There are two main areas in which Congress can enact meaningful reform. The first is to rein in regulatory guidance documents, which we refer to as “regulatory dark matter,” whereby agencies regulate through Federal Register notices, guidance documents, and other means outside standard rulemaking procedure. The second is to enact a series of reforms to increase agency transparency and accountability of all regulation and guidance. These include annual regulatory report cards for rulemaking agencies and regulatory cost estimates from the Office of Management and Budget for more than just a small subset of rules.
In 2019, President Trump signed two executive orders aimed at stopping the practice of agencies using guidance documents to effectively implement policy without going through the legally required notice and comment process.
Featured Posts
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: airline fees and greenhouse gas reporting
The Federal Register grew at nearly triple its usual pace last week. It is on pace for its first-ever 100,000-page year. GDP growth slowed to…
The Center Square
Study: Mixed record on permitting reform offers some hope
CEI’s James Broughel provided comments to The Center Square about a study he authored: “Pennsylvania’s a state where energy is very important to its…
Forbes
Libertarian Victory: You Mean We Can Shut Down Government Without Even Passing A Law?
It is happening again. Congress will enact another bloated, pork-laden and largely unread omnibus spending bill to complete formal appropriations for the 2024 fiscal year…
Search Posts
Opposing Views
Trump the Most Anti-Regulation President Since Reagan
Opposing Views covers Ten Thousand Commandments by Clyde Wayne Crews Jr. While much of President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda has been stalled by…
Politico
Chao Floats ‘Page Limit’ for Environmental Reviews
Politico covers CEI’s Annual Dinner and Reception. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao tonight pitched the administration’s $1 trillion infrastructure vision to an audience of…
Politico
Out and About
Politico covers CEI’s Annual Dinner and Reception. The Competitive Enterprise Institute last night hosted their annual dinner, this time an Alice in Wonderland…
The Washington Times
Believe It: Fox News Tops the Ratings
The Washington Times covers CEI’s Annual Dinner and Reception. … CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER An event of note on Wednesday…
The Denver Post
Colorado’s Costly “Demand-Side Management” Bill Makes No Sense
At the end of the legislative session, the Colorado General Assembly had an opportunity to stop a nonsensical electricity program that will cost Xcel Energy…
USA Today
MILLS: Massive Regulation a Drain on Economy, Study Finds
USA Today covers Ten Thousand Commandments. Regulations are a burden on consumers, businesses, and the economy, according to a new study by the…
The Hill
Trump May Restrict Length of Environmental Reviews Under Infrastructure Plan
The Hill covers Trasportation Secretary Elaine Chao’s remarks at CEI’s Annual Dinner and Reception. The Trump administration may enforce restrictions on the length…
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
The majority of new regulations coming out are still of the routine procedural variety—Coast Guard safety zones for fireworks shows, Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness directives…
Inside Sources
Point: Net Neutrality Bad for Consumers
The FCC’s proposed rollback of its 2015 Open Internet Order has put the term “net neutrality” back in the political zeitgeist. The phrase itself is…
Blog
Cooking Up Fewer Regulations: Trump’s Significant Proposed Rules Down Over 70 Percent Compared To Obama
Whether looking at predecessors’ first or final years, Trump is so far the least regulatory president of all.
Blog
Through the Looking Glass: Washington Gets Curiouser and Curiouser
The following remarks were delivered by CEI President Kent Lassman at CEI’s Annual Dinner and Reception held on June 7, 2017. Thank you. Despite her…
Blog
Five Things You’ll Encounter at the CEI Dinner
This week, almost a thousand of Washington’s finest liberty lovers will travel through the rabbit hole to CEI’s Annual Dinner and Reception.
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
After a lengthy delay, several Obama-era rules are starting to come into effect, especially energy-use rules ranging from refrigerators to ceiling fans.
