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Three consequences of Illinois’ interchange fee law
In my new CEI paper, I examine the Illinois Interchange Fee Prohibition Act and what policymakers can learn from previous efforts to restrict…
Read the Full Study
Report: Government limit on credit card interchange fees undermines consumers, small businesses
A new Competitive Enterprise Institute report examines an Illinois law that will limit credit card interchange fees paid by merchants to the banks and credit unions that issue…
News Release
Federal Reserve moves to keep interest rates steady during its June meeting: CEI analysis
The Fed has decided to keep interest rates where they are, signaling the focus is still on economic uncertainty and asserting its independence…
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Letters
CEI Joins ATR in opposition to the Internal Revenue Service’s midnight rulemaking on digital asset brokers.
Dear Member of Congress, We, the undersigned organizations, write to express our opposition to the Internal Revenue Service’s midnight rulemaking on digital…
Blog
Gov. Youngkin should veto restrictive credit bill
While many watchful eyes focus on the economic impacts of actions of federal lawmakers inside the Beltway, pending legislation in a statehouse 100 miles…
News Release
February inflation numbers not yet reflective of Trump’s tariffs: CEI analysis
Inflation rose 0.2 percent across all sectors in February, down from 0.5 percent in January. CEI senior economist Ryan Young says Trump’s tariffs…
The Economic Standard
The CFPB drops its misguided case against Zelle
Seemingly as part of the general order to stop work by acting director Russ Vought, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has …
Op-Eds
Op-Ed: Why states should avoid the temptation to tax unrealized gains
Prospects for a federal wealth tax could be nil in the Trump era, but states – specifically blue states – may be tempted to…
News Release
House poised to debate rescinding Biden EPA methane tax rule
Today, the House is expected to debate a resolution of disapproval that would rescind the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) methane tax…
Letters
CEI joins coalition letter highlighting Congress’s historic opportunity to expand on the success of health savings accounts (HSAs)
Dear Members of Congress, We, the undersigned organizations, are writing to highlight Congress’s historic opportunity to expand on the success of health savings…
News Release
Trump administration appoints free market champion Mark Calabria to OMB post: CEI statement
The Trump administration has appointed free market advocate Mark Calabria as Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Associate Director for Treasury, Housing, and Commerce.
Blog
The FROGs are back: Will White House hop to it on guidance documents?
Donald Trump’s 2019’s Executive Order 13891, “Promoting the Rule of Law through Improved Agency Guidance Documents,” established online portals and inventories…
Letters
CEI is in opposition to proposals that would raise taxes on carried interest investment income.
Dear Members of Congress, We the undersigned organizations write in opposition to proposals that would raise taxes on carried interest investment income.
Blog
The SCRUB Act: Washing away Washington’s regulatory grime
The Searching for and Cutting Regulations that are Unnecessarily Burdensome (SCRUB) Act, introduced today by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), is a key step …
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: flax revenue and female test dummies
President Trump announced reciprocal tariffs. At this point it is uncertain how they would be implemented. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from butterfat testing…
Blog
Goodbye to the roaring twenties of regulation? A cost roundup
The final Report to Congress on the Benefits and Costs of Federal Regulations from the Biden administration appeared January 15. Here at the…
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: Clothes dryers and nuclear reactors
It was a slow week for the Federal Register and a busy week for everything else. President Trump announced 25 percent blanket tariffs against…
Blog
Zero to prosperity? New Trump executive order is a good start
Donald Trump’s return to the White House has brought a wave of executive orders, including his new “Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation” directive.
Blog
The good, the bad, and the ugly in Trump’s new regulation executive order
President Donald Trump issued a new executive order on regulation Friday reviving some of the core ideas from his first term. The order…
News Release
Trump’s pick for acting CFPB director is good news for consumers & financial innovation
CEI Director of Finance Policy John Berlau praised President Trump’s pick to act as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, following the firing…
Blog
Agenda for Congress: Inflation
CEI’s new Agenda for Congress is out now. Each chapter contains pro-market policy recommendations in areas where CEI has expertise. Here are the…
Letters
CEI opposes efforts concerning price controls on credit cards
Dear Member of Congress: We, the undersigned organizations, oppose efforts to impose price controls on credit cards. Whether through the inaccurately named…
National Review
The Federal Reserve’s New Debit Card Rule Threatens Consumers and Banks
While some lawmakers and regulators are targeting credit cards, the Federal Reserve has plans for your debit card. The likely result will…
News Release
Trump EO on digital currency welcomes innovation in cryptocurrency
President Trump today signed a pro-digital currency executive order establishing a President’s Working Group on Digital Asset Markets, within the National Economic Council,…
Op-Eds
Affordable Housing – How Donald Trump Could Accomplish More Than Jimmy Carter
The passing of Jimmy Carter sparked much praise for his post-presidency good deeds, particularly his decades of volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity building…
The Cedar Rapids Gazette
Here’s how Iowa is involved in stopping controversial ‘debanking’
