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Someone Calculated the Regulation Spending of Obama's Last 16 Days and Trump's First 11 Months

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According to a newly released study, the Obama administration pushed through $24.8 billion in new regulations during its final 16 days in office, or $1.55 billion per day.

By way of contrast, the Trump team passed $5.8 billion for the entire year, or $16.8 million per day.

“The trend of regulatory activity shifted dramatically in 2017 once President Trump assumed the presidency,” said Dan Bosch, American Action Forum director of regulatory policy, and research analyst Dan Goldbeck, the authors of the study.

They added, “In fact, 81 percent of all regulatory costs finalized in 2017 came during former President Barack Obama’s final weeks in office.”

American Action Forum reported 7 of the 10 costliest regulations implemented during the year were by the Obama administration. They covered matters such as energy standards, banking requirements, and rules regarding Medicare and Medicaid home healthcare agencies.

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Meanwhile, 8 of the top 10 biggest savings in regulations in 2017 came due to actions taken by the Trump administration.

The New York Times reported that President Donald Trump declared rolling back regulations will be a defining theme of his administration, starting with signing an executive order 11 days after taking office on “Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs.”

The order required two regulations to be removed from the Federal Register for every new one added. Trump reported last month that his administration had exceeded that goal by a country mile taking away 22 regulations for every new one.


According to the Competitive Enterprise Institute, the Federal Register of rules and regulations is at its lowest page count in a quarter century.

The calendar year concluded with the Register numbering 61,950 pages, down 35 percent from the all-time record set under President Obama last year of 95,894 pages.

The last time the Register was at its current level was 1993.

“We have spent the past dozen years or longer operating in environments that have had an increasing regulatory burden,” said Michael Burke, the chairman and chief executive of Aecom, a Los Angeles-based multinational consulting firm that specializes in infrastructure projects. “That burden has slowed economic growth, it’s slowed down investment in infrastructure. And what we’ve seen over the last year is a big deregulatory environment.”

On Thursday, Trump tied the record rise in the stock market, which has gone up 36 percent since he took office, to creating a more favorable business climate. “Big cuts in unnecessary regulations continuing,” he promised.

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“The National Association of Manufacturers’ fourth quarter member survey found that fewer than half of manufacturers cited an ‘unfavorable business climate’ — including regulations and taxes — as a challenge to their business, down from nearly three-quarters a year ago,” according to The Times.

In fact, nearly 95 percent of respondents said they are positive about their company’s future, which is the highest level on record over the survey’s 20-year history.

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Randy DeSoto has written more than 2,000 articles for The Western Journal since he joined the company in 2015. He is a graduate of West Point and Regent University School of Law. He is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths" and screenwriter of the political documentary "I Want Your Money."
Randy DeSoto is the senior staff writer for The Western Journal. He wrote and was the assistant producer of the documentary film "I Want Your Money" about the perils of Big Government, comparing the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama. Randy is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths," which addresses how leaders have appealed to beliefs found in the Declaration of Independence at defining moments in our nation's history. He has been published in several political sites and newspapers.

Randy graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a BS in political science and Regent University School of Law with a juris doctorate.
Birthplace
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Nationality
American
Honors/Awards
Graduated dean's list from West Point
Education
United States Military Academy at West Point, Regent University School of Law
Books Written
We Hold These Truths
Professional Memberships
Virginia and Pennsylvania state bars
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Entertainment, Faith




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