Obama submits mountains of regulations, costing Americans $21 billion
As his time in office rushes to an end, the “most transparent president in history,” President Barack Obama just set a new, dubious record for the high number of “midnight” regulations by a lame-duck president.
photo/ donkeyhotey
The Washington Times reports that Obama has issued 145 “midnight” regulations since the 2016 election, the most by a lame-duck president in a generation — at a cost of more than $21 billion.
The conservative American Action Forum said Thursday that Mr. Obama’s rules, issued from Nov. 8 through Dec. 31, include 31 “economically significant” regulations with a cost of at least $100 million each.
“The administration has published more than 21 million hours of final federal paperwork requirements since November 8,” said Sam Batkins, AAF’s director of regulatory policy.
“At the current pace, the Obama administration is going to be the most active ‘midnight’ (period from Election Day to Inauguration Day) regulator in more than a generation.”
The Republican-controlled House last week passed the Midnight Rule Relief Act, which would allow Congress to overturn “lame-duck” regulations in a single vote.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, California Republican, said this week that Republicans would roll back one rule reducing methane emissions and another intended to damage the coal mining industry.
Among the major Obama rules targeted for repeal are regulations to expand overtime pay, a K-12 education proposal to ensure that federal funds for low-income students don’t replace state and local dollars, and a fiduciary rule for investment advisers.
AAF said the administration released 99 regulations last month, including 19 economically significant measures, both records for 2016.
“December’s regulatory output eclipsed every December in more than a generation, since 1993,” said Sam Batkins, AAF’s director of regulatory policy. . “The pace in December has increased to 4.5 regulations per day, or roughly double the average daily output.”
photo: TaxRebate.org.uk
