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Navigating the maze of federal regulations in 2024: What to know
In a bureaucratic whirlwind, the 2024 Federal Register is attaining new heights, topping 41,000 pages today. An unsettling new norm for the past few weeks…
Blog
Want higher air fares? Overregulate credit cards
This morning, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Department of Transportation are holding a joint hearing “investigating” airline and credit card reward programs.
American Institute for Economic Research
Biden Redoubles Effort to Crush Crypto With EIA’s Mining Survey
The Biden administration has launched yet another attack against the cryptocurrency industry–an environmental impact “survey” to bolster a politically motivated attack on the crypto mining…
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News Release
Appeals Court Rules on Federal Accounting Board
In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit today rejected a constitutional challenge to the Sarbanes-Oxley Public Company…
Op-Eds
Oil Speculators ‘R’ Us
Those dastardly speculators! As well as oil company CEOs, traders in commodity futures have become convenient whipping boys for politicians of both…
Newsletter
Renewable Energy, Anti-Whaling Protesters, and Fed Chairman Bernanke
The state of Colorado expands requirements for the use of renewable power. Japanese authorities plan to arrest anti-whaling protesters from the group Sea Shepherd. Federal…
Newsletter
Day Laborers in LA, Nuclear Power and Corporate Finance
Los Angeles lawmakers require home improvement stores to construct shelters for day laborers who wait for work in their parking lots. Electricity provider Constellation Energy…
Op-Eds
Sarbanes-Oxley Challenge Is Rooted in Law’s Flaw
Re: Jane Bryant Quinn’s column, “Accounting Cleanup Board Is Facing a Gutting’’ (July 16): In her attack on our constitutional challenge to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act…
Newsletter
Losses at Fannie Mae, Satellite TV Merger and Toxic Chemicals
Mortgage giant Fannie Mae reports a loss of $2.3 billion. Cable TV provider Dish Network proposes a merger with DirecTV. Former New York Times environmental…
Newsletter
Global Warming Allergies, Change at the SEC and Accounting for the Cost of Government
Global warming gets blamed for an increase in allergies. Paul Atkins steps down as Commissioner of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Taxpayer advocates observe…
News Release
SEC Commissioner Earns Praise for Service to Investors, Entrepreneurs
On Aug. 1, Paul S. Atkins ended his six-year term as Commissioner of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Competitive Enterprise Institute President Fred…
Newsletter
Bottled Water, Government Bonds and Wind Power
California’s attorney general threatens to sue Nestlé over a bottled water plant’s alleged environmental impacts. House Financial Services Committee chairman Barney Frank (D-MA) champions legislation…
Citation
Telling McDonald’s it can open franchises only in the white part of town
Newsletter
Whole Foods Merger, Ethanol’s Impact and Health Savings Accounts
A federal court calls into question the recent merger of Whole Foods and Wild Oats natural food stores. South Asian leaders meet to discuss food…
Newsletter
FCC Takes on Comcast, GM Crops and the Housing Bailout
The Federal Communications Commission puts Comcast in the hot seat over its network management practices. Security becomes the number one cost for scientists developing genetically…
Newsletter
Ethanol’s Sins, Menthol Cigarettes and Property Rights
USA Today details the troubling side effects of using corn-based ethanol as an auto fuel. Legislation to give the Food and Drug Administration authority over…
Op-Eds
Bailing Out Kelo
Of all the unintended consequences of the housing bill that passed the House on Wednesday, the most ironic and far-reaching may be this:…
Newsletter
Online Gambling, Fannie Mae Bailout and WTO
Congressman Barney Frank sponsors legislation to legalize online gambling. President Bush endorses the taxpayer bailout of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. India raises…
Newsletter
Satellite Radio, Mortgage Bailout and Union Organizing
The Federal Communications Commission continues to stall the merger of XM and Sirius satellite radio companies amid antitrust concerns. The New York Times reports that…
Citation
Sarbanes-Oxley accounting regulations
Op-Eds
Advice to Disregard
I was astounded to see the July 16 op-ed by former Fannie Mae chiefexecutive Franklin D. Raines, "The Help Fannie and Freddie Need."…
Newsletter
Expensive Regulations, Fannie Mae Bailout and Baseball Stadiums
Americans for Tax Reform marks the annual “Cost of Government Day.” Plans to spend billions of taxpayer dollars to rescue mortgage companies Fannie Mae and…
News Release
Burned Investors Call for Government Bailout
With the recent collapse of IndyMac bank in California and billions in losses at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac piling on top of the existing…
Newsletter
Banking Crisis, Globalization and Internet Poker
Federal officials charge that a letter from Sen. Chuck Schumer sparked the run on deposits that triggered the second-largest bank collapse in U.S. history this…
Newsletter
Bank Failure, Offshore Oil Drilling and Online Gambling
The multi-billion dollar failure of IndyMac bank in California fuels calls for greater government regulation of financial institutions. President Bush lifts the White House ban…
Study
Can Someone Deal Internet Poker a Good Hand?
