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…
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Blog
RealClear Radio Hour: American Indian, EpiPen, and Free Speech Fiascos
In this episode of RealClear Radio Hour, we discuss the fiascos of government overreach and overregulation—on American Indian reservations, in the EpiPen saga, and with…
Foundation for Economic Education
Greatest Hits of the Science Deniers
"And yet, it moves.” Thus muttered Galileo Galilei under his breath after being forced by the Inquisition to recant his claim that the Earth moved…
Blog
CEI Files Opening Brief in “Vapes on a Plane” Lawsuit
Today, CEI filed its opening brief against the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Office of the Secretary of Transportation’s March final rule prohibiting electronic cigarette…
Politico
FTA blasts WMATA inspection practices
Politico's Morning Transportation reports on CEI's legal challenge of the Department of Transportation's rule banning electronic cigarettes on airplanes. The libertarian Competitive Enterprise…
Blog
Q&A on the FDA’s New E-Cigarette Rules
After years of waiting and fighting, the new rules put forth by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on electronic cigarettes and other non-cigarette…
Newsday
How many Americans will die because of the FDA’s vaping rule?
E-cigarettes could lead to a 21 percent decline in deaths from smoking-related diseases for people born after 1997, according to a study published in Nicotine…
Blog
Don’t Fear DEET-Based Insect Repellents
With the Zika virus now reportedly being transmitted by mosquitos here in the United States, consumers—expecting moms, kids, and everyone else--should be sure to use…
The Huffington Post
The Best Possible Zika Prevention Kit Includes DEET
Last week, Broward Country Florida recorded the first two Zika cases transmitted by mosquitos in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention…
Blog
Happy “No Food Is Junk Food” Day 2016!
I can’t stand candy corn. Yes, I’m that person in the office at Halloween.
Real Clear Policy
I Can’t Believe It’s Not Science
Consuming butter does not increase the risk of heart disease, a recent study found. Those who believed in the accuracy of U.S. government dietary…
Blog
Letter to Congress: Experts Urged House to Reject Mandatory GMO Labeling Bill
In advance of a House vote on July 14 concerning mandatory GMO labeling, myself and other policy experts on biotechnology, consumer, and agricultural policy sent…
The Heartland Institute
EPA Playing Politics with Herbicide Study, Requires Oversight
The Heartland Institute discusses the EPA chosing politics over scientific facts with Angela Logomasini. Angela Logomasini, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise…
Heartland Institute
Teflon, Other Chemicals Receive Greater EPA Scrutiny
The Heartland Institute discusses the EPA's new health advisory for chemicals with Angela Logomasini. Angela Logomasini, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise…
Christian Science Monitor
Senate passes GMO bill. Will labels ease Americans’ food-related fears?
The Christian Science Monitor discusses a GMO labeling bill passed by the Senate with Greg Conko. Others fear it will raise new, and…
Blog
Food Safety Experts Critical of GMO Labeling Bill
In an open letter released today, several food safety experts warned of the problems with a new Senate bill that would regulate the labeling of…
Blog
Chicago Home-Sharing Rules a Loss for Residents
Chicago’s Mayor Rahm Emanuel negotiated an armistice with the sharing economy last week. Uber, Lyft, and Airbnb have promised comply with the new rules, which…
Blog
Congress on the Verge of Lowering Beer Taxes
By today’s standards, the Founding Fathers were outright lushes. Ben Franklin was apocryphally known for his love of beer (although it turns out wine was…
Blog
Will the Sharing Economy Give Us Greater Economic Mobility?
Last night the R Street Institute sponsored a fascinating policy panel here in Washington, D.C., “Boost or Barrier? Upward mobility in the on-demand economy.”…
USA Today
Soda taxes slim wallets, not waistlines
Since Philadelphia’s city council approved a 1.5 cent per ounce tax on soda this month, “public health” advocates, led by former New York City…
Blog
Nobel Prize Winners Denounce Greenpeace Opposition to GMOs
For decades, the environmental activist group Greenpeace has been among the most vocal, and oftentimes vicious, opponents of biotechnology and genetically engineered crops.
