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
Is Congress even trying? 3,248 new rules vs. 175 laws
In 2024, federal agencies issued 3,248 rules and regulations, while Congress enacted only 175 laws. I refer to the simple ratio—19 rules for…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Draining the swamp with Jim Bovard
In this week’s episode we cover fake endangered species, Pennsylvania’s climate policy showdown, a robust defense of property rights in New…
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: Seat belts and eagle possession
This week’s roundup will be a little different than usual. Since the new year began mid-week, and I already published a breakdown of 2024’s year-end numbers, as…
Search Posts
News Release
Trump Administration’s Success in Tackling $2 Trillion Federal Regulatory Burden Faces Risk
While President Trump has slowed the growth of new regulation, there are warning signs that federal agencies are already on track to reverse his progress.
News Release
Senate Votes Down Unfair CFPB Auto Lending Rule
CEI praised the Senate today for voting down the Obama-era Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule that unfairly penalized auto lenders for any unintentional disparate impact…
Study
Ten Thousand Commandments 2018
View the Full Report Here Ten Thousand Commandments is the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s annual survey of the size, scope, and cost of federal regulations,…
Blog
AI in the UK: Lords’ Report Makes Startups Less Competitive
The British House of Lords recently published a report on artificial intelligence, which includes policy recommendations that would hamper the development of AI domestically and…
Products
Liberate to Stimulate
Download Chapter 10 as a PDF Policy makers frequently propose spending stimulus as a way to grow economies. It rarely goes well.
Products
Regulation and the FCC
Download Chapter 9 as a PDF The Federal Communications Commission is by no means the heavyweight among regulators as gauged by the…
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
The highlights from this week’s round of 36 proposed regulations and 72 final regulations range from licensing government inventions to the Department of Redundancy Department’s…
Forbes
An Inventory Of Federal Agency Guidance Documents
Is that an exciting click-bait title or what? It gets even better though. Federal regulations’ hundreds of billions in costs and…
Op-Eds
The Six Ways Trump Has Cut Red Tape (So Far)
Alongside tax reform, cutting red tape has been big news. Congress created the regulatory enterprise and enabled the now-sweeping delegation of legislative power to administrative agencies…
Marketplace Radio
AUDIO: John Berlau Discusses Accountability at the CFPB with American Public Media’s Marketplace
John Berlau, Senior Fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, joined American Public Media’s Marketplace, to discuss how the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau can be…
Forbes
Mark Zuckerberg Testimony: Will Washington Cast The First Stone At Facebook?
As Facebook is embroiled in three separate privacy crises, let he who never transacts commercially or politically cast the first stone.
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
It may not feel like Spring yet, but regulatory agencies have turned their fancies to rulemaking, with 45 proposed and 70 final regulations ranging from…
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
With a full quarter of 2018 in the books, agencies have issued just one economically significant rule—an increase in State Department fees amounting to $115…
CNBC
VIDEO: Ryan Radia Discusses Regulatory Oversight of Data Collection on CNBC
Ryan Radia, Research Fellow and Regulatory Counsel at CEI, joined CNBC’s Power Lunch to discuss regulatory oversight of data collection.
Reason Magazine
Trump Is ‘Destroying’ Regulations
Reason Magazine talks to Wayne Crews about the Trump administration’s commitment to regulatory reform: The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), a D.C.-based free-market think…
Blog
More Evidence of Growth in February Job Figures
Today’s jobs numbers shattered expectations—313,000 new jobs in February against an expectation of 200,000. The numbers provide yet more support to the…
Yahoo Finance!
New House Bill Would Kill Consumer Watchdog Payday Loan Rule
Yahoo! Finance cited Daniel Press on the necessity of access for consumers to receive a payday loan. A congressional resolution introduced in the House…
Watchdog
More Briefs Filed with SCOTUS in Forced Union Dues Case
Watchdog cited Trey Kovacs on the longstanding circumstance of union workers being forced to pay for controversial political activities for unions by the government. …
The Daily Caller News Foundation
EPA Responded to The DCNF’s FOIA Request Two-And-A-Half Years Late
TheDCNF quoted Chris Horner on the difficulty which conservatives face when submitting FOIA requests to the EPA compared to environmentalists. The Environmental Protection…
PGRI
Supreme Court Decision Could Open Door for Sports Betting in Pennsylvania
PGRI cited Michelle Minton on the liklihood that judges will overturn the federal sports betting ban on behalf of the state of New Jersey. …
PRWeb
Take Off the Veneer of Certainty On Climate Change Science Says Friends of Science Society
PRWeb cited Rupert Darwall on the need for reanalyzing climate ideology based on scientific uncertainty and the politicization of scientific evidence surrounding the climate debate.