Reason
Report: Obama’s Final Year Included a Mind-Boggling, Record-Breaking Number of Federal Regulations
Reason discusses CEI’s 10,000 Commandments with Clyde Wayne Crews Jr. During the final year of the Obama administration, federal regulations drained more than…
The Washington Times
Obama’s Regulations in 2016 to Drain Economy by $2 Trillion
The Washington Times covers 10,000 Commandments. The Obama administration issued a record number of new regulations on its way out the door in…
Washington Examiner
New Rules Surged in Obama’s Last Year to 3,853, Most Pages in Federal Register Ever
The Washington Examiner covers 10,000 Commandments. President Barack Obama’s last year in office set a high watermark for new federal rules and regulations…
The Daily Caller
This Is One GAME Congress Should Play… and Pass
The Daily Caller covers the GAME Act. With Congress hurtling toward a debt ceiling increase this summer and another budget showdown in the…
Investor's Business Daily
How Can Trump Make America’s Economy Great Again? By Deregulating It
Investor’s Business Daily covers CEI’s 10,000 Commandments, Regulation: If you wonder why President Trump’s promise to “drain the swamp” and roll back needless…
The Wall Street Journal
The $600 Billion Man: A New Report Highlights One Cost of the Obama Legacy
As if taxes haven’t been high enough, the U.S. Government also forced Americans to spend an eye-watering $1.9 trillion in 2016 just to comply with…
The Washington Times
Inside the Beltway: Obama’s Unprecedented ‘Surge’ of Regulations
The Washington Times covers 10,000 Commandments by Wayne Crews. Big government was not quite good enough, perhaps. As a kind of grand finale,…
Blog
Top Stats from ‘10,000 Commandments’ for 2017
The 2017 report is unique and will serve as a benchmark to measure President Trump’s efforts to cut red tape against those of his predecessors.
News Release
Costs and Burden of Federal Regulations Reach $1.9 Trillion
Today, the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) released the 2017 edition of Ten Thousand Commandments: An Annual Snapshot of the Federal Regulatory State that estimates…
Blog
Why Not a “Nuclear Option” for Legislative Vetoes?
For the sake of clarity, I start with questions presented in this blog, which serve as a useful guide: Is it constitutional for one Congress…
Blog
Breaking: Gambling Bill Could Restore Freedom to States
Congress may soon consider a bill that would repeal outdated federal gambling prohibitions, and thus allow states to legalize and regulate any form of gambling,…
Study
Ten Thousand Commandments 2017
The burden of federal regulations on the American public reached a record $1.9 trillion last year. That amounts to a hidden tax of nearly $15,000 per…
Forbes
In Today’s World, Trump’s Balanced Budget Will Require Regulatory Reform
It seems every American president’s fiscal budget gets declared DOA. Presidents signal priorities to Congress, which subsequently goes and does at it chooses. Sen. Mitch…
Study
Dirty Dozen
View Full Document as PDF…
News Release
Changes to the Regulatory State Make Trump’s Budget Unique
The White House released President Trump’s 2018 budget proposal this week. Regardless of who’s in power, the U.S. budget for the next fiscal year will…
News Release
CEI Reviews Trump Budget on Regulation, EPA, Transportation and Infrastructure
Policy experts offered their first takes on President Trump's budget, with a focus on regulatory reform, the EPA, and transportation and infrastructure reforms.
The Daily Caller
Former Official: Trump Is ‘Going To Go Farther’ Than Reagan In Cutting EPA
The Daily Caller covers CEI’s petition with the EPA to review the endangerment finding. A former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) official believes the…
The Daily Caller
Obama Administration’s Internet Regs Suffer First Huge Blow
The Daily Caller discusses the Federal Communications Commission’s vote on Net Neutrality with Ryan Commissioners at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted 2-1…
Foundation for Economic Education
The Progressives Took Away Our Right to Contract. It’s Time to Reclaim It
According to surveys, 77 percent of millennials want flexible work hours, which many say makes them more productive at work. Yet some recent…
Reason
Rand Paul’s REINS Act Finally Makes It to Senate Floor
Reason discusses Rand Paul’s REINS Act with Clyde Wayne Crews. A Senate committee vote on Wednesday is a new high water mark for…
Washington Free Beacon
Report: Net Neutrality Leads to Higher prices, Less Innovation
Washington Free Beacon covers CEI’s Net Neutrality report authored by Jessica Melugin and Ryan Radia. Keeping Obama administration-era net neutrality rules would result…
Reason
The Deregulator?