Blog
Democrats Block Zika Funding Bill
“Democrats block Zika funding bill, blame GOP,” reports Politico.
Heartland Institute
Ohio Governor Says ‘Cheers’ to Beer Deregulation Bill
The Heartland Institute discusses with Michelle Minton a bill removing government restrictions on the alcohol volume of beer sold in the state. The bill…
Blog
Groups Urge U.S. House to Nullify Wasteful Catfish Rule
In a coalition letter yesterday, 10 market-oriented groups, including CEI, urged the House leadership to call for a vote on S.J. Res. 28 to nullify…
Blog
Coming Soon: International Mayors for Inconvenient Travel
While we wait to see whether Gov. Andrew Cuomo will sign legislation targeting home-share listings in New York, the governmental response to the sharing economy’s…
Blog
New York Legislature Piles on Fines for Home-Share Listings
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is currently reviewing legislation recently passed by the state’s Senate and Assembly that would establish new penalties for advertising one’s…
Blog
Soda Tax Won’t Fix Waste and Corruption in Philly
Last week Philadelphia enacted a 1.5 cent per ounce tax on soda to fund the Mayor’s proposed universal pre-kindergarten system and at the same time…
Blog
Building on the Optimism of “Uber-Positive” Attitudes
There’s a new resource for understanding the state of play between politics and developments in the sharing economy, the pleasantly slim volume by the Manhattan…
The New American
Are Soda Taxes the Real Thing for Fighting Obesity?
The New American reports on Michelle Minton's study on the failures of soda taxes. The city of Philadelphia is poised to impose a 1.5-cent-per-ounce…
Blog
Proposed Soda Tax a Bad Deal for Philadelphia Residents
This Thursday, Philadelphia’s city council is set to approve a 1.5 cent per ounce tax on soda. The goal of the tax is to raise…
Daily Caller
Soda Taxes Are A Failed Experiment, Claims New Report
The Daily Caller reports on Michelle Minton's analysis of the impacts of soda taxes. Soda taxes are a failed experiment and should be…
Heartland Institute
Congressional Hearing Tackles Fantasy Football Regulation
The Heartland Institute discusses with Michelle Minton the benefits of leaving online gambling regulations up to states to decide. Michelle Minton, a consumer policy…
The Philadelphia Tribune
What will 1.5 cents from soda tax bring?
The Philadelphia Tribune reports on a coalition letter CEI signed to oppose the proposed soda tax in Philadelphia. The Competitive Enterprise Institute and…
Blog
Obama Administration Fosters Zika through Red Tape
Zika’s spread is being aided by red tape the Obama administration left unchanged, even as it illegally diverted money needed to fight Zika to…
Blog
Rounding Up the Cowards: EU Leaders Block Glyphosate
As reported in the Wall Street Journal this week, yet another valuable pesticide product may eventually be removed from the market place. But despite…
Blog
Time to End the Failed Experiment of “Sin” Taxes
It seems like an economic no-brainer that if you can raise the cost of a good or service, people will buy and consume less of…
Blog
Obama Illegally Diverts Money Needed to Fight Zika to UN
President Obama raided $500 million needed to fight the Zika virus, and instead illegally gave it to the United Nations’ Green Climate Fund. Sen. James…
TRIB Live
Take hypocrisy out of gambling laws, think tank says
The Tribune-Review discusses online gambling regulations with Michelle Minton. “Gambling, whether on the lottery, at the casino, or betting online on the big…
Blog
Leave DFS Regulation to the States, But Don’t Kneecap Skilled Players
Congress is abuzz with the issue of gambling. Last month, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) inserted language from his failed online gambling ban into the…
The Hill
Anti-gaming lawmakers still waging a losing battle
The Hill highlights Michelle Minton's analysis of online gambling regulations. It's true the Wire Act didn't change in 2011, but its interpretation by the…
The Hill
Anti-gaming lawmakers still waging a losing battle
The Hill references Michelle Minton's study on online gambling regulations. It's true the Wire Act didn't change in 2011, but its interpretation by the…
Blog
Unpopular Online Gambling Ban Sneaked Into Spending Bill
For more than two years a cadre of congressmen have worked, without any luck, to enact a bill that would create a de facto national…
