Kerby Anderson

President Trump has been working to block the regulatory tidal wave that has been crashing on the shores of small businesses over the last decade. The last year President Obama was in office, his administration issued 3,853 final rules. This was the most in the last 11 years. To put all of this in perspective, consider that federal agencies issue 18 rules and regulations for every law approved by Congress.

President Trump has used two strategies to reduce the regulatory burden. He issued an executive order requiring federal agencies to adopt a “two for one” regulatory budget. Bureaucrats must remove two regulations for every new regulation. This puts the emphasis on deregulation rather than rule making.

His other strategy was to use the Congressional Review Act. This law, passed in 1996, allows Congress to reject rules with a majority vote within 60 legislative days of publication. Since many of those rules have not been published, this allows Congress to look back into the Obama administration and even the Bush administration. By mid-April President Trump has already signed his 13th bill repealing regulations using this tool.

An article in the Daily Signal explains 13 Ways Trump Has Rolled Back Government Regulations in His First 100 Days. Some of the rollbacks provide some relief for the coal mining industry. Others address federal rules affecting college teachers and state education programs. Another removed an Obama administration rule that prevented states from withholding funds from Planned Parenthood.

Congressional candidates and presidential candidates often campaign about deregulation but rarely fulfill those promises in any meaningful way. It appears that President Trump may roll back more regulations than any other president in modern history.