Reason discusses the Trump presidency in terms of deregulation with Myron Ebell. … Below the headline-generating clatter of travel bans, wiretap…
Politico
CEI Makes Case for Net Neutrality Rollback
Politico Morning Tech covers CEI’s Net Neutrality report authored by Ryan Radia and Jessica Melugin. The Competitive Enterprise Institute, in a report…
Forbes
These Federal Aviation Administration Regulations Are Why We’re Not Going to Mars
During president Donald Trump’s discussion about drinking processed urine on the International Space Station with duration record-setter Peggy Whitson, the exchange turned to a…
Learn Liberty
How “Regulatory Dark Matter” Blocks Innovation
The Trump administration’s desire to get rid of unnecessarily burdensome and unwise regulations is laudable, but fulfilling that desire won’t be easy. Nor will it…
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
The number of new final regulations this year passed the one-thousand mark. While many of the new rules are delays or repeals of older rules,…
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
Another droll week on the regulatory front, with new rules ranging from UHF television to restaurant menus.
News Release
April Jobs Report Still Falls Short, Regulatory Reform Needed
The jobs report for April, 2017 shows decent but not spectacular progress, says the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Iain Murray. Though the economy added 211,000 jobs in April…
The Fiscal Times
How Congress Could Make Steve Bannon’s Wildest Dream Come True
The Fiscal Times discuses regulatory reform barriers that the administration faces with Wayne Crews. But as Wayne Crews of the right-wing Competitive Enterprise…
Washington Times
Pulling the Administrative State off Autopilot
Reducing burdensome regulations could unleash the full potential of America This past weekend marked President Trump’s 100th day in office. While tax cuts and health…
Blog
Celebrate National Small Business Week
There is no better way to celebrate National Small Business Week than for the Trump administration to rollback red tape that discourages business formation and…
New York Times
Fact-Checking President Trump Through His First 100 Days
The New York Times reports on President Trump highlighting CEI’s estimated cost of regulation from Wayne Crews’ annual Ten Thousand Commandments report. During…
Forbes
New Trump Executive Order Seeks To Boost Agriculture And Rural America
“My farmer died.” —Punchline to the old joke about why a USDA employee is weeping at his desk The ratio of number of farmers…
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
While most of the week’s new final regulations are either routine or procedural, they still range from rural phone calls to airplane batteries.
National Review
Trump’s 100 Days Have Made a Good Start on Regulation
National Review highlights Wayne Crews’ calculated cost of regulation from his annual Ten Thousand Commandments report. While a regulatory improvement commission would help…
Forbes
New Trump Executive Orders Spotlight Interior And Education ‘Regulatory Dark Matter’
Executive orders and proclamations expanding the scope of Washington over the nation’s business characterized much of the Barack Obama presidency. The former president himself–not just…
Blog
Reviewing Trump’s First 100 Days
This Saturday, April 29th, marks President Trump’s 100th day in office, which offers us the opportunity to reflect on what his administration has accomplished so…
News Release
CEI Calls USA Act an “Important Step” to Restoring Separation of Powers
The Competitive Enterprise Institute supports the Unauthorized Spending Accountability (USA) Act of 2017, aimed at reducing and bringing transparency to executive branch spending. Ryan Young,…
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
The Federal Register continues its slow march to the 20,000-page mark, but is still on pace for lowest page total since 1993.
Forbes
The Only Way Trump’s Washington Can Be Smaller In Four Years
There are now several moving and overlapping parts to President Donald Trump’s streamlining, swamp-draining, “deconstruction of the administrative state” agenda. Last week brought Office…
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
The 2017 Federal Register had another sub-thousand page week, though it is still already more than 18,000 pages long.
Blog
In Wake of United Debacle, Give Airlines – and Travelers – More Flexibility
Most of the time it’s actually government policies that end up ruining a traveler’s day.
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
Things remain slow on the regulatory front, with a large chunk of new rules being routine safety-zone and drawbridge scheduling regulations from the Coast Guard.