Real Clear Policy
Lawmakers’ Salt Fixation Harms Our Nation’s Health
America has a salt problem — and it's not high blood pressure. The Obama administration plans to set voluntary sodium targets for processed food makers…
Forbes
Leave Daily Fantasy Sports Regulation To The States
Forbes reports on Michelle Minton and Steven Titch's study on online gambling regulations. Leave it to the states. That is the conclusion of…
Study
Game Changer
Rather than enforcing subjective morality or trying to protect people from themselves, modern gambling regulation should treat citizens as adults and preserve the right of states…
Daily Caller
Experts Savage FDA’s Most Recent Claim That Killing 99% Of An Industry Spurs ‘Innovation’
The Daily Caller discusses the FDA regulations on electronic cigarettes with Michelle Minton. Such an industry-wide consolidation would be disastrous for innovation, according…
Blog
FDA’s Attack on E-Cigarette Will Cost Lives
While the public health goals of protecting consumers from possibly harmful vaping products and preventing kids from becoming addicted to nicotine are laudable goals, this…
Blog
CEI Challenges Illegal “Vapes on a Plane” Regulation
Today, CEI, the Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association (CASAA), and CEI employee Gordon Cummings, as a private individual, filed a lawsuit challenging the…
Daily Caller
Wasserman Schultz Slammed For Opposition To E-Cigarettes
The Daily Caller discusses with CEI's Michelle Minton, the Democratic National Commitee chair's criticism of the e-cigarette industry. “The industry exists because smokers…
News Release
CEI Scholar Warns: TSCA Reform Promises Higher Prices, Less Choice
As House and Senate members hammer out the final details of legislation to reform federal chemical regulation, the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) warns that…
Study
TSCA “Reform” Is Likely To Do More Harm Than Good
Full Document Available on PDF According to news reports, congressional aides from both houses of Congress are currently engaged in private meetings…
Blog
Advocates Attempt to Debunk Idea that Any Alcohol Is Beneficial
For most public health advocates, no amount of alcohol is safe. As they see it, any amount of alcohol increases a drinkers risk for certain…
Daily Caller
Local Lawmakers Left Red Faced After Failure Of E-Cigarette Tax
The Daily Caller discusses regulations on electronic cigarettes with Michelle Minton. Competitive Enterprise Institute Fellow Michelle Minton was a strong critic of a…
Blog
Doing Away with Government Flammability Standards
During the past several years, there’s been much hype in the news alleging that flame retardant chemicals used on upholstered furniture pose unacceptable health risks. With…
Heartland Institute
Scientists Developing Climate-Adapted GMO Rice
The Heartland Institute discusses the values of genetically modified crops with Gregory Conko. “C4 rice would represent an important breakthrough in sustainable agriculture,” said…
Washington Examiner
Want to save lives? Don’t regulate e-cigarettes
Smoking kills nearly half a million Americans every year. Tobacco-less vaping products, like electronic cigarettes, have helped many people kick their deadly smoking habit. So…
Daily Caller
Cornell Study Finds Raising The Vaping Age Actually Increases Teen Smoking
The Daily Caller discusses the study on how raising the vaping age increases teen smoking with Michelle Minton. “This study provides some evidence…
Daily Caller
Study: Banning GMOs Would Devastate Earth, Despite Enviro Claims
The Daily Caller speaks with Greg Conko on genetically modified organisms. “[W]e know we’ll need to nearly double again the amount of food…
Daily Caller
Utah’s E-Cigarette Tax ‘Boggles The Mind’ And Could Prevent Smokers Quitting
The Daily Caller discusses the potential unintended consequences of Utah's push to raise the tax on e-cigarettes with Michelle Minton Raising the vaping age…
Blog
Utah’s Disastrous War on Electronic Cigarettes
Despite the fact that tobacco products kill nearly half a million Americans each year, it is vaping products—which help people quit smoking—that have become a…
Washington Examiner
No Fun in Australia
The Washington Examiner features Michelle Minton's research on the regulatory burden in Australia as a warning to the US. Michelle Minton for the…
Blog
Congress Gets Some Common Sense on Nutritional Disclosure
