 jobs to the economy in January, exceeding economists’ expectations. While the news isn’t bad, lingering uncertainty regarding President Trump’s economic…
NPR
Warming your house the green way just got more expensive
NPR cited CEI’s expert on energy efficiency “A lot of the people who are installing solar panels and adding insulation to their homes and…
News Release
Trump’s pick for Fed chair spurs doubt on key issues
President Trump has decided on a nominee for the next Federal Reserve chair – Kevin Warsh, financier, bank executive, and former Federal Reserve Board of…
News Release
Fed stays the course on fighting inflation and proving its independence: CEI analysis
The Federal Reserve has decided to not move interest rates, an expected decision that signals the Fed’s independence and its continued fight against inflation. CEI…
Th Daily Caller
GOP Rift Erupts After 57 Republicans Work With Democrats To Protect ‘Orwellian’ Way To Shut Off Cars
The Daily Caller cited CEI’s expert on government overreach “The vehicle ‘kill-switch’ is precisely the kind of overreach that will empower regulatory agencies to manage…
News Release
House vote today could help end vehicle ‘kill switch’ mandate
The House today may vote to block enforcement of “kill switch” technology that allows too much remote control of drivers and automobiles. Specifically, Rep. Thomas…
Citation
DOJ investigation could push Powell to hold on to his seat at Fed
The Washington Examiner cited CEI’s expert on Powell Ryan Young, a senior economist at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, said that Powell choosing to remain in…
Citation
Federal agencies drown Americans with unreleased regulatory ‘guidance’
The Washington Post cited CEI’s Regulatory Dark Matter A bill that passed the House by voice vote last March would give Americans a little more…
News Release
Statement in Support of Provisions of the RSC’s Budget Reconciliation Framework
I write to commend the Republican Study Committee for certain key deregulatory provisions contained in Making the American Dream Affordable Again: a Framework for…
Reuters
A back-of-envelope evaluation of national tax rates and freedom levels
Reuters cited CEI’s expert on tax rates & political systems Richard Morrison, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute: “Low-freedom countries may have low…
News Release
Inflation rises in December, Trump’s Fed threats raise questions about monetary policy future: CEI analysis
The CPI for December rose 0.3 percent, bringing year-over-year inflation up to 2.7 percent. While the report suggests monetary policy is unlikely to change soon,…
News Release
Trump’s criminal investigation of Fed chairman a mistake: CEI analysis
The Trump Justice Department’s newly announced criminal investigation of the Federal Reserve chairman, ostensibly concerning renovations of the Fed’s headquarters, is a mistake. Ryan Young,…
Fox News
Levin: There’s no ‘conflict’ between Trump and Congress, just ‘talk’
Mark Levin from Fox News mentioned CEI’s expert on 10kc report Watch more at Fox News…
The Orange County
America’s AI electricity ‘crisis’ is easily fixed: Unleash market forces
The Orange County Register cited CEI’s expert on data centers public utility price. Communities are rebelling against the construction of massive data farms.
