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Blog
Three consequences of Illinois’ interchange fee law
In my new CEI paper, I examine the Illinois Interchange Fee Prohibition Act and what policymakers can learn from previous efforts to restrict…
Read the Full Study
Report: Government limit on credit card interchange fees undermines consumers, small businesses
A new Competitive Enterprise Institute report examines an Illinois law that will limit credit card interchange fees paid by merchants to the banks and credit unions that issue…
News Release
Federal Reserve moves to keep interest rates steady during its June meeting: CEI analysis
The Fed has decided to keep interest rates where they are, signaling the focus is still on economic uncertainty and asserting its independence…
Search Posts
Reason
Instead of Vote-Buying Tax Promises, Let’s Have Real Plans for Tax Relief
Reason cited CEI’s expert on exempting overtime pay On a more serious note, the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Sean Higgins thought exempting overtime pay “wouldn’t…
Politico
Biden DOJ slaps Visa with antitrust suit over debit card dominance
Politico cited CEI on Visa and Mastercard issues Retail groups including the National Retail Federation and the Merchant Payments Coalition, which have long…
Citation
The Bob Harden Show
CEI’s senior economist was on The Bob Harden Show to discuss the Fed’s recent interest rate decision.
News Release
Fed reduces interest rates by 50 basis points: CEI analysis
The Federal Reserve today cut interest rates by 50 basis points, the first rate reduction in over two years. CEI experts give their…
Blog
Hey Fed! Don’t worsen devastating Durbin debit card price controls
Consumers using their debit and credit cards just can’t catch a break these days from politicians, bureaucrats, and big retailers pushing Big Government ripoffs.
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: Robocalls and toddler carriers
Culture warriors falsely accused immigrants of eating people’s pets. Donald Trump discussed the issue in his presidential debate with Kamala Harris. The final…
Washington Examiner
Trump’s ‘no taxes on overtime’ proposal: What to know
Washington Examiner quoted CEI’s expert on no-tax-on-overtime proposal Sean Higgins was quoted in the Washington Examiner concerning Trump’s dubious no-tax-on-overtime proposal. “It’s not clear how…
Hoover Institution
Where the Candidates Stand on Regulation
The Hoover Institution cited CEI’s expert on regulatory burdens The US regulatory state is massive. Wayne Crews, the vice president for policy of…
News Release
August CPI report shows housing prices driving up inflation: CEI analysis
Today’s Consumer Price Index report for August shows an overall inflation increase of 0.2 percent, mostly driven by rising housing prices. CEI senior…
National Review
How Partisan Bureaucrats Weaponized Financial Regulation
The main goal of financial regulation in the United States is supposed to be the protection of consumers, investors, and their businesses from deception and…
Blog
Scaling deregulation: Can Trump achieve a 10-for-1 rule elimination?
In a speech at the Economic Club of New York, Donald Trump pledged if re-elected to eliminate—not two rules for every one added as…
National Review
Econception on One of History’s Underrated Inventions
National Review quoted CEI’s luncheon guest Tevi Troy on financial regulation I talk about what it means to say that “complexity is a…
DC Journal
Counterpoint: Harris’ Price Controls Won’t Tame Inflation
Right problem, wrong solution. It’s one of the most familiar stories in politics. Thanks to inflation, every American is paying higher prices for…
Blog
Congress needs to fight the bureaucracy – and itself
After testifying before the House Committee on Administration in July on Congress in a Post-Chevron World, I received a series of Questions…
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: marijuana scheduling and do-not-call fees
Rather than allow more housing to be built to combat rising rents, the Justice Department sued RealPage, a rent-listing service. CEI’s James Broughel…
Acton Institute
Invisible Logic: Boy, Do I Have a Conspiracy Theory for You
At page 99 of their substance-free investigation into the effects of the doctrine they call “neoliberalism,” George Monbiot and Peter Hutchison start talking about…
The Washington Times
Report suggests that real wages have fallen as inflation rose over past four years
The Washington Times cited CEI’s experts on real wages & rising inflation Sean Higgins, an analyst at the libertarian Competitive Enterprise Institute, said…
Blog
Congressional Review Act votes could claw back some of Biden’s regulations
As the Biden-Harris baton-passing administration approaches the final stretch of its first term, a critical deadline has passed that could render subsequent major federal…
