The Competitive Enterprise Institute believes the proper role for government is to provide consumers with accurate, unbiased guidance that informs consumer choice. But, whether it is the substances we prefer, how we entertain ourselves, what dietary habits we maintain, or how we pursue personal health, consumers ought to have the right to make decisions for themselves.
Consumer Freedom Issue Areas
Featured Posts
Blog
California’s $20 fast food worker minimum wage a regressive tax
California’s new $20 an hour minimum wage for fast food restaurants has turned into a regressive tax on the state’s low-income residents. People who wanted…
Blog
FDA makes lab test power play
The Food and Drug Administration has just released its long anticipated final rule that explicitly asserts its claim of authority to regulate laboratory-developed-tests (LDTs)—tests that are designed, manufactured,…
Blog
Department of Energy is coming after our light bulbs – again
We have already said goodbye to the incandescent light bulb, thanks to federal regulations. Will its replacement be next? Department of Energy (DOE) efficiency regulations…
Search Posts
Intercollegiate Review
Licensed to Death: How One Reform Could Empower Americans and Boost Our Economy
Economic freedom—the ability of individuals to exchange voluntarily without government interference—is the greatest driver of prosperity the world has ever seen. Over the past three…
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Think Tank Releasing Report on New Jersey Challenge to Sports Betting Act
Las Vegas Review-Journal covers Michelle Minton’s “Let States Regulate Sports Gambling within their Borders.” When the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments on the…
HuffPost
How Technology Makes Life–and Wine–More Satisfying
It’s easy to romanticize the past and wish one lived during a “golden age.” But was the past really that good? Fictional character Gil Pender…
News Release
Report: Challenging the Federal Law that Makes Sports Betting a Crime
As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear a lawsuit challenging a sports gambling ban on December 4, a new Competitive Enterprise Institute report…
Study
Let States Regulate Sports Gambling within their Borders
View Full Document as PDF Every year, millions of Americans gamble on sports. Whether betting on the Super Bowl or filling out…
Blog
The Importance of an Under-the-Radar Supreme Court Case on Sports Betting
New Jersey tried to repeal its own law against sports gambling, but a federal law banning sports gambling was used to stop New Jersey’s voters…
Blog
Cook County, Illinois Voters not Fooled by Soda Tax’s Empty Promises
Less than two months after implementing a new “soda tax,” lawmakers in Cook County, Illinois, are repealing the cent-per ounce tax. The Washington Post…
Blog
Fighting for Our Right to Party at WhiskeyFest
Don’t be afraid of sticking up for your favorite things – there’s always someone looking for the weakest target to tax, regulate, and restrict. If…
Blog
CEI Calls on EPA to Reconsider More-Stringent Fuel Economy Standards
On Thursday, October 5, the Competitive Enterprise Institute submitted comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding its Final Mid-Term Evaluation (MTE) of greenhouse…
Blog
Limiting Federal Control over State Policy: Christie v. N.C.A.A.
Our friend Damon Root over at Reason has a round-up of three important cases that will be decided in the Supreme Court’s upcoming term. One…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Letter Supporting Cutting-Edge Technologies for Less Harmful Tobacco Products
View Full Document as PDF Dear Commissioner Gottlieb, We the undersigned organizations dedicated to improving public health, increasing consumer choice, and reducing…
Blog
Cut Red Tape and Save Lives by Regulating Tobacco Alternatives Based on Risk
At the beginning of the year, President Trump issued an Executive Order aimed at cutting red tape. The order directs federal agencies to set…
Blog
Public Health Community, Heal Thyself
We owe a debt of gratitude to the public health movement. Without its research and advocacy, we would not have learned to stop the spread…
The Hill
Those Who Care About Federalism Should Be Interested in Sports Betting Case
The Hill covers Christie v. NCAA. If James “Father of the Constitution” Madison were alive today, he’d have a lot to say. Free speech…
Blog
Fat-Cat Attorneys’ Bogus Arguments on Arbitration Rule
Fat cat class-action attorneys and their apologists are getting desperate.
Foundation for Economic Education
London’s Uber Ban Sends it Back to the Dark Ages
When I lived in London in the 1990s, I had to use pricey Black Cabs to get around the city at night. However, heaven help…
InsideSources
Three Early Lessons From the Equifax Hack
InsideSources covers the Equifax breach and Jim Harper‘s response to it. It’s been almost two weeks since Equifax reported the hack of 143…
HuffPost
Activists Use Faulty Claims to Push Flame Retardant Ban
“Look before you leap” has long been considered sage advice. But environmental activists today called on regulators at the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to…
Blog
Conservatives & Libertarians to GOP: Time to Evolve on Marijuana Policy
A bill introduced by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) will prevent the Department of Justice from using taxpayer dollars to prosecute medical marijuana…
Federal Times
Report Calls for Drastic Workforce Cuts at Regulatory Agencies
Federal Times covers CEI’s publication Shrinking Government Bureaucracy. The non-profit Competitive Enterprise Institute is all about shrinking government. In a newly released report…
The Hill
Gaming Group to Supreme Court: End Ban on Sports Betting
The Hill discusses Christie v. NCAA with Michelle Minton. The American Gaming Association on Tuesday filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support…
Blog
Fuel Economy Regulations Threaten Vehicle Safety
In 1992 a federal appeals court found that CAFE undercuts vehicle safety, by causing cars to be made smaller and light in order to meet…
Legal Brief
Brief of Amicus Curiae from States in Christie v. National Collegiate Athletic Association
View Full Brief as PDF Our system of dual sovereignty limits the degree of control that Congress can exercise over state regulation.