Many Americans have recently been exposed to the troubling reality that their government may be encouraging banks to withdraw financial services from people or…
Yahoo Finance
Consumer protection agency closes the Biden era taking big swings
Yahoo Finance cited CEI’s financial expert on bad regulations “I can’t speak to the merits of every lawsuit, they’re filing them so…
News Release
Fed cuts interest rates again, fewer cuts planned next year: CEI analysis
Today, the Federal Reserve announced that interest rates will be cut by 25 basis points, with an additional note that there will be…
The National News Desk
Sticky inflation, Trump bring obstacles to Fed’s path to lowering rates
“While the Fed would like to cut interest rates, if they really want to signal seriousness about inflation and they want to build up…
Yahoo News
John Berlau, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, says the “supposed purpose” of this crackdown is to “prevent banks from doing business…
DC Journal
Debanking May Be a Problem for Melania Trump and Many Others
In her new memoir, former First Lady Melania Trump reveals that she was abruptly dropped by a bank with which she had a long-standing financial…
Washington Examiner
DOGE target: Paperwork hits 10 billion hours, equals 15,000 lifetimes
Washington Examiner cited CEI’s expert on financial regulation “For periodic real-time assessments, the OMB maintains an online landing page for ‘Government-Wide Totals for…
Forbes
Durban-Marshall & Reg II Benefit Big Retail at Customers’ Expense
Stop, thief! It’s common knowledge that looting and burglaries are often most successful when people are distracted by an attention-getting event – be it…
The Washington Times
Thanksgiving dinner will cost less this year as inflation cools
The Washington Times cited CEI’s expert on inflation “Even without the drop in turkey prices, Thanksgiving would still be more affordable than last year,”…
National Review
The Price of Credit-Card Convenience Is Not a Matter for Big Government
Card is $8, cash is $7,” said the taco-truck employee to me. I paid for my tacos by card because I rarely carry cash, and…
The Hill
DOGE is no joke — don’t underestimate Trump’s attack on government inefficiency
The Hill cited CEI on Federal Regulatory Burdens Ditto the regulatory burden that stems from excess government red tape spewed across businesses and…
Business Insider
The future of betting markets
Business Insider cited CEI’s expert on the future of election betting markets Prediction markets are “going to attract people who want to influencepublic…
The National News Desk
New administration brings unknowns to Fed’s path on interest rates
The National News Desk quoted CEI’s expert on the new administrations spending initiatives. “There is a huge amount of uncertainty on the…
Yahoo Finance
Biden led a consumer protection revival. Will the election cut it short?
Yahoo Finance cited CEI’s expert on consumer protection revival. As John Berlau, director of finance policy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, put it:…
News Release
Fed cuts interest rates and continues to decrease balance sheet: CEI analysis
The Federal Reserve has cut interest rates by a predicted 25 basis points and also announced that it will continue to decrease its…
Youtube
Kamala Harris Will Hike Inflation With Spending and Regulation, Trump Will Cut It
Warren Brookes fellow Carrie Sheffield gives an on-air shout out to CEI’s energy policy work…
The Washington Times
Survey finds inflation chilling Christmas shopping plans
The Washington Times cited CEI’s expert on inflation “Before the pandemic, inflation was practically nonexistent, having fallen to 0.1% in May 2020,” said…
Letters
Opposing Broadband Taxes
Dear Member of Congress: At a time when everyday Americans continue to struggle with inflation, the last thing consumers need are higher monthly…
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: Nursing pillows and mobile driver’s licenses
One more week until election season is finally, mercifully, over. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from space exports to recreational fires. On to…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Letter in Response to the FDIC’s RFI on Deposits
Dear Mr. Sheesley: We, the undersigned organizations and individuals, appreciate the opportunity to comment on the Request for Information on Deposits. We are…
Blog
Kamala’s Opportunity Agenda for Black Men: Regulatory frameworks masquerading as economic help
Recent developments signal a troubling trend for America’s small businesses, one that could alter the nation’s entrepreneurial landscape in a big and detrimental way.
Blog
House advances anti-ESG legislation on investments, pensions
The US House of Representatives recently passed a major ESG reform package that is on its way to the Senate. In a vote…
The Daily Economy
The Bipartisan War on Credit Hurts the Poor
Donald Trump is taking aim at the credit card industry. “While working Americans catch up, we’re going to put a temporary cap on credit…
Daily Caller
Biden-Harris Admin’s Aggressive Litigation Strategy To Enforce Agenda Likely Infringes On States’ Rights
The Daily Caller cited CEI’s experts on unconstitutional laws “There was very little chance of Oklahoma or Texas being successful without overturning Arizona…
Politico
Republicans have a post-pandemic plan for the scientific establishment
Politico cited CEI’s expert on a post-pandemic plan “You have the NIH in the sights of people who think there were big failures…
The Daily Caller
‘High-Value Target’: Biden-Harris Green Tax Credit Prone To Fraud, Abuse, Gov’t Watchdog Finds
Daily Caller cited CEI’s expert on energy tax credits “It is clear that the tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act primarily benefit…
Forbes
The Surprising Deregulation Legacy Of Jimmy Carter—And Why It Still Matters
In the Wall Street Journal, former Texas Sen. Phil Gramm shared a compelling account of how President Jimmy Carter—who turns 100 October 1—has not received …
The New York Times
Inside Harris’s Big Economic Pitch
The New York Times quoted CEI’s expert on Harris’s Economic Pitch While a similar argument didn’t sway regulators in JetBlue’s attempted acquisition of Spirit,…