Forbes
‘Strategic Bitcoin Reserve’ Plans Warrant Caution
At the recent Bitcoin Bitcoin -1.1% 2024 conference in Nashville, speakers proposed many good policies to tame the federal government’s regulatory…
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: energy labeling and FCC rules for homework
There are now more than 2,000 new final regulations on the year. The Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago. A labor market statistic…
The Daily Caller
‘Ignore the Economists’: Dems, Liberal Media Scramble To Explain Why Kamala’s Price Control Plan Isn’t ‘Communist’
The Daily Caller cites CEI’s expert over Kamala’s price control plan “Her idea flopped badly. They can’t just withdraw it, so they have…
TheLarsLarsonShow
Sean Higgins What Do The Revised Job Numbers Tell Us About The Future Of Our Economy
CEI expert was featured on TheLarsLarson Show to comment on the financial state of the economy Listen to more at TheLarsLarson Show…
The Western Journal
Mark Levin Uses 6th Grad Econ Test to Show Harris Why Her Inflation Plan Won’t Work
Mark Levin featured CEI’s short film I, pencil to show how Harris Inflation plan won’t work Levin then proceeded to show a…
Home Equity Lending News
Presidential Election Could Determine Fate of Freddie CES
Home Equity Lending News cited CEI on FHFA’s home-equity program “Government agencies are always looking for a way to expand their role,” says…
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: Horse race integrity and threatening air cargo
Now that it’s August, agencies began publishing their Spring 2024 Unified Agenda entries for their planned regulations. Economists had a frustrating week, with…
Citation
Harris campaign grocery price control proposal could cause shortages
Washington Examiner cited CEI behind Harris grocery price control proposal Ryan Young, senior economist at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, also said politics were…
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Clyde Wayne Crews Jr. and Ryan Young: America’s regulatory burden cost your family almost $16,000 a year
Most American families spend more on regulatory compliance than they do on food, education, or any other expense besides housing. From zoning and permit…
Bloomberg
Conservative Groups Call on Congress to Roll Back Climate Law
Bloomberg cited CEI on dismantling of the Inflation Reduction Act The best way forward is to use the budget reconciliation process in the…
The Daily Caller
Higher-Income Americans Have Been Cashing In On Green Home Subsidies Under Biden
The Daily Caller cites CEI’s expert on the Inflation Reduction Act “It is clear that the tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act…
The Daily Caller
It Turns Out Biden’s Economy Isn’t So ‘Cured’ After All
The Daily Caller cites CEI’s 10kc study Federal regulations added record-breaking costs of $2.1 trillion for the average American in 2023, resulting…
Washington Examiner
Liberal dream: Walz signed free college tuition, free meals for kids, and 100% renewable energy
Washington Examiner quoted CEI’s expert on financial regulation Ryan Young, senior economist at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, told the Washington Examiner that Walz has a…
C-SPAN
Washington Journal discuss 10kc and Biden’s regulatory legacy
David Becker of Center for Election Innovation & Research discusses efforts to increase voter confidence in U.S. elections and Wayne Crews from the Competitive…
National Review
Biden-Harris CFTC Bets It Can Ban Election Wagering
If you’re following the ever-changing news about the 2024 election, you’re probably hearing a lot about odds: Betting odds on who will be the president,…
News Release
Fed maintains interest rates while eyeing unemployment: CEI analysis
The Fed has decided to maintain interest rates while also turning its focus to unemployment, a move that CEI senior economist Ryan…
The Daily Signal
Biden Admin Regulations Cost US Households More Than $15,000 a Year, Report Says
The Daily Signal cited CEI on the Ten Thousand Commandments Households pay an average of $15,788 in hidden regulatory…
National Review
Where to Begin with Regulatory Reform
National Review cited CEI on 10 Thousand Commandments report utting federal regulations can feel a little bit like being a mosquito in a nudist…
Blog
2024 edition of Ten Thousand Commandments is out now
The federal government has a spending budget that the public can see. Every year Congress allocates a certain amount of money to each agency,…
The Daily Caller
$2.1 Trillion ‘Hidden Tax’: Cost Of Federal Regulations Hit Record High In 2023, Report Says
The Daily Caller cited CEI on Ten Thousand Commandments report Federal regulations added record-breaking costs of $2.1 trillion for the average American in…
