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
Bloomberg BNA
GOP Races Against Time to Roll Back Clock on EPA, Other Rules
Bloomberg BNA highlights Wayne Crews’s calculated annual cost of federal regulations. Environmental and public interest groups say the campaign to nullify various regulations…
The Hill
GOP searches for new way to cut Obama regs
The Hill discusses Congressional efforts to get rid of major regulations with Wayne Crews. But pressure is mounting from conservative groups for Republicans…
CNBC
CEO confidence at near-record high. Why? Trump’s war on regulation
CNBC highlights Wayne Crews’s calculated cost of federal regulations from his annual Ten Thousand Commandments report. Last week President Donald Trump signed an executive…
CNBC
Trump’s deregulation wave may have companies geared up to spend and hire
CNBC highlights Wayne Crews’s calculated cost of federal regulations from his annual Ten Thousand Commandments report. In a Friday note, Jefferies Chief Market…
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
With the new administration’s regulatory freeze now in full effect, there were just 8 proposed new regulations published last week. This was the lowest figure…
Washington Post
Can Trump win his war on the regulatory state?
The Washington Post discusses the cost of federal regulations with Wayne Crews. Now regulation is pervasive. It touches air and water pollution, pensions,…
Blog
Encouraging Job Report Suggests Deregulation Will Get America Back to Work
New employment numbers suggest that employers are starting to respond to the promise of substantial deregulation by the new administration.
Blog
Nestlé, Other Businesses Flee California
Poor economic policy is negatively impacting job prospects in the Golden State.
Blog
Assessing Prospects for Bipartisan Consensus on Regulatory Reform
The federal government doesn’t merely spend $4 trillion a year, it directs the private sector to spend and otherwise re-purposes enormous resources.
Washington Examiner
Trump about to unleash his fury on the regulatory state
Washington Examiner highlights Wayne Crews’s work to track the number and cost of federal regulations. No one even has a reliable count of…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Letter Urging Congress to Use Congressional Review Act
View Full Document as PDF Dear Senators and Representatives: On behalf of the millions of Americans that our organizations represent, we are…
Forbes
Trump And The Federal Bureaucracy Just Collided — Here’s What Happens Next
Agencies’ rules and regulations surged during Barack Obama’s last year, helping create a Federal Register 20 percent larger than the prior record. Bureaus and…
Blog
Trump ‘2-for-1’ Executive Order Could Save Lives
Many federal regulations harm health and safety, so President Trump’s executive order requiring “agencies to revoke two regulations for every new rule they want to issue”…
Blog
‘One In, Two Out’: Trump’s Executive Order on New Regulations
President Trump's latest executive order on regulatory reform could be an important step in the right direction for reining in government red tape.
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
For the next few weeks, the Federal Register will likely have fewer pages and regulations than usual.
News Release
Wayne Crews of CEI Responds to President Trump’s Executive Order on Regulations
“Regulations have compounded for decades with very little rollback ever taking place, so President Trump’s executive order requiring agencies to identify two regulations for elimination,…
The Hill
Groups clash over GOP tool to roll back regulations
The Hill reports on a letter CEI signed, that urges Congress to bring regulatory reform by using the Congressional Review Act. Conservative groups…
Reason.com
Trump’s Executive Order on Regulations Is Welcome, But More Is Needed
Reason.com discusses President Trump’s executive order on new regulations with Wayne Crews. Still, rolling back federal regulations in a meaningful way will require…
Foundation for Economic Education
The Epic Failure of the Government Gas Can
Part of living on Earth is mowing its grass and performing outdoor chores. Last International Earth Day, while the Globe held hands and celebrated Gaia…
Wall Street Journal
How the House Will Roll Back Washington’s Rule by Bureaucrat
The Wall Street Journal highlights Wayne Crews’s annual study on the costs of federal regulations. In President Obama’s final year the Federal Register…
One News Now
Trump’s pen erases trade agreement
One News Now discusses regulatory reform under the Trump administration with Ryan Young. President Trump also made headlines late Friday for a presidential…
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
The final pre-inauguration Federal Register was 1,464 pages long. A normal day’s edition is roughly 300 pages. Since there is a lag time of a…
Library of Law and Liberty
Regulatory Reform: A Few (Not So) Easy Pieces
Library of Law and Liberty discusses midnight regulations from the Obama administration with Wayne Crews. Yes: you can dismiss REFORM as starry-eyed. It…
Blog
DeVos Hearing Generates Misleading Attacks on Civil Liberties Group FIRE
Betsy DeVos, who was recently nominated to be the next Secretary of Education, has been attacked because she and her husband reportedly made donations to a civil-liberties…
Blog
Where Have All the Startups Gone? New Research from eBay and EIG
Recently eBay’s public policy team here in Washington, D.C. presented a fascinating program on economic growth and new business start-ups.
