On his first day in office, President Joe Biden signed an executive order called “Modernizing Regulatory Review. ” This order, which was initially overlooked, has potentially the most significant impact of his presidency. It allows regulators to impose extensive new rules on businesses and individuals without concern for the costs. This move is seen as a way to unleash a new wave of regulations on a scale never before experienced in the U. S.
Clyde Wayne Crews from the Competitive Enterprise Institute noted that this order weakened the White House Office of Management and Budget, previously a watchdog against excessive regulation. This agency has now become more supportive of regulation. The CEI publishes an annual guide, “10,000 Commandments,” detailing federal regulations.
Evidence of Biden's regulatory approach can be found in the Federal Register, which recorded a historical high of 107,262 pages of rules in 2024, a 45% jump from his first year. In the previous year, Biden finalized 3,248 regulations, with 343 being labeled “significant,” adding over $200 million in compliance costs each. The American Action Forum estimated the total costs from these regulations to be about $1. 37 trillion, which is dramatically higher than the regulatory costs during Trump’s and Obama’s administrations.
It will be challenging to reduce this regulatory burden even with a pro-deregulation president in office. To or remove existing regulations, the administration must create new rules, which can lead to delays and legal issues from parties benefiting from the current regulations. While former President Trump started addressing this issue but couldn’t finish, hopes remain for a fast start on January 20 to repeal many of Biden’s and Obama’s rules.
More actions are needed to combat the regulatory state. Congress could pass laws that require all regulations to expire every five years unless renewed with justification or require a congressional vote for significant new regulations to take effect.
To dismantle this regulatory system and reverse Biden’s legacy will require a comprehensive and determined effort.
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