Newsmax
Mulvaney Must End CFPB’s Big Brother Role
Just after Thanksgiving, when the drama of the dueling directors began at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), I told The Washington Examiner that the new…
FEE
Blockchain Technology Requires Permissionless Innovation to Flourish
Blockchain has been hitting the headlines recently. Once regarded as a niche interest for technologically experienced libertarians and other computer nerds, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are…
Forbes
Trump Administration Releases Updated Regulatory Cost-Benefit Report
Benefits of federal regulation are supposed to exceed costs. How much review of federal regulation happens to assure that’s the case? The annual (sort of) Report…
Investor's Business Daily
Trump’s Deregulation Binge Is Lightening The Economy’s Load
Investor’s Business Daily cited Clyde Wayne Crews on the extent of the impact which the Trump adminstration’s deregulatory stance is having on the nation’s economy. …
The Hill
Conservatives Packed 2017 With Victories — Push 2018 Even Further
The Hill cited Wayne Crews on the financial impact of overregulation by the Obama administration upon the United States economy. With a wild…
CNBC
Trump Disappoints Fossil Fuel Proponents and Corn Belt Base as EPA Leaves Biofuels Program Mostly Unchanged
Marlo Lewis was cited by CNBC for the negative impact which not scaling back on the renewable fuel program will have on taxpayers and those…
Bloomberg Law
House Bid to Ax Payday Rule Kicks Off With Bipartisan Support
Bloomberg Law cited Daniel Press on the leadership expressed by House lawmakers for blocking a law that would impede upon the loan-granting process that would…
Newsmax
Year Two: 10 Things Trump Must Do to Finish Draining the Swamp
President Trump has not drained the swamp yet – but at least it is getting smaller.
The Washington Times
Judge Rules in Favor of Trump in Battle Over CFPB Leadership
The Washington Times quoted Sam Kazman on the blocking of Leandra English in taking control of the CFPB as acting director. A federal…
The Washington Times
Trump Signs Legislation to Repeal Obama-Era Arbitration Rule
The Washington Times quoted Iain Murray on the need for Congress to disapprove of the CFPB’s egregious rule against small dollar loans. President Trump signed…
The Washington Times
Protecting Consumers from Fraud and Abuse
Following Richard Cordray’s resignation as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the smart money is betting that President Trump will appoint Mick Mulvaney, head…
The Washington Post
This group thinks Trump hasn’t done enough to unravel environmental rules. Here’s its wish list.
The Washington Post quoted Myron Ebell on the failings of the personnel process within the EPA as being a major cause of dysfunction for the…
Washington Examiner
Payday-loan borrowers need protection from the poorly-named Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
In an epic, down to the wire vote last week Congressional Republicans narrowly overturned a regulation that would have enriched lawyers at the expense of…
Townhall
Beware the Dangers of Online Gambling Says Wildly Rich, Totally Uninterested Casino Owner
Townhall cited Michelle Minton on the fact how at least one-percent of gamblers, no matter the restrictions or type of gambling, they will develop a…
Reason
Self-Driving Cars Will Make Most Auto Safety Regulations Unnecessary
Reason quoted Marc Scribner on the necessity of pragmatism which should be utilized to expedite the implementation of self-driving cars before federal auto regulators idealistic…
Reason
Trump’s ‘Deregulatory’ Juggernaut’?
Reason quoted a report by the Competitive Enterprise Institute on the success of the Trump administration in enacting deregulatory reforms. “While the Republican…
RealClearMarkets
Undoing President Obama’s Damage Will Take Time
RealClearMarkets quoted Daniel Press on banking regulations impact on the banking system. Ronald Reagan once said, “No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in…
PGRI
Pennsylvania becomes the Fourth State to Legalize Online Gambling
PGRI re-posted an article released by the Competitive Enterprise Institute on its blog detailing the successful legalization of online gambling in Pennsylvania. …
Politico
FCC’s next step on net neutrality: Blocking the states
Politico quoted Jessica Melugin on the difficulties awaiting states or cities who would try to impose their own individualized versions of net neutrality highlighted by…
Politico
Cordray out
Politico cited the video released by the Competitive Enterprise Institute criticizing the CFPB. Sheila Bair wants a commission: Sheila Bair on CNBC: “I…
Blog
CEI Reacts to Trump’s FY19 Budget Proposals for CFPB, EPA, and Regulatory Reform
CEI experts react to provisions in President Trump’s fiscal year 2019 budget proposal released on February 12, 2018.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Under the radar, Trump, Republicans are in frontal assault of Obama-era regulations
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch cited Wayne Crews as well as the Competitive Enterprise Institute on the effects of President Trump’s reforms and how mcuh overregulation…
Newsmax
Dear President Trump, Please Fire CFPB’s Cordray — Now
On Oct. 30, 2017 Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Richard Cordray released a letter to President Donald Trump in which Cordray urged the…
The New York Times
Net Neutrality Hits a Nerve, Eliciting Intense Reactions
The New York Times cited the Competitive Enterprise Institute in its support of internet regulation reforms that seek to create a more regulation-free environment. …
New York Post
Banks Remain Quiet On Mulvaney CFPB Appointment
The New York post quoted Iain Murray about the conditions of a legal standoff surrounding the CFPB. While Washington was buzzing on Monday…
The Hill
EPA blocks scientists who get grants from its advisory boards
The Hill quoted Myron Ebell on the actions of EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and his recent reforms. The Trump administration rolled out a…
The Hill
Why are we still regulating Main Street like Wall Street?
It’s no secret that banks across America aren’t doing well under the Dodd-Frank Act, Congress’s response to the 2008 financial crisis. Since Dodd-Frank’s enactment in…
The Hill
Credit Trump for boosting business and fueling our economic growth
The Hill cited the Competitive Enterprise Institute for the success of President Trump’s deregulatory policies and the postive impact said changes are materializing for business…
Compliance Week
Coalition Urges Congress to Halt CFPB Rule on ‘Payday’ Loans
Compliance Week covers CEI’s coalition letter urging Congress to stop the CFPB’s payday-loan rule. On Feb. 6, 23 free market groups led by the…
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