Commentaries & Insights

Our Commentaries and Insights are short-form publications intended to distill long-form research and synthesize current policymaking activity into easily understood concepts.


Another “First” for the CRA

Congress recently passed three bills targeting Trump administration regulations for elimination. President Biden is expected to sign them, marking another historic “first” for use of the Congressional Review Act (CRA). To date, Democrats have yet to successfully use the oversight tool to strike regulations from the books.

The Biden Administration’s First Unified Agenda

OIRA released its semiannual Unified Agenda, marking the first comprehensive look at the regulatory actions agencies are planning under President Biden.

Playing Chicken with the CRA

When an agency fails to send a rule to Congress can private parties sue? The CRA has a special provision that bars court review that SCOTUS may review.

Engaging in the Rulemaking Process

The public has many opportunities to provide input as regulations are being developed.

DHS: Do More than Just Reverse the Reversal

The recent decision from DHS to retain the international entrepreneur program is sensible, but the agency can do more.

Let’s Not Forget George Stigler’s Lessons about Regulatory Capture

George Stigler’s theory of economic regulation opened our eyes to the rent-seeking that undermines the public interest.

HHS Eases Requirements for Treating Opioid Patients with Buprenorphine

The Department of Health and Human Services recently released guidelines that make it easier to prescribe buprenorphine to patients with opioid use disorder.

Distributional Effects in Regulatory Impact Analysis

President Biden reinforced longstanding requirements for regulatory analysis and placed renewed emphasis on understanding distributional regulatory effects.

Regulation and Jobs

The effects of regulation on jobs have been a heated theme in contemporary political debate. Little attention has been paid to regulatory uncertainty, and yet its impact on employment has a basis in the economic theory.

Biden is Using Multiple Mechanisms to Reverse Trump's Regulatory Agenda

Biden has been actively using several options to reverse Trump-era rules, including withdrawals, regulatory suspensions, strategic responses to litigation, etc.