News Release
Tariffs loom over US economy’s disappointing job gains for December 2025
The US economy added a disappointing 50,000 jobs in December 2025, according to government data. CEI experts point to tariffs and economic uncertainty as a…
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 with ‘only’…
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 by…
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 delegated increasing…
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 2025,…
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 of…
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 many…
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 as an…
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 rivalry…
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 millions…
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 the…
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. Top…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: The business of America with Neil Bradley
In this week’s episode we cover the economic effects of net-zero policies in blue states and Europe, top targets for environmental…
News Release
Fed cuts interest rates in December meeting: CEI analysis
The Federal Reserve today cut interest rates by 0.25 percentage points, a sign the board is wrangling with tradeoffs, say CEI economy experts. Ryan Young,…
Legal Brief
Brief of Amici Curiae: Pung v. Isabella
In Pung v. Isabella County: CEI attorneys urged the U.S. Supreme Court to stop tax-foreclosure practices that strip homeowners of their equity, because they violate…
Blog
Politics over pensions: An ESG report card for proxy voting
Unleashing Prosperity (UP) recently released a timely report, “Putting Politics Over Pensions: The 2025 Unleash Prosperity Report Card on Investment Fund Managers and Proxy…
News Release
Consumer price inflation accelerating, recent government report shows: CEI analysis
Today the federal government released inflation data on consumer prices dating back to the month of September (having been delayed due to the weeks-long government…
Letters
CEI Letter of Support on the Small Business Regulatory Reduction Act
Members of Congress, We write to reiterate our strong support for Rep. Van Duyne’s (TX-24) Small Business Regulatory Reduction Act (SBRRA). Recent…
DC Journal
Public Interest Requires the FCC to Abolish the News Distortion Standard
For decades, the Federal Communications Commission has invoked the public interest to regulate the speech of television and radio stations licensed by the agency. Television…
Law & Liberty
America’s Hidden Judiciary
Unbeknownst to most Americans, federal regulatory agencies have their own court system for adjudicating disputes that businesses and citizens have with regulators. These agencies rely…
The Daily Signal
The Woman Who Redeemed Chester Arthur
The new Netflix series “Death by Lightning” (based on the fantastic book, “Destiny of the Republic”) tells the true story of President James Garfield’s assassination in 1881 and…
The Dispatch
Antitrust Law Has Never Been Static
Last week a federal judge ruled that Meta was not an illegal monopoly, citing the changes in the social media landscape since the company bought…
Blog
The week in regulations: Airport fees and pesticide fragrances
September’s jobs report came out after a shutdown-related delay. The FTC lost its antitrust case against Meta. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from postage pricing…
News Release
New Interior Department plan to increase offshore lease sales will help lower prices, increase supply – CEI experts
Yesterday, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum issued a Secretary Order that would replace the Biden administration’s 2024–2029 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas…
The Washington Times
Thanksgiving dinner prices fall for 3rd straight year as inflation cools
The Washington Times cited CEI’s expert on prices Ryan Young, a senior economist at the libertarian Competitive Enterprise Institute, said more families are opting for…
RealClear History
Death by Lightning: Fact vs. Fiction
People may think the 2020s in America seem like strange times, but 1881 could give it a run for its money. A corrupt Vice President,…
Blog
Camelot and misuse of the public interest
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr has used the Communications Act’s public interest obligation to pressure broadcast licensees. This includes threatening ABC over…
News Release
Competitive Enterprise Institute documentary releases on YouTube November 19
The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) is pleased to announce that its award-winning documentary, Dear Mr. President: The Letters of Julia Sand, will premiere on…
DC Journal
Shutdown Lesson: Don’t Depend on D.C.