Recent attempts to reform the legal environment for online gaming fall short.
Newsletter
Bank Failure, EPA Reports and the Future of Wind Power
Federal officials seize control of IndyMac bank in the second-largest bank failure in U.S. history. An Environmental Protection Agency report casts doubt on whether greenhouse…
Citation
More on the Mother of All Bailouts
Newsletter
The Cost of Government, Cell Phone Fees and the Housing Bailout
American for Tax Reform prepares to observe “Cost of Government Day.” Verizon settles a lawsuit over its “early termination” fees for mobile phone customers. The…
News Release
Cost of Federal Regulation Grew to $1.16 Trillion
What goes up and doesn’t come down? The federal budget and the cost of federal regulations. A new report finds that the cost of federal…
Study
Ten Thousand Commandments
CEI's Annual Snapshot of the Federal Regulatory State…
Newsletter
Oil Prices, Housing Markets and Power Plants
The president of OPEC predicts even higher oil prices in the near future. Washington, D.C. suburb Fairfax County, Virginia plans to spend $10 million to…
Newsletter
Credit Card Fines, Offshore Drilling and Mortgage Securities
Visa and MasterCard agree to pay American Express $4 billion for allegedly violating antitrust laws. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger slams proposals…
Newsletter
Fingerprints, Obscenity and Foreign Investment
The Liberty Coalition releases an open letter opposing a new federal fingerprint registry. Free speech advocates challenge local obscenity standards in Florida as hypocritical. Investments…
Newsletter
Credit Cards, Tax Increases and George Carlin
The Federal Trade Commission sues a credit card issuer that lowered credit limits after profiling its customers’ purchases. Political observers predict significant tax increases in…
Letters
Opposition to the Fingerprint Registry in Senate Housing legislation
Dear Senators Reid and McConnell: We are diverse organizations, but we hold in common a deep commitment to privacy rights, civil liberties and the…
Newsletter
Fingerprints, Telecom Lawsuits and Al Gore’s Carbon Footprint
The Senate considers a bill creating a new federal fingerprint registry. The House of Representatives votes to shield telecom companies from lawsuits arising from the…
Newsletter
Drilling for Oil, Regulating Wall Street and Speaking Out On Unions
One million Americans sign a petition urging Congress to allow offshore drilling for oil and gas. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson calls for the Federal Reserve…
Newsletter
Google, Ethanol and a Housing Trust Fund
Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) grills Google on consumer privacy concerns. Gas prices dip slightly from their record high. The Senate considers a housing “rescue” bill.
Newsletter
The Fairness Doctrine, Windfall Profits and Recycling Mandates
Lawmakers clash over FCC broadcast regulation known as the “Fairness Doctrine.” Prominent politicians debate a windfall profits tax for oil companies. European lawmakers pass stringent…
Op-Eds
Distrust Fund
It’s almost a D.C. truism that anytime Congress creates a "trust fund" for a certain policy issue, the money flowing into the…
Op-Eds
The Value of Hedge Funds
Re “The Great Seduction” (column, June 10): While David Brooks makes some good points about debt and thrift, he paints with…
Newsletter
Termination Fees, Windfall Profits and a Federal Wilderness Land-Grab
The Federal Communications Commission holds a hearing to investigate “termination fees” for customers who cancel their cell phone, cable or Internet contracts early. Senate Republicans…
Citation
“Affordable Housing” Push Fed Subprime Bubble
Newsletter
Gas Prices, the Federal Reserve and Insurance Regulation
Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) claims that the global warming legislation she recently endorsed would not result in an increase in gas prices. Federal Reserve Bank…
Newsletter
Energy Legislation, Interest Rates and Futurism
The Senate prepares for a vote to end debate on major global warming legislation. The value of the dollar climbs slightly after the Federal Reserve…
Op-Eds
Fingerprint Registry in Housing Bill!!!
Earlier this week, a measure creating a federal fingerprint registry totally unrelated to national security passed a U.S. Senate committee almost without notice.
Newsletter
Beef, Housing and Money for the Blind
The Dept. of Agriculture proposes a ban on so-called “downer” cattle. The Senate Banking Committee approves a new housing bill. A federal court rules that…
Newsletter
Polar Bears, Subsidies for Millionaires and Credit Card Fees
The Department of the Interior finds that polar bears are “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. The House of Representatives approves major new farm legislation.
Newsletter
Financial Markets, Internet Ads and Immigration
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke sees turmoil in financial markets easing. New York legislators consider a bill to restrict online advertising. The Manhattan Institute releases…
Citation
the Proposed Housing Bailout
Newsletter
Satellite Radio, Gas Prices and the Credit Crunch
Sirius and XM Satellite await final government approval of their merger. Average gas prices rise to a new record high, prompting accusations of price gouging.
Citation