The Regulatory Review for March 24 – April 6, 2018
Welcome to FreedomWorks Foundation’s sixth regulatory review! Our Regulatory Action Center proudly updates you with our favorite tidbits from the swamp. We want to smash barriers between bureaucracy and the American people by delivering regulatory news straight to FreedomWorks activists. Check back in every two weeks for the next edition.
Here are our highlights for this week:
1) Video of the Week: The Federalist Society explains the legal background of the Clean Power Plan and why broad expansions of government under existing statues are often challenged in court.
2) Statistic of the Week: In the 1970s, dishwashing machines completed a wash cycle in one hour on average. Today, it takes over two hours on average. Awful energy efficiency standards wrecked the American dishwashing machine, but thankfully, Secretary Perry can use an arcane provision to make dishwashing great again.
https://cei.org/content/cei-petition-department-energy-dishwasher-cycle-times
3) The EPA admits its Renewable Fuel Standard sucks. The EPA gave a massive exemption to an oil refinery struggling to comply with burdensome costs from the Renewable Fuel Standard. While the move has its critics, one thing is clear: the Renewable Fuel Standard is killing American jobs and making energy expensive.
4) EPA slashes Obama’s fuel efficiency standards. Administrator Scott Pruitt plans to drastically lower “corporate average fuel economy” (CAFE) requirements hastily affirmed by the Obama administration before President Trump took office. CAFE requirements would have forced a 50mpg CAFE for new vehicles by 2025, which would have significantly hiked vehicle prices. Pruitt is also reviewing California’s special status for steeper rules.
5) FDA will update nutrition labeling and marketing regulations. Commissioner Scott Gottlieb seeks input on rule changes for nutrition labels and the definition of “healthy” by 2020. This plan adds to Obama era regulations intended to reduce obesity by providing accurate information to consumers. In some cases, new rules may offer flexibility to companies, while tightening requirements in others.
6) Trump’s claims about Amazon and the Post Office are murky. President Trump recently tweeted about Amazon “ripping off” the United States Postal Service (USPS) on package delivery costs. Experts say that parcel delivery is one of the most lucrative services offered by USPS, but its exact revenues are unknown. Nonetheless, Trump’s claim seems unfounded.
http://checkyourfact.com/2018/04/04/fact-check-does-amazon-cost-the-postal-service-a-fortune/
7) Trump highlighted forgotten America, but protectionism will hurt it. Tariffs, quotas, and restrictionist trade policies will not benefit forgotten America and the silent majority that supported President Trump. Trade restriction is a form of top-down economic engineering that ruins welfare and choice for American consumers.
8) Obamacare subsidies are no fix for insurance premiums. When Obamacare had insurance subsidies, premiums still skyrocketed. New subsidies wouldn’t change this trend.
9) Work requirements are a good start for Medicaid. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services devised new guidelines for states regarding Medicaid regulations. This is a good start for finding innovative solutions and streamlining programs to best serve goals of self-sufficiency and helping the needy.