Washington Examiner
Regulations cost families $15,000, Biden-Harris swamp plans more
Washington Examiner cited CEI on 10KC regulatory reform As bad as those costs seem, they are likely much higher because the administration…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Inflation and Bidenomics with Kurt Couchman
In this week’s episode we cover Capital One buying Discover, solutions for high housing prices, China’s soft-power investment strategy, and…
Blog
Enhancing oversight: GAO’s blueprint for congressional control over agency rulemaking
On July 5, the White House released its biannual regulatory agenda for the executive branch, which highlights agency priorities for the next six…
Capital Matters
Corner Post: Helping Hold the Administrative State to Account
Much attention has been paid to the Supreme Court’s recent overrule of the 40-year-old Chevron decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo. Chevron had facilitated the…
Review-Journal
EDITORIAL: Increasingly desperate Biden steps up the pandering
Review-Journal cited CEI on deregulation of rent control initiative “Getting rid of regulatory barriers … will increase supply and lower cost for homeownership…
Blog
Book review: The War on Prices by Ryan Bourne
I have reached a stage in my career where younger colleagues sometimes ask me for advice. There are a few evergreen pieces of advice…
Decrypt
Republicans Likely to Follow Through With Pro-Crypto Agenda, Experts Say
Decrypt cited CEI on crypto currency While the details of the next era of crypto regulation remain to be seen, elected officials…
The Wall Street Journal
The Trump Economy, Past and Future
The Washington Examiner cites Fred L. Smith Fellow in Regulatory Studies Wayne Crews on deregulation and the Federal Register: The Trump deregulation may…
Blog
Takeaways from Biden’s new Spring 2024 Unified Agenda of Federal Regulations
At the end of the July 4th holiday weekend, the Biden administration Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released the Spring 2024 edition of…
Letters
CEI joins Advancing American Freedom- Coalition letter on Consolidated Audit Trail
Dear Member of Congress, The Biden Administration is on the verge of completing an almost decade-long project to create a massive government database…
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: amplifiers and subsidized chickens
CEI’s Joel Zinberg released a new study on guidance document reform. The unemployment rate extended to 30 months its streak of being…
Blog
Fed hold interest rates steady, balance sheet concerns remain
The Federal Reserve decided to hold interest rates steady at its June 11-12 meeting. This is good news, but the bigger story isn’t…
Blog
The end of the ‘economically significant’ rule
Friends and allies in the liberty movement still often refer to high-cost regulations from the Biden administration as “economically significant” rules.
Blog
Navigating the maze of federal regulations in 2024: What to know
In a bureaucratic whirlwind, the 2024 Federal Register is attaining new heights, topping 41,000 pages today. An unsettling new norm for the past few…
Blog
Want higher air fares? Overregulate credit cards
This morning, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Department of Transportation are holding a joint hearing “investigating” airline and credit card reward…
American Institute for Economic Research
Biden Redoubles Effort to Crush Crypto With EIA’s Mining Survey
The Biden administration has launched yet another attack against the cryptocurrency industry–an environmental impact “survey” to bolster a politically motivated attack on the crypto…
Reason
Inflation Is So Back
CEI’s Ryan Young is cited on Reason about rising inflation: “If the Federal Reserve was thinking of cutting interest rates at its…
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: Trademark fees and threatened sloths
A cargo ship struck and collapsed the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. The psychologist and economist Daniel Kahneman died at age…
The National Desk
Federal Reserve keeps waiting for more data before cutting interest rates
CEI’s Ryan Young is cited on The National Desk about Federal Reserve interest rates: “The Fed has done just about all that…
Blog
Classifying regulations is now more confusing thanks to Biden administration
Joe Biden’s Modernizing Regulatory Review executive order (E.O. 14094) raised the threshold for a “significant regulatory action” from $100 million to $200 million…
Blog
One great moment in the budget battles: GOP’s ‘Policy Statement on Deregulation’
Today marks the release of the White House’s $7.3 trillion budget proposal for fiscal year 2025, even as policymakers continue their wrangling over…
Blog
Where do regulations go when Congress shutters an agency?