Last week, members of the House approved a bill that giving customers the nutrition information they want while minimizing harm and cost. Now it's up…
Blog
Overregulation Turns Sydney into International “Laughing Stock”
American city officials, take note: Sometimes the remedy to a purported problem is worse than the disease. This is a lesson fans of Sydney’s once…
News Release
CEI Statement on Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act
The House today passed the Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act (HR2017). CEI consumer policy expert Michelle Minton praised this common sense plan. “The…
Blog
House Committee Narrowly Approves Eleanor Holmes Norton’s Deadly E-Cigarette Science Denialism
Following three government reports in the 1980s highlighting the low cabin air quality caused by cigarette smoking and the health risks of passive smoke,…
Inside Sources
Bipartisan Bill Allows Government to Continue Salt Experiment on Kids
In the scientific community, it is a breach of professional ethics to conduct research on people without their informed consent. But not for the federal…
Blog
House Votes This Week on Common Sense Nutritional Disclosure Bill
Many, if not most proposals that make their way through Congress seem to have comically unsuitable names. However, at the end of this week the…
Blog
CDC Alcohol and Pregnancy Scare Tactics Backfire
Are you a woman of childbearing age? Do you binge drink constantly and have unprotected sex on the reg? Well, the CDC wants you to…
Blog
Zika Wake-Up Call
The spread of the mosquito-transmitted Zika virus should be yet another wake-up call for public officials around the world. As a relatively new threat, Zika has…
Comment
Regulatory Comments on Rulemaking on Products Containing Organohalogen Flame Retardants
Full Document Available in PDF I offer these comments on behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), a free-market public policy organization…
Blog
CDC Sodium Reduction Efforts: Helpful or Harmful?
Most people accept as gospel the nutritional limits set by government organizations. So, when the Centers for Disease Control releases a report saying that 89…
Blog
Milk, Saturated Fat, and Why You Shouldn’t Take Nutrition Advice from Jezebel
Growing up lactose intolerant, I was fond of saying that drinking milk post-infanthood was unnatural. Then I found out that humans aren’t the only ones in…
Blog
New Dietary Guidelines: Some Improvements but Also Fatal Flaws
As expected, the nutritional guidelines for 2015-2020 thankfully excised the long-standing warning against cholesterol-laden food in the wake of several decades of research demonstrating that the original…
Blog
Craft Brewers “Selling Out” Is Good For Craft Beer Fans
This week we learned that U.K. craft brewery Camden Town was the latest in a long string of purchases by the international mega-brewery AB-InBev…
Blog
The Good the Bad and the Big: Top 3 Consumer Policy Stories of 2015
2015 was a big year for health and consumer news. Unfortunately, many of the biggest stories were viral in the true sense of the word:…
Blog
Holiday Liquor Laws: Where to Buy Your Christmas Cup of Cheer
Nobody wants to drive an hour over the border just to get booze, especially on Christmas Day. However, 27 states in the union still have…
Inside Sources
Holiday Toy Safety: Common Sense Trumps Activist Advice
For Inside Sources, Angela Logomasini writes on the seasonal overactive alarmism around chemicals in children’s toys: If you believe the U.S. Public Interest…
Heartland Institute
Harassment of Scientists Threatens Independent Research, Science Journal Warns
Heartland Institute discusses criticism of biotechnology scientists with Greg Conko. Greg Conko, executive director of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, says the attacks on…
Blog
Congressional Committee Favors State-Based Legalization of Online Gambling
Wednesday’s hearing was not good for those hoping to make a case for a national online gambling prohibition. While the House Oversight Committee hearing was supposed…
Washington Examiner
Congress should reject crony casino-ism
The Washington Examiner reports on CEI's work to oppose the "Restoration of America's Wire Act" (RAWA). Groups like the FreedomWorks, the Competitive…
The Heartland Institute
State Lawmakers Call Foul on Daily Fantasy Football
Heartland Institute discusses with Michelle Minton the impact of regulating and restricting fantasy sports betting. Michelle Minton, a consumer policy fellow at the…