Blog
National Security Is No Argument against Regulatory Reform
On the Lawfare blog, Professor Ganesh Sitaraman of Vanderbilt Law School and the Center for American Progress offers an argument about regulatory reform that…
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
There were 63 final regulations and 28 proposed regulations last week, but again, few of them amounted to much. We’ll have more to say on…
Blog
FTC Launches Economic Liberty Task Force to Fight Overregulation
Federal agencies have a well-deserved reputation for issuing regulations, publishing guidance documents, and bringing enforcement actions against American businesses. But when the stars align, agencies…
Newsmax
‘It’s About Bloody Time’ Someone Cuts Excessive Government Regulation
Newsmax highlights the cost of regulation from Wayne Crews’s Ten Thousand Commandments report. The Competitive Enterprise Institute estimates that the total cost of…
The Hill
Obama FCC’s ‘privacy’ rules were a sham
The Hill highlights CEI’s calculation of the Federal Communication Commission’s 2015 regulatory costs. The FCC is no poster child for efficiency for that…
Blog
Regulations – How Much Do They Cost You?
From the labels on our food to the shoes on our feet, regulations are a part of our everyday lives. And there…
Blog
Two Potential Outcomes for the Office of American Innovation
Yesterday the White House announced the launch of an Office of American Innovation. This is the latest of several moving and overlapping parts to President Trump’s…
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
The Trump administration’s 60-day regulatory freeze is now over, but many of this week’s new regulations are simply extensions of previous delays. So despite a…
The Huffington Post
Resisting Executive Excess Means Relearning Lessons from the Past
Defenders of checks and balances should be happy that a circuit split on President Trump’s executive order on immigration means that the Supreme…
News Release
Leading public policy and legal organizations join forces with Red Tape Rollback to roll back excessive federal regulations
RedTapeRollback.com, a project of Pacific Legal Foundation, today announced a new partnership with leading national public policy, legal,…
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
Starting this week, many late-Obama administration regulations delayed by the Trump administration’s 60-day freeze will come into effect.
Fortune
Regulations Cost U.S. Business More Than Canada’s GDP
President Donald Trump’s administration has been busy issuing a flurry of executive orders intended to reduce regulatory burdens on businesses that keep them from adding…
Blog
A Blueprint for Reforming the Federal Government
This is a big week for reform of the federal government: yesterday, President Trump signed an executive order on reorganizing the executive branch, and this…
News Release
Mapping Washington’s Lawlessness: CEI Releases Updated Inventory of “Regulatory Dark Matter”
Today, the Competitive Enterprise (CEI) released the 2017 update to its comprehensive report Mapping Washington’s Lawlessness: An Inventory of “Regulatory Dark Matter.” This analysis covers…
Forbes
Here’s What Donald Trump And Congress Should Do About Regulatory Dark Matter
It’s becoming too easy for federal agencies to steer private activity without issuing “real” regulations anymore. Instead, we get regulatory dark matter — particularly…
The Wall Street Journal
Trump vs. The Blizzard
The Wall Street Journal cites Wayne Crews’ latest study on Regulatory Dark Matter: He will need every bit of political skill…
The Daily Caller
Agencies Use Regulatory ‘Dark Matter’ To Skirt Trump’s Reforms
The Daily Caller discusses regulatory “Dark Matter” under the new Trump Administration Federal regulatory orders include presidential and agency memoranda, guidance documents, bulletins…
Study
Mapping Washington’s Lawlessness
With regulatory dark matter, there are tens of thousands of documents that agencies can use to circumvent Congress, allowing the federal government to inject itself into…
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
It was another slow week for new regulations, but busy times are on their way. A slew of delayed regulations will come into effect on…
News Release
CEI Comments on President Trump’s “Comprehensive Plan for Reorganizing the Executive Branch”
"Today regulation is used as a tool of economic control. It is time to return to agencies bound by law which can serve as a…
Washington Examiner
Trump asks public to help fix, cut government, sees billions in savings
Washington Examiner speaks with Kent Lassman on President Trump’s “Comprehensive Plan for Reorganizing the Executive Branch” excutive order. Competitive Enterprise Institute President Kent Lassman…
Townhall
Those ‘Devastating’ EPA Reductions
Townhall highlights Wayne Crews’ research on the cost of federal regulations. Complying with EPA and other government regulations inflicts staggering costs that reverberate…
Blog
Better than Expected Jobs Report Suggests Employer Optimism
It is very early days for the new administration, but there may be signs that employers are reacting to its deregulatory agenda.