The federal shutdown is over. Here’s one big takeaway: We need to depend less on Washington. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food aid program’s…
InsideHealthPolicy
Shutdown Stalled Deregulatory Action At HHS, In Congress
“Jeremy Nighohossian, a health policy expert and economist at regulatory reform organization the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), told Inside Health Policy in a statement that…
Regulatory Studies Center Columbian College of Arts & Sciences
Exploring the Dynamics of Regulatory Adjudication
In brief… Federal agency adjudication allows certain agencies to oversee and resolve their legal disputes internally. While this process is fairly well documented, what is…
National Review
A Less Perfect Union
Charlie Kirk’s tragic murder has had ramifications across America, but one of its strangest consequences has been to bring a venerable British institution to the brink…
Study
Freedom, Broadcasting, and the Public Interest
Introduction The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is invoking the public interest to justify regulatory moves that would, in theory, force television and radio station broadcast…
The Daily Economy
Digital ID and the Return of Big Brother Britain
Fresh out of university and looking for a career in public policy, I interviewed for a job in the Conservative Research Department of the British…
News Release
Interest rates cut again, Fed to stop shrinking balance sheet in December: CEI analysis
Today, the Federal Reserve announced an interest rate cut of 25 basis points, in line with economists’ predictions. CEI senior economist Ryan Young…
News Release
Frack to the Future with North Dakota’s permitting success
Today, the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) released a new report highlighting North Dakota’s user-friendly environmental permitting laws. “North Dakota has always been rich with…
Study
Frack to the Future
Introduction North Dakota is typically known for the Badlands, agriculture, Fargo (thanks, Coen brothers), cold weather, and its flat landscape. Yet, due to technological advancements…
Fox Business
Federal Reserve faces dilemma amid expected rate cut decision
FOX Business cited CEI’s expert on inflation data The latest inflation data from September released on Friday showed that the consumer price index…
Forbes
Washington’s Hidden Rulebook: The 2025 Darklore Depository And The Case For Guidance Document Reform
Agencies also say “BOO” with guidance documents, statements of policy, memoranda, notices, bulletins, advisory opinions, directives, news releases, letters and even blog posts. We call…
Washington Examiner
No excuse for price floors in rare earths dispute
Parents don’t tolerate “But they do it, too” as an excuse from their children. What about when adults in positions of power use it? That…
Blog
Rare earths and China: Choose deregulation, not price controls
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent threatened to implement price controls on unspecified goods if China continues to restrict rare earth mineral exports. Over at the…
News Release
Inflation increased 0.3 percent in September, higher prices still sticking around: CEI analysis
September saw an inflation increase of 0.3 percent across all sectors, in line with economists’ predictions. CEI senior economist Ryan Young says today’s…
Forbes
$1 Trillion And Counting: Do Federal Grants Sabotage Regulatory Reform?
There’s been much attention to Donald Trump’s streamlining and “deconstruction” of conventional notice-and-comment regulation this year – a campaign that includes…
Blog
In absence of federal action, states begin challenging the proxy duopoly
The two largest proxy advisors, Glass Lewis and Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), have dominated the proxy voting market for the past 22 years. Following the…
Comment
Comments urging withdrawal of Chopra CFPB open banking mandate
Dear Acting Director Vought: On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, I appreciate the opportunity to submit comments on RIN 3170-AB39, CFPB’s reconsideration of issues…
Comment
CEI Comments on the FTC’s Draft Strategic Plan for FY 2026–2030: Supporting Balanced Enforcement, Evidence-Based Policymaking, and Regulatory Predictability
RE: Draft FTC Strategic Plan for FY 2026-2030 Docket No.: FTC-2025-0660 On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), I would like to thank the…
The Daily Signal
Is a Leftist-Created Corner of the Bureaucracy Defying the Government Shutdown?
The Daily Signal cited CEI’s expert on the CFPB Despite limits, with Vought at the helm, the CFPB has been headed in a more positive…
Forbes
Small Business Regulation Is Cratering – Here’s The Hidden Catch
But during the Biden administration, red tape proliferated. The Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council noted, for example, the toll from credit card…
Letters
CEI Joins ATR in Urging Commerce to Reject Patent Tax Proposal Undermining OBBBA Success
