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.
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Free the Economy podcast: Affording the American Dream with Akash Chougule
In this week’s episode we cover what’s making housing so expensive, the common good of the Constitution, and more jawboning…
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The week in regulations: Mailing live animals and crash test dummy comments
A Trump administration envoy to Russia called Vladimir Putin a humanitarian. The Justice Department announced it will sue if the Republican Senate candidate in…
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Free the Economy podcast: The Grim Old Days with Chelsea Follett
In this week’s episode we cover global energy security, a new lawsuit against Section 338 tariffs, and fresh talent in…
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Op-Eds
Reform FCC—Limit It!
<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags” />U.S. communications policy is at an important inflection point. Cable, telephone and wireless companies aim to…
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Moment of Truth Approaches for Free Trade
Contact for Interviews: Richard Morrison, 202.331.2273<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” /> …
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A New Hope for Free Markets in Telecom
Contact: Richard Morrison, 202.331.2273 Washington, D.C., July 27, 2005—Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) this morning announced wide-ranging legislation that would modernize U.S. telecommunications law…
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The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. TELECOM Senator John Ensign (R-NV) introduces major new legislation aimed at overhauling telecommunications law. CEI…
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Final Energy Bill: Too Much Pork, Not Enough Energy
<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” /> <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags” />Washington, D.C., July 26, 2005—More…
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CEI Policy Analyst to Argue for Regulatory Reform
<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” /> <?xml:namespace prefix = v ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml” /> Contact: …
Staff & Scholars
Clyde Wayne Crews
Fred L. Smith Fellow in Regulatory Studies
- Business and Government
- Consumer Freedom
- Deregulation
Ryan Young
Senior Economist and Director of Publications
- 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