The way the federal government spends money rarely changes until a crisis comes along. Arguably, we’re already there with federal debt service (interest) payments…
DC Journal
Economists, Free Market Groups Urge Congress to Reject RECOUP Act
CEI’s John Berlau is cited in DC Journal on outside groups to reject the RECOUP Act: That’s the concern of John Berlau with…
Blog
Worried about massive federal debt? Time to right-size the regulators
In the annals of federal bloat, a milestone is looming as noted in another post last week: 2024 interest payments on America’s $34…
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: Horseracing and postal products
The Supreme Court heard a case about whether Donald Trump should be disqualified from holding public office under the Fourteenth Amendment. A lawyer’s memo…
Blog
The full Scope of problems with the SEC’s climate disclosure rule
I have a paper out today, examining the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) proposed rule on mandatory climate disclosures. The SEC’s rule…
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: Burning trash and methane emissions
GDP grew at a healthy 3.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2023. Regulators blocked an airline merger, and a carbon tariff…
Blog
The Natural Asset Hydra
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) recently proposed a radical rule to amend its manual for listing public companies to include a new…
North State Journal
NC attorney general wants cash apps regulated by CFPB
CEI’s John Berlau is cited on the North State Journal on CFPB regulations in North Carolina: John Berlau, senior fellow and Director…
Blog
The threat to sound economics isn’t over
This week, the New York Stock Exchange withdrew its proposal to create a new designation for public companies called Natural Asset Companies, or…
Comment
CEI comments on SEC’s proposed adoption of NYSE listing standards for “Natural Asset Companies”
TO: Securities and Exchange Commission FROM: Stone Allen Washington; Research Fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute RE: No. SR-NYSE-2023-09…
Comment
CEI Comments on SEC Proposed Rule Change to Amend the NYSE Listed Company Manual
January 17, 2024 Docket ID: Release Nos. 34-99225, File No. SR-NYSE-2023-09 Self-Regulatory Organizations; New York Stock Exchange LLC; Order Instituting…
Blog
Congress could revoke many costly Biden admin rules with Congressional Review Act. Here’s a list!
Until April of 2023, a federal rule costing $100 million was considered “economically significant.” Joe Biden’s Executive Order 14094 (Modernizing Regulatory Review) raised…
Blog
Don’t make crypto the electricity scapegoat
A radical new tax proposed by the Biden administration would make cryptocurrency mining the scapegoat for electricity usage. The so-called Digital Asset Mining Energy…
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: Auto dealers and automated tariffs
The first week of the new year’s regulations is in the books. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from junk fees to cable tv competition.
Daily Caller
Biden’s Student Loan Cancellation Dreams Are A Nightmare For Average Americans, Experts Say
CEI’s Ryan Young is cited in the Daily Caller on student loan cancellation: “Parents are already willing to save and sacrifice in order…
Blog
Unconstitutionality Index going into 2024: 46 rules for every law
The Biden’s administration’s 3,018 rules and regulations of 2023 is fairly typical of agency output these days. But while rule counts remain relatively…
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: 2023 year-end special
The tentative final numbers for new regulations for 2023 are in: The final four-day week of 2023 was relatively slow: 60 final regulations, 34…
Blog
Federal Register 2023 gives Congress 90,402 reasons to restrain the regulators
As we bid farewell to 2023 and ring in 2024, the Federal Register reveals a noteworthy chapter in regulatory history under the Joe Biden…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Avoiding a Central Bank Digital Currency with Nicholas Anthony
In this week’s episode we cover the legislative record of House of Representatives in 2023, the proliferation of conferences about ESG…
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: Oxides of nitrogen and approaching of whales
Congress has adjourned until January, so the Republic is safe until then. The Fourteenth Amendment suddenly became a factor in the presidential race.
