Toward the goal of reducing the red tape that entangles the U.S. economy

Obama Administration’s Major Regulations Cost More Than $80 Billion Annually

by James Gattuso


The major regulations imposed by the Obama administration now cost Americans more than $80 billion a year—twice as much as the rules issued by the Bush administration at the six-year mark, according to a Heritage Foundation report released today.

Lawmakers must act on a range of reforms in order to stem the massive expansion of the regulatory state.

The report, “Red Tape Rising: Six Years of Escalating Regulation Under Obama,” documents an increase of 27 major rules in 2014, which brings the administration’s total to 184.

By comparison, at this point during the presidency of George W. Bush, only 76 major rules had been adopted at a cost of $30.7 billion—38.5 percent of the Obama cost total.

The actual cost of the Obama rules is obscured by the failure of agencies to fully quantify the impacts for 12 of the 27 major regulations issued last year. This absence of cost analyses represents a major dysfunction in the administrative process.

The need for reform of the regulatory system has never been greater. The White House, Congress, and federal agencies routinely ignore regulatory costs, exaggerate benefits and breach legislative and constitutional boundaries.

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