Cato
Congress Risks the Constitution in New Jersey Sports Betting Case
Cato covers the amicus brief filed in Christie v. NCAA. The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), which Congress passed in 1992,…
Blog
SELF DRIVE Act to Face House Floor Vote
Congress needs to move forward on self-driving cars.
Letters
CEI Leads Coalition Letter Supporting Rohrabacher-Farr Medical Marijuana Amendment
View Full Document as PDF Dear Members of the House Rules Committee: On behalf of the thousands of Americans whose views and…
Legal Brief
Amicus Brief of Pacific Legal Foundation, CEI and the Cato Institute in Christopher Christie v. NCAA
View Full Document as PDF A federal statute compels New Jersey to continue prohibiting sports gambling, thus requiring the state to hold…
VapingPost
New FDA Anti-Vaping Campaign Plans To Target Teens
VapingPost covers CEI’s joint objection with CASAA to the Obama administration’s ban on vaping on aircrafts. Hopes that the new FDA tobacco control…
RedState
They’re Still Going After Federalism and Online Gaming
RedState covers a coalition letter/amendment in regards to an amendment by Charles Dent that would harm online gambling. I’ve posted number of articles…
Blog
New Film ‘Food Evolution’ Confronts Confusion on GMO Crops
Genetic modification of food crops is a valuable scientific process that has already helped feed countless millions of people around the world and provided breathtaking humanitarian…
Blog
NYT Pesticide Exposé Only Exposes Foolish Reporting
EPA decision not to ban chlorpyrifos was based on sound science.
Washington Times
Federal Government Needs Major Overhaul to Cut Red Tape, Reduce Costs: Report
The Washington Times covers CEI’s latest publication Shrinking Government Bureaucracy. Shrinking the federal bureaucracy would spur economic growth and reduce costs to taxpayers,…
Washington Free Beacon
Report: Reducing Regulatory Agencies’ Authority Could Boost Economy, Increase Job Creation
The Washington Free Beacon covers CEI’s latest publication Shrinking Government Bureaucracy. Reducing some of government’s regulatory agencies’ authority could boost economic growth and…
VapingPost
In-Flight Vaping Ban Upheld
VapingPost covers CEI’s objection to a DOT vaping ban on airplanes. In another blow to American vapers, the Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free…
The Hill
The FDA Shouldn’t Give Into Irrational E-Cigarette Fears
The Food and Drug Administration is now on the wrong side of a new anti-vaping campaign. Instead of helping teens reject using tobacco or e-cigarettes,…
Study
EPA Denial of Chlorpyrifos Ban Sets Pro-Science Precedent
View full document as PDF Some consumers may wonder why some staples of a healthy diet, such as orange juice and many…
Blog
Environmental Activists Continue to ‘Bee’ Wrong about Honeybee Health Challenges
Lawmakers need to start ignoring the environmentalist hype and let bee keepers continue to resolve environmental health challenges.
The Fix
Vaping Ban Upheld By Federal Court
The Fix discusses the Department of Transportation e-cigarette ban with Sam Kazman. A federal court has stamped out a challenge to the Department of…
Bloomberg
‘No Smoking’ Also Applies to E-Cigarettes on Flights, Court Says
Bloomberg covers a lawsuit CEI filed against the Department of Transportation airplane e-cigarette ban. Vaping is smoking, a federal appeals court ruled, upholding…
The Hill
Court Upholds Obama Rule Banning Vaping on Airplanes
The Hill covers a lawsuit filed by CEI against the Department of Transportation’s airplane vaping ban. A federal appeals court Friday upheld an…
The Wall Street Journal
Courts Rule E-Cigarettes Should Be Regulated Like Tobacco Products
The Wall Street Journal covers a lawsuit filed by CEI challenging the Department of Transportation’s ban on vaping on airplanes. A federal court…
Blog
EPA Should Stand Firm on Chlorpyrifos Decision
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt took the right stand in favor of sound science last March when he denied an activist petition to ban the pesticide…
Blog
New Study Shows Minimal Pesticide Impact on Bees
95 percent of the time there were no detectable levels of neonics in hives or pollen from. This indicates a very minimal exposures, which should…
Blog
Dramatic Estimates of Future Heat-Related Deaths Hype, Not Fact
Contrary to Killer Heat’s alarming message, U.S. heat-related mortality should continue to decline in coming decades.
The Daily Caller
RAWA: One Casino Billionaire’s Quest to Kill Internet Gambling
The Daily Caller covers the Restoration of America’s Wire Act and cites a paper written by Michelle Minton on the subject. Enter the…
Inside Sources
Point: Trump’s War on Junk Science
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s action on pesticides sets an important pro-science precedent.
RealClear Health
Fears Aren’t Facts: E-Cigarettes
There can no longer be any dispute: electronic cigarettes, also known as “vapes,” are significantly less harmful to health than traditional combustible cigarettes. Not only…
The Hill
Sports Betting Advocates See Momentum Building
The Hill discusses legalizing sports betting with Michelle Minton. Supporters of legalizing the multibillion-dollar sports betting marketplace are ramping up efforts to enshrine…
Blog
U.S. Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Sports Betting Case
This morning, the United States Supreme Court announced it would hear New Jersey’s case on gambling and federalism. The decision seems to reflect concerns raised…
News Release
Supreme Court Agrees to Hear New Jersey Gambling/Federalism Case: CEI Statement
Today, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a lawsuit involving New Jersey’s challenge to a federal prohibition on the state’s ability to repeal its own sports…