Study
Resale Pricing in the Contact Lens Industry
View Full Document as PDF More than 30 million Americans wear contact lenses. In recent years, contact lens technology has improved, offering…
Forbes
Donald Trump’s 100 Day Executive Action Agenda
New presidents emphasize 100-day priorities, but president-elect Donald J. Trump likely has a 100-minute agenda. An early post-election action instructed transition managers to “develop…
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
In a mere nine working days, the 2017 Federal Register has nearly reached 5,000 pages; the midnight hour approaches.
Blog
Coalition Defends Reform of Credit Union Lending Rules
A dozen conservative and free-market groups have signed onto a coalition letter to preserve deregulation of credit union lending.
Newsmax
Trumponomics Differs From Reaganomics
Newsmax highlights Wayne Crews’s study on the decline of federal regulation during the Reagan administration. Deregulation. Pages within the Federal Register, the official daily…
Forbes
Obama’s Legacy: Here’s A Raft Of Executive Actions Trump May Target
It’s president Barack Obama’s last week. Is the American left ready to consider reining in executive power yet? Coming to terms with the bipartisan stake…
Blog
New York Times Highlights Minimum Wage Tradeoffs
Minimum wage increases have obvious winners, which is why they are so popular. Their tradeoffs are less obvious.
The Hill
It’s time to enact regulatory relief for credit unions and consumers
The Hill quotes Wayne Crews’s research on the cost of federal regulations from his annual Ten Thousand Commandments report. The impact of excessive…
Blog
Chamber of Commerce CEO Lays Out 2017 Agenda
U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas Donohue gave his annual “State of American Business Address” to a packed hall at the Chamber’s H…
Washington Examiner
9.7 billion hours required to complete 1 year of federal paperwork
Washington Examiner speaks with Clyde Wayne Crews on how many hours it took Americans to fill out and compleate federal paperwork in 2015. …
Blog
Regulatory Accountability Act Poised to Bring Dramatic Improvement to Government Rulemaking
If signed into law by the next president, the Regulatory Accountability Act will have a dramatically positive effect on jobs, productivity, innovation, and overall economic…
Blog
13,953 Human Lifetimes Spent Annually on Federal Paperwork (2017 Edition)
The burden of federal government paperwork now takes up 9.778 billion hours a year.
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
The midnight regulatory rush continues, with more than 2,100 Federal Register pages, despite a four-day work week, along with 51 proposed regulations and 52 final…
Foundation for Economic Education
Lower Costs, Not Regulations, Will Save the Environment
I have a long bus commute to work in Washington DC. Most mornings I am engrossed in reading the latest news or a scholarly article,…
Blog
Regulatory Reform in 2017: How Much Do Existing Regulations Cost?
The Regulatory Responsibility for our Economy Act (RREA), sponsored by Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS), would help fix basic transparency problems with federal regulations.
InsideSources
Congress Should Get Ready to ‘SCRUB’ Regulatory Rulebooks
InsideSources highlights Wayne Crews’s calculated cost of federal regulations from his annual study. According to the Competitive Enterprise Institute, the cost of complying with…
Blog
House Moves on Regulatory Reform, More Votes Coming
Yesterday afternoon the House of Representatives passed the Midnight Rule Relief Act, which would allow Congress to repeal multiple executive branch rules with a single…
Investor's Business Daily
Putting An End To Obama’s Economy-Destroying Regulatory Siege
Investor’s Business Daily highlights Wayne Crews’s research on last-minute federal regulations from the Obama administration. As he heads for the exits, Obama is…
Washington Times
Protective press refuses to call President Obama a ‘lame duck’
The Washington Times reports on Wayne Crews’s research on the number of federal regulations issued in 2016. So how many new regulations did…
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations: 2016 Wrap-Up
The 2016 Federal Register’s record-setting page count ends at 97,110 pages—more than 15,000 pages above the previous record, set in 2010. The difference is more…
Forbes
The U.S. Economy In 2017: Welcome Higher Growth
Forbes highlights Wayne Crews’s study on the number of federal regulations passed under the Obama administration. Today, there is less uncertainty in politics.
Blog
Best of the Blog 2016
Certain topics were especially popular with readers in 2016.
Blog
The 2017 Unconstitutionality Index: 18 Federal Rules for Every Law Congress Passes
Federal agencies in 2016 issued 18 rules and regulations for every law Congress passed.
