The United States federal government loves a few things: war, taxes and regulations. For the last few decades, Washington, whether it’s controlled by Republicans or Democrats, has expanded the tax code and the book of regulations. But it has really amplified under the current regime.
According to a new report from the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), the federal government has implemented more than 2,000 regulations in the last week. These regulations cover nearly every single issue, from energy standards to nutrition labeling, from avocadoe imports to cable TV disclosure requirements. It’s part of an effort by the Obama administration to get in as many new regulations as possible before the president leaves office.
Ostensibly, the report notes, federal agencies completed 70 new regulations in just one week.
Year-to-date, the government has added 1,344 final rules to the Federal Register. The trend suggests White House officials could complete more than 3,200 regulations this year, which is equal to roughly 83,000 pages.
“That’s the equivalent of a new regulation every two hours and 24 minutes,” CEI’s Ryan Young wrote in a blog post. “Last week, 2,013 new pages were added to the Federal Register, after 2,065 pages the previous week.”
In April, a Mercatus Center study discovered that federal, state and municipal regulations have cost the U.S. economy $4 trillion.
Trump will repeal them all with one signature.