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, for every one new regulation issued, is both reasonable and a step in the right direction. However, it is important to focus on eliminating the equivalent regulatory burden rather than a specific number of regulations.

This is a bipartisan idea—Democrats have supported a similar one in, one out, rule in the past—and similar measures have been pursued in Canada and Great Britain. However, it is important for the executive branch to also work with Congress to ensure this effort is long-lasting and that it works in conjunction with other regulatory reforms. Federal agencies in 2016 issued 18 rules and regulations for every law Congress passed, a daunting statistic given how massive America’s regulatory state is already. 

It’s also a good sign that there is some flexibility allotted the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget to determine what is feasible in reducing costs and what meets the reduction criteria.”

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