Blog
On Tour with U.S. Chamber’s ‘Let’s Grow’ Campaign
While the policy landscape is far from perfect, we have the best opportunity in a long time to clear the field for growth and prosperity…
Blog
New York’s “BitLicense” on Trial
A lawsuit again New York's “BitLicense” regulation is challenging the state's targeting of Bitcoin-based businesses.
Blog
Making the Case for a Free Market in Space
For commercialized space (and alas, for other sectors) we need a regulatory heatshield, a HOT Act (“Hands Off Technology”).
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
As the regulatory freeze marches on, most new regulations coming out are garden-variety FAA airworthiness directives and Coast Guard drawbridge and safety zone rules.
Washington Post
The administrative state is huge, and it’s only getting bigger
The Washington Post highlights Wayne Crews’s research on the federal regulatory state. Just what White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon meant when…
Blog
A Congressional Review Act ‘Game-Changer’ Steps into the Spotlight
A new interpretation of the Congressional Review Act would allow Congress to quickly repeal federal regulations from as far back as the mid-1990s.
Study
Time to End the Madness around March Madness
View Full Document as PDF This March, millions of Americans will join friends, relatives, and coworkers in the annual rite of betting…
News Release
CEI Comments on President Trump’s Joint-Session Address to Congress
On February 28, 2017, President Donald J. Trump addressed a joint session of Congress. His speech reviewed the new administration’s recent initiatives and announced ways in which the White…
Washington Post
Last night, conservatives gave up on conservatism
The Washington Post discusses President Trump’s policy proposals from his address to a joint session of Congress with CEI President Kent Lassman. The…
Blog
Trump Must Collaborate and Persuade to Advance Regulatory Reform
For the President to advance his agenda for reforming the overreaching regulatory state, he will need a partnership with Congress.
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
43 new regulations last week, from toddler beds to potato proteins.
News Release
CEI Supports Regulatory Integrity Act and the SCRUB Act
This week, the U.S. House of Representatives is slated to vote on H.R. 1004, the Regulatory Integrity Act, introduced by Congressman Tim Walberg (R-MI), and…
Blog
White House Bets on Regulatory Reform to Kickstart Job Growth
This afternoon President Trump signed a new executive order titled “Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda” with the goal of spurring economic growth and job creation.
Blog
Policy Background on Trump’s Joint-Session Address to Congress
Here are five areas where the administration has the opportunity to implement valuable and much-needed reforms for the American people.
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
As with the previous few weeks, many of this week’s regulations were simply delays of previous rules.
National Review
It’s Time to Shine a Light on Regulatory ‘Dark Matter’
Regulation is not the only way the federal bureaucracy inhibits innovation. President Donald Trump’s desire to shrink the regulatory state by significantly cutting the number…
Washington Examiner
Trump’s economic transformation is only getting started
Washington Examiner highlights Wayne Crews’s calculated cost of federal regulations. One of the main reasons why the Obama economy has limped along, year…
Pittsburgh Tribune
Peeling back Obama’s ‘onion’: It’s going to take time
The Pittsburgh Tribune discusses President Trump’s executive order on regulation with Wayne Crews. Under an executive order by Mr. Trump, every new regulation…
Blog
Deregulate to Grow the Economy Faster
Congress and the new administration have a real chance to make the economy grow faster, and to raise the labor force participation rate above its…
Blog
Five Regulatory Heartbreaks on Valentine’s Day
Tomorrow we celebrate our significant other by showering them with affection and chocolate—but is government regulation getting in the way of your date night?…
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
The White House regulatory freeze continues, and a wide range of recent rules, big and small, have been delayed until late March.
Staff & Scholars
Clyde Wayne Crews
Fred L. Smith Fellow in Regulatory Studies
- Business and Government
- Consumer Freedom
- Deregulation
Ryan Young
Senior Economist
- Antitrust
- Business and Government
- Regulatory Reform
Fred L. Smith, Jr.
Founder; Chairman Emeritus
- Automobiles and Roads
- Aviation
- Business and Government
Sam Kazman
Counsel Emeritus
- Antitrust
- Automobiles and Roads
- Banking and Finance
Marlo Lewis, Jr.
Senior Fellow
- Climate
- Energy
- Energy and Environment