Blog
Preparing for the Challenges and Opportunities of 2017
At this time of year, it is easy to focus on endings. The end of the general election campaign in November, however, also marked a…
Breitbart
Obama Oversees Year of Mass Regulation, Record 97,000 Pages of Red Tape
Breitbart highlights Wayne Crews’s report on the number of regulations passed during the Obama administration. President Barack Obama’s administration has added record levels…
Washington Times
Obama Sets A Record For Red Tape in 2016
The Washington Times discusses regulation under the Obama administration with Clyde Wayne Crews. Clyde Wayne Crews, CEI’s vice president for policy, said Republicans…
Washington Examiner
Obama unleashes 3,853 regs, 18 for every law, record 97,110 pages of red tape
Washington Examiner discusses regulation under the Obama administration with Wayne Crews. The proof that it was an overwhelming year for rules and regulations…
Daily Caller
Agencies Issued 18 Regs For Every Law Congress Passed In 2016
The Daily Caller discusses Wayne Crews’s report comparing the Obama administrations regulations to laws that Congress passed in 2016. Executive branch agencies under…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Letter on Midnight Litigation
View full document as PDF Dear Vice President-Elect Pence: It has come to our attention that a number of Departments and independent…
The Hill
Pruitt’s confirmation as EPA chief essential to restoring balance of power
The Hill highlights Wayne Crews’s calculated cost of regulations. Regulatory overreach is not a new threat to the constitutional separation of powers and…
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
As the Obama administration heads into its home stretch, agencies passed new rules ranging from gloves to canned vegetables.
Blog
Five New Year’s Resolutions for a New Administration
Now is the perfect time for members of the incoming Trump administration to reflect on where America is and set policy goals for the coming…
The Hill
New President, New (Anti-)Red Tape Agenda
Federal regulators issue thousands of regulations every year. Decrees range from the Environmental Protection Agency’s gargantuan Clean Power Plan and “Waters of the United States”…
Forbes
Obama White House Releases Final Cost Of Regulation Report
The day before Christmas Eve, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released the 2016 Draft Report to Congress on the Benefits…
Forbes
Coal In The Stocking – Obama Regulatory Rulebook Breaks Record By 13,000 Pages
When I was a kid, Dad always told my sister and me that if Santa Claus caught us awake on Christmas Eve, he’d put pepper…
Reason.com
For Trump And Icahn, Experts Say Regulatory Reform Should Be More Than a Numbers Game
Reason.com discusses regulatory reform under the Trump administration with Wayne Crews and Kent Lassman. To get below the surface, Trump’s team could look…
Washington Times
One Obama executive order that makes sense
The Washington Times discusses regulations from the Obama administration with Wayne Crews. In retrospect, it’s easy to surmise that Mr. Obama’s executive order…
The Hill
Trump plots two-for-one assault on Obama regs
The Hill discusses with Wayne Crews a plan from President-elect Donald Trump that would eliminate two regulations for every new rule issued. It’s unclear…
Blog
Some Advice for Trump Appointees
Your role in the new administration is to propose ways of restoring limited government – by privatization, deregulation, extending property rights, and taking on the…
Blog
Congress Should Target Unaccountable EPA Programs
The newly elected congressional majority should be ready and willing to help implement President elect-Donald Trump’s promise to tackle onerous regulations. But what about so…
National Review
Time to Get Rid of the EPA? Scott Pruitt May Be Just the Guy to Do It
National Review highlights Ryan Young’s estimate of the annual cost of compliance with the EPA’s regulations The EPA’s expansive and ever-expanding regulations impose…
Blog
Must-Have Gifts for America’s Wish List
It isn’t Christmas Day yet, much to the chagrin of impatient youngsters, but it’s already time for America to put together a wish list for…
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
On Tuesday the 2016 Federal Register topped 90,000 pages for the first time ever, and continues to extend its page-count record every day.
The Daily Signal
Here’s the Tool Congress Can Use to Curtail Obama’s Regulation Legacy
The Daily Signal highlights Marlo Lewis’s writing on last minute regualtions from the Enviornmental Protection Agency. Not surprisingly, efforts are being made to enact…
Tulsa World
Credit Reports Used by Insurance Companies
Tulsa World
The Paul Ryan Vice Presidential Choice And The Other National Debt
No matter Mitt Romney’s running-mate candiate selection, cable news saturation of America for a couple days would have been and will be inevitable. Especially when…
Blog
Federal Register Breaks Record by 10,000 Pages
Today standing at 91,642 pages, the Federal Register is 10,000 pages higher than the prior all-time record.
Blog
Three Regulatory Reforms Congress Can Pass in the First Hundred Days
Here are three they should pursue in the new administration’s first hundred days.