Blog
Deck Stacked at House Oversight Committee Hearing on Internet Gambling
Tomorrow the House Oversight and Government Reform (OGR) Committee will hold a hearing titled, “Casino in Every Smartphone – Law Enforcement Implications,” to discuss…
Austin American-Statesman
No sports betting should be a crime
If you have watched any football during the NFL season, you probably saw an advertisement for DraftKings or FanDuel. Part of the rapidly expanding industry…
Blog
Repealed 82 Years Ago, the Spirit of Prohibition Lives On
Tomorrow, December 5, many of us will raise a glass in celebration of Repeal Day—the anniversary of the end of that disastrous experiment of alcohol prohibition…
Palm Beach Post
Fantasy sports betting isn’t a federal crime
If you have watched any football during the NFL season, you probably saw an advertisement for DraftKings or FanDuel. Part of the rapidly expanding industry…
Blog
3 Political Food Developments to Be Thankful For
For most of us in the U.S., we don’t have to worry about getting enough food. Quite the opposite actually; holidays like Thanksgiving can be…
Blog
House Commerce Committee Approves “Pizza” Bill to Ease Onerous Calorie Labeling Rule
While most consumers are blissfully unaware, a provision tucked into the Affordable Care Act could cause food vendors a lot of headaches. Starting on December…
Washington Free Beacon
Obamacare Regulations Target Breweries Making Craft Beer
The Washington Free Beacon discusses with Michelle Minton the impact Obamacare Regulations will have on restaurants and breweries. “It doesn’t make sense for…
Blog
Should a Billionaire Decide Where Pennsylvanians Can Gamble?
The casino industry has been good for my home state of Pennsylvania. For whatever ills one might claim goes along with gambling, the gaming industry…
Blog
Daily Fantasy Sports Betting: Gambling or Game of Skill?
That is the big question in New York today after that state’s attorney general issued a cease and desist order to DraftKings and FanDuel—the two…
Real Clear Policy
Obamacare vs. Beer
Michelle Minton, in an article for Real Clear Policy, discusses the implications a provision in the Affordable Care Act may have on the craft brewing…
Blog
Federal Menu Laws Need Some Common Sense
This week, the House Energy and Commerce committee will hold a mark-up hearing on the Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act (H.R. 2017), a bipartisan bill intended…
Blog
Halloween Not So Scary for Parents
When it comes to Halloween these days, it seems that parents scare more easily than their children. For the past 15 years, I have checked…
Blog
The Real Question about Fantasy Sports Gambling the GOP Debate Missed
In this clown-car of a GOP primary, it’s inevitable that the discussion will sometimes veer onto more superficial avenues of questioning. After all, news is entertainment and…
Blog
Glyphosate in Tampons, Oh My!
You may have seen the hilarious headlines about putting Monsanto in your vagina (if not, you’re welcome/I’m sorry). This hyperbole comes on the heels of a…
Blog
Drinking in the Dark
Bellion Vodka has one strange website. Bellion claims to be “the next step in the evolution of spirits” and “a smarter way to drink.” Its…
Heartland
Businesses Flow to Illinois to Avoid Wisconsin Beer Laws
Heartland Institute references Michelle Minton in an article discussing Prohibition Era regulations on restaurants and pubs. Competitive Enterprise Institute Fellow Michelle Minton says…
Real Clear Policy
‘Reforming’ the Toxic Substances Control Act
CEI's chemical policy expert, Angela Logomasini, discusses whether the proposed changes to the Toxic Substances Control Act are good or bad for consumers As early…
Blog
What Will a Chaffetz Speakership Mean for Internet Freedom? Part 2
Utah Republican Congressman Jason Chaffetz recently threw his hat in the ring in a bid to replace Speaker John Boehner, after House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s…
Blog
The Death of RAWA: A Performance for an Audience of One
RAWA (H.R. 707) is dying the slow death of bills that aren’t sexy enough to draw attention away from much sexier issues. With the House…
News Release
Cutting Through the BPA Danger Hype
In “Government’s Unfounded War on BPA,” a paper released today by the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), author Angela Logomasini explains how the taxpayer-funded scare…