WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is eradicating a host of progressive regulations related to climate change and other left-wing causes, including an Obama-era emissions finding that spiked energy prices and a mandate requiring all executive agencies to buy paper straws.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) expects that the deregulation blitz will save American businesses as much as $5 trillion over the next fiscal year.
OMB Director Russ Vought listed some of the actions during a cabinet meeting last week — and officials tell The Post that the more than 200 liberalizing moves are already reducing the federal government’s spending.
One OMB senior official projected that the move to cut former President Barack Obama’s 2009 Endangerment Finding — dubbed the “holy grail of the climate change religion” — could save trillions in unnecessary regulatory costs alone.
Other rule cuts are anticipated to remove up to $500 billion in regulatory costs.
The Endangerment Finding determined that several categories of emissions, mostly from gas-guzzling cars and trucks, were harmful to public health — paving the way for at least seven additional federal rules that raised prices for energy consumers.
“In the Unified Agenda, the administration is eliminating at least thirty existing regulations for every new regulation added,” Vought said in a statement.
“This is only the first step in the most ambitious and aggressive deregulatory agenda in American history.”
In addition to eliminating Obama’s emissions finding, OMB officials highlighted new rules denying non-citizens federal housing assistance and the removal of the paper straw requirement in government agency cafeterias.
Regulations have also been cut at the Department of Education and Department of Housing and Urban Development.
“We have achieved 109 regulatory actions, most of which are deregulatory,” one senior OMB official said.
“You look at some of the buildings that were built in the past … is because they didn’t have to go through all these regulations … we have got to try to get back to that in America.”
At least 245 finalized rules are expected to be added to the Federal Register by the end of September.
“In the first term, you gave us a goal of two for one,” deregulatory actions to regulatory actions, Vought explained to President Trump at the recent cabinet meeting.
Start your day with all you need to know
Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.
Thanks for signing up!
“We came in around five-and-a-half, six for one. And then, as you’re running for your second term, you said 10 for one,” the OMB boss went on.
“Where we are right now, in just one year, basically eight months, we are at 245 deregulatory initiatives planned by these agencies. That comes out to 30 for one.”
In total, the Trump administration has moved forward with around 3,600 federal rules of its own.
Leave a Reply