Washington Examiner
Obama legacy: Most red tape in history, 35 days still left
Washington Examiner speaks with Clyde Wayne Crews on this year's record-breaking Federal Register's page count. According to regulation watcher Clyde Wayne Crews of…
Blog
A Free Market Policy Agenda for the Trump Administration
CEI’s free market policy agenda for the incoming Trump administration is aimed at strengthening the economy and removing barriers to economic freedom in five key…
Blog
How Ridesharing Platforms Help the Economy
We have been saying for a while that ridesharing platforms like Lyft are different from traditional transportation firms, not just in the technology they use,…
Study
First Steps for the Trump Administration: Rein in the Regulatory State
View full document as PDF President-elect Donald Trump has instructed members of his transition team to “develop a list of executive actions…
Legal NewsLine
CEI, in agenda for new Congress, pushes lawmakers to rein in federal agencies
Legal NewsLine highlights CEI's policy proposals for the 115th Congress. The Competitive Enterprise Institute, a nonprofit that advocates for limited government and free enterprise,…
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
The 2016 Federal Register will likely top 90,000 pages next week for the first time ever.
Wall Street Journal
Despotism and Donald Trump
The Wall Street Journal highlights CEI's policy proposals for addressing federal overreach. Guess it depends on what you mean by “authoritarian.”…
Foundation for Economic Education
San Francisco Turns against Its Own Startup Airbnb
San Francisco is the birthplace of Airbnb. Even so, politicians in this city have created some of the most restrictive home-sharing regulations in the…
Blog
A Pro-Growth Agenda for the 115th Congress
At CEI, we believe a clear agenda is necessary to move America toward economic growth, prosperity, and liberty for individuals to chart their own paths…
CNBC
Get ready for Republican rush of regulation rollback
CNBC discusses the Obama era regulations that the Trump administration could get rid of with Wayne Crews. But now, thanks to the Trump's…
News Release
CEI Proposes Agenda for Congress to Restore the Fundamentals of a Free Economy
Today the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) released its policy goals for the 115th Congress, highlighting specific steps lawmakers can take to reform the unbounded…
Watchdog.org
Midnight in the garden of good intentions: Small biz fears end-of-administration regulations
Watchdog.org reports on CEI's work to track federal regulations and speaks with Marlo Lewis on the regulatory burden. The Competitive Enterprise Institute, which…
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
As the Federal Register climbed above 87,000 pages for the first time in its 81-year history, agencies issued new rules ranging from landfills to movie…
Daily Signal
Obama Administration Not Finished Yet With Executive Actions, Regulations
The Daily Signal discusses the Obama administration's federal regulatory pace with Ryan Young. The fact that Trump could overturn much executive or administrative…
Products
Free to Prosper: Regulatory Reform
View the full chapter on regulatory reform here All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United…
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
Thanksgiving week was a busy one, with new regulations ranging from potatoes to royalties.
Washington Examiner
Race to finish: 1 new Obama reg every 147 minutes
Washington Examiner highlights CEI's work to track the federal goverment's current regulatory pace. According to the Competitive Enterprise Institute, Obama's regulatory machine is on…
Forbes
Donald Trump Promises To Eliminate Two Regulations For Every One Enacted
President elect Donald Trump, in a new video covering the transition and policy for the first 100 days, promises to get rid of regulation on…
Independent Journal Review
It’s Time For The New President And Congress To Think Big When It Comes To Cutting Government Waste
Political revolutions don’t come around often: Margaret Thatcher in Britain in 1979, the fall of the Berlin Wall in Eastern Europe in 1990, the Contract…
The Washington Times
Republicans prepare to repeal regulations as Obama racks up record
The Washington Times discusses a regulatory record set by the Obama administration with Wayne Crews. The president is piling up the red tape…
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
On November 17, the 2016 Federal Register set an all-time record page count—an impressive feat for a document that has been published continuously since 1936.
Forbes
Obama White House Releases Its Final Regulatory Agenda
The White House has published the Fall 2016 Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions. It’s appearing the weekend before Thanksgiving — yet…
Investor's Business Daily
What’s Really Doable In Trump’s First 100 Days?
Investor's Business Daily discusses rolling back regulation of the Obama administration with Wayne Crews. In the past eight years, Obama has imposed a…
Blog
Counteracting the Midnight Rush of Regulations
Now that the White House will officially be switching parties, the outgoing Obama administration will likely pass as much of its regulatory agenda as quickly…
Blog
Obama’s 2016 Federal Register Just Topped Highest Page Count of All Time
Well that didn’t him take long. President Barack Obama’s Federal Register, the daily depository of rules and regulations, added 572 pages today, and stands at…
Washington Examiner
Obama sets new record for regulations, 527 pages in just one day
Washington Examiner discusses the Obama administration's record breaking regulation year with Wayne Crews. President Obama has just set a new record for rules…
Breitbart
Obama Sets Record, Slams Washington with 527 Pages of Regulations
Breitbart discusses the Obama administration's record breaking regulatory year with Wayne Crews. Obama shattered his old record with the November 17 release, according…
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