The federal government enforces thousands of pages of burdensome and expensive regulations with more issued all the time. Policymakers should scrutinize new and existing rules to ensure that each is necessary and to minimize costs.
Issues 2012 provides candidates for elected office the ability to quickly identify the key issues of the day and present clear policy recommendations, supported by facts, for addressing them. Read More.
During the first three years of the Obama Administration, 106 new major federal regulations added more than $46 billion per year in new costs for Americans. Read More.
Americans are now besieged by the torrent of do’s and don’ts that places an unsustainable burden on the economy and erodes Americans’ most fundamental freedoms. Tales of the Red Tape is a special series on The Foundry that exposes some of the more egregious federal regulations. Read More.
With regulatory costs at record levels, relief is sorely needed. But it is not enough to talk about fewer regulations. Policymakers must critically review specific rules and identify those that should be abolished. This paper details 20 unnecessary and harmful regulations that should be eliminated now. Read More.
America’s truckers are known for their independence, often driving alone in their rigs from one end of the country to the other. Now Congress wants to give them company in the form of an electronic “big brother.” Under a provision buried in the 600-page transportation bill…
The Obama Administration has been heavily criticized for not acting forcefully to stem human rights abuses in the Middle East. Criticism of the Administration has largely focused on Iran and Syria, where Bashar al-Assad’s government is guilty of atrocious bloodshed against its own people. In response, President Obama announced several…
Revised April 24, 2012. The post office in Hope, Minnesota, is no doubt a quiet place. During a typical business day it sees eight customers, who require a total of seven minutes of service. The Postal Service…
Abstract: The U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark 1992 decision in Quill Corporation v. North Dakota protects out-of-state businesses in the Internet era from overreaching by revenue-hungry states. The Court’s decision prevents a state from forcing an out-of-state business to serve as the state’s sales tax…
Abstract: The triumph of the administrative state has been made possible by the emasculation of the legislative power. Washington’s problem is not merely federal spending and debt; it is the arrogance of centralized power. The time is therefore ripe for a major national discussion…
Alison Fraser discusses Red Tape Rising on FBN's Stossel. …
James Gattuso discusses Red Tape Rising on Fox Business. …
Statement before the Committee on the Judiciary United States Senate Introduction Chairman Leahy, Ranking Member Grassley, and Members of the Committee, I thank you…
James Gattuso comments on Red Tape Rising on FNC. …
Abstract: During the first three years of the Obama Administration, 106 new major federal regulations added more than $46 billion per year in new costs for Americans. This is almost four times the number—and more than five times…
No class of American professionals will be more negatively impacted by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act than physicians. Third-party payment arrangements already compromise the independence and integrity of the medical profession; Obamacare will reinforce the worst of these features.…
For an update on automotive bailouts, read "Putting the Brakes on the Automotive Bailout" and the Housing and Financial…
Abstract: Following a record year of rulemaking, the Obama Administration is continuing to unleash more costly red tape. In the first six months of the 2011 fiscal year, 15 major regulations were issued, with annual costs exceeding $5.8…
The United States Postal Service (USPS) stands on the brink of financial collapse. According to the Postmaster General, by next month, USPS coffers will be down to a week’s worth of cash.[1] The government-owned enterprise barely avoided default this week when Congress extended the due date for a…
Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) has unveiled an ambitious health care plan that is comprehensive in scope, sparse in detail, and therefore uncertain in its cost and savings estimates. His proposals focus on three stated objectives: offering affordable, comprehensive, and portable coverage; containing spiraling health care costs and improving quality of care; and promoting…
Last month, the House and Senate passed, by overwhelming majorities, different versions of a bill entitled the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act (STOCK Act).[1] The bills would acknowledge that the insider trading laws apply to federal officials. The Senate version would also reach other perceived public corruption…
Last month, Congress considered two different versions of a bill—the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act (STOCK Act)[1]—that would make clear that the federal insider trading laws apply to federal officials. The Senate and House of Representatives have passed different versions of the STOCK Act,…
Abstract: The Senate has introduced the Cybersecurity Act of 2012. A floor vote is expected in March or April. The Cybersecurity Act contains laudable elements—enhancement of and protection for private-sector information sharing are crucial. The act’s new regulatory…
The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA) are well-intentioned House and Senate proposals aimed at stopping the theft of intellectual property through foreign-based websites. Intellectual property is a critical and important form of property. The Framers understood that well enough to authorize the establishment of…
In its ceaseless quest to protect us from ourselves, Congress in 2009 compelled credit card companies to confirm an...…
Numerous Heritage research papers and postings on The Foundry in the past year have reported on the plight of Gibson...…
A funny thing happened on the way to the recall. Government unions organized Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s (R)...…
JP Morgan Chase’s $2 billion loss on a hedging strategy doesn’t mean that the bank is in crisis, and it certainly does...…
There are several colloquialisms for “paruresis” (par-YOU-ree-sis), one of the newer additions to the growing list of...…
JPMorgan Chase’s $2 billion trading loss is top news nationwide. But over at the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), such...…
JPMorgan Chase’s announcement that it has lost $2 billion in a failed hedge strategy sent shock waves through the...…
Yesterday was tax day, serving as a special reminder of how big the federal government has become. As Heritage has...…
The Dodd–Frank financial strangulation statute transferred a portion of the duties once performed by the Federal Trade...…
John Stossel’s skepticism of government and his storytelling approach about free-market economics have made him a rock...…
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Senior Research Fellow in Regulatory Policy
Senior Research Fellow in Retirement Security and Financial Institutions
Research Fellow in Regulatory Policy
Herbert and Joyce Morgan Fellow
Senior Policy Analyst in Labor Economics