The Hill
Don’t hand a blank check to a troubled FDIC
When shocking reports surfaced recently of discrimination, harassment and a toxic workplace culture at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, members of both…
Blog
Obscuring the SEC’s climate disclosure rule may invite a host of legal problems
The US Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) pending climate disclosure rule has been delayed yet again. The climate disclosure rule will require publicly traded companies to…
Blog
Federal government waves goodbye to ‘economically significant’ regulations
Last week, the Fall 2023 edition of the White House’s Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions appeared. It features…
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: Address labels and exporting missiles
The FDA approved the world’s first gene-editing therapy, which could cure sickle cell disease. The unemployment rate fell to 3.7 percent. Meanwhile, agencies…
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: Au pairs and processed pears
The 2023 edition of Wayne Crews’ Ten Thousand Commandments is out now. Henry Kissinger died at age 100. Meanwhile, agencies issued new regulations…
Blog
Ten Thousand Commandments 2023 is out now
The 2023 edition of CEI’s flagship annual study, Wayne Crews’s Ten Thousand Commandments, is out now. For those not familiar, 10KC gives a…
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: Slender salamanders and joint employers
Israel and Hamas agreed to a temporary cease-fire. OpenAI’s board of directors fired CEO Sam Altman, then re-hired him and fired themselves. President Joe…
Blog
Slice the regulatory turkey this Thanksgiving
The turkeys Liberty and Bell just received a Thanksgiving pardon from Joe Biden. The official presentation of a turkey for a presidential pardon…
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: California raisins and debit card fees
There was a pro-Israel and anti-Hamas rally on the National Mall of more than 200,000 people. A fight nearly broke out at a Senate…
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: Junk fees and dehumidifiers
It was a four-day week due to Veterans Day. Another government shutdown deadline is less than a week away. The FTC issued a proposed…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Personal finance and YouTube with Spencer Johnson
In this week’s episode we cover how states can reform higher education, ways that managers can make their employees happier at…
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: Gas cans and shorts reporting
President Biden issued an Executive Order on AI regulation. The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady. Jobs growth slowed, but still…
Blog
SEC commissioner bashes private markets, shows why public capital flight is happening
Caroline Crenshaw, a designated Democratic commissioner with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently was sharply critical of private markets. “Investor protection and…
News Release
Biden’s Junky Retirement Rule Would Raise Fees & Take Away Choices for American Savers
President Biden today announced the details of a new rule governing retirement savings, echoing an earlier “fiduciary rule” issued by the Obama administration that…
Blog
Gensler SEC’s PDA rule would keep investors in the dark
Hailing one of his new mandates on entrepreneurs and investors, SEC Chairman Gary Gensler proclaimed, “In today’s fast-moving financial markets, it’s important that…
Fox Business
Biden called upon by pro-growth groups to withdraw CFPB’s late fees rule
CEI’s John Berlau is cited by Fox Business outlining the CFPB’s late fees rule: John Berlau, senior fellow and director of finance…
Blog
The SEC’s misguided attempt to regulate AI
My colleague John Berlau and I submitted a comment letter this week to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), arguing its proposed regulations…
Econlib
Seeking an Explanation for the Stagnation
This is the second of two posts I am writing in reaction to Adam Martin, who wrote two responses to my essay about ways in…
Blog
Congress can say no to Bidenomics in shutdown showdown
The contentious fiscal year 2024 budget battle, which might result in a partial federal government shutdown, is unfurling precisely as the national debt…
Blog
The SEC’s anti-competitive assault against private fund advisers
The Securities and Exchange Commission is adopting new rules that radically redefine how investment companies are regulated, undercutting the ability of private fund advisers…
CBS Austin
Investors, economists hope to gain hints for what’s next as Federal Reserve meets
CBS Austin cites Senior Fellow Ryan Young on Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell’s speech: “Everyone’s gonna be interested in ‘what’s the Fed going…