Dear Secretary Lutnick: The undersigned organizations represent millions of Americans for whom efforts alongside the Trump administration on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA)…
DC Journal
Counterpoint: Single-Use Plastic Bans Make No Sense
Nobody wants plastic pollution. That doesn’t mean poorly considered and heavy-handed governmental actions are the solution. This includes misguided single-use plastic bans (e.g., bans on…
The American Spectator
Trump Topples the Regulatory Tower
The American Spectator cited CEI’s 10kc The federal government collected $4.9 trillion in taxes in 2024. The Competitive Enterprise Institute, founded by the late Fred Smith, calculates that in 2025…
National Review
Time to Spring Trump’s Tariff Trap
H.L. Mencken, the Sage of Baltimore, grounded American democracy in the notion that the “common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and…
Trib Live
‘We’re stretching’: As grocery prices continue to climb, shoppers redefine their staples
Trib Live cited CEI’s expert on Tariffs “Tomatoes from Mexico are being hit with a 17% tariff,” Ortega said. “In the cold months, we’ll…
Forbes
Turn Shutdown Theater Into A Slim-Down: Cut Spending And Regulation At Once
Looming federal government shutdowns should be treated as opportunities to cut both spending and regulation. So as we barrel toward a potential…
News Release
Trump’s views on Tylenol shouldn’t supersede doctor advice
President Trump railed against Tylenol (acetaminophen) in a press conference this week, imploring, in particular, pregnant women and babies to not take (or be administered)…
The Hill
The Movement: Erika Kirk, Trump showcase clashing messages about conservativism’s soul
The Hill cited CEI’s annual Julian L Simon Dinner The regulatory-reform-focused Competitive Enterprise Institute’s president, Kent Lassman, made a pointed joke about the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) at its swanky annual…
News Release
Affordable transportation should be celebrated over “World Car-Free Day”
September 22 is associated with “World Car-Free Day”, an occasion aimed at prodding people to find alternative ways to travel around that day. CEI Senior…
Citation
Playbook PM: The shutdown countdown begins
Politico cited CEI’s annual Julian L Simon Dinner. The Competitive Enterprise Institute hosted its annual Julian L. Simon Memorial Award Dinner at the Organization of…
The Daily Economy
Why the Old Left–Right Divide No Longer Works
A century ago, Michael Oakeshott, Britain’s great skeptic of politics, a grand project, diagnosed a sickness that now afflicts every Western democracy: the confusion between…
News Release
Fed independence is the real story in Wednesday’s interest rate decision: CEI analysis
Today, the Federal Reserve announced it is cutting interest rates by 25 basis points, the first cut in nine months. CEI senior economist…
The Washington Post
The wine industry doesn’t work the way Washington thinks it does
Owning a vineyard in Napa Valley sounds fancy, but the wine business is, in reality, pretty gritty: It is a low-margin agricultural and food-processing business…
Comment
CEI is in Support of the GOOD Act: Bringing Federal Guidance Out of the Shadows
Dear Members of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, We write to you today ahead of markup of the Guidance Out of…
News Release
Trump’s call to end corporate quarterly reporting mandates would boost competitiveness, end onerous regulation
President Trump today used a social media post to call on the SEC to end quarterly reporting mandates for publicly traded companies and instead move…
Comment
CEI’S Request for Federal Intervention on State Climate Disclosure Laws That Adversely Affect Interstate Commerce and Violate Constitutional Limits
Request for Information on State Laws Having Significant Adverse Effects on the National Economy or Significant Adverse Effects on Interstate Commerce Dear Mr. Schilling, Thank…
News Release
Inflation increased 0.4 percent in August, all eyes on the Fed’s next move: CEI analysis
The Consumer Price Index report for August showed a 0.4 percent increase in inflation across all sectors. With Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs being implemented…
Letters
CEI partners with AFP & Urges Congress to Modernize Labor Laws with Pro-Worker Employee Rights Act
Dear Member of Congress: On behalf of the following organizations, we ask for your full support and co-sponsorship of H.R. 4154, the Employee Rights Act…
Blog
Trump’s Intel stake and the Peronist precedent of Obama’s auto bailouts
President Trump’s decision to take a 10-percent ownership stake in chipmaker Intel has been described by many commentators as “socialism.” Others have…
Staff & Scholars
Clyde Wayne Crews
Fred L. Smith Fellow in Regulatory Studies
- Business and Government
- Consumer Freedom
- Deregulation
Richard Morrison
Senior Fellow
- Antitrust
- Business and Government
- Capitalism and Free Enterprise
Ryan Young
Senior Economist and Director of Publications
- Antitrust
- Business and Government
- Regulatory Reform