The Obama administration is rushing through regulations costing $118 billion in a legacy move meant to sidestep Congress and make the rules permanent, according to a new report on the president’s regulatory agenda.
In just the next three months, the list of regulations analyzed by the conservative watchdog American Action Forum will add $33 billion in regulatory costs to businesses and taxpayers, including plans on Arctic drilling, nutrition labels and updating the renewable fuels standard.
But the full plan just revealed by the administration in what’s known as the “unified agenda” includes dozens of regulations President Obama wants to shove through before leaving office, for a total economic hit of at least $118 billion, according to the report from American Action Forum Director of Regulatory Policy Sam Batkins.
“The $33 billion is just what could happen in the next three months. The $118 billion is the tally from everything,” he said. The report was released in advance to Secrets.
WEEK IN REGULATION: With 60 new final rules, total regulatory costs last week were $5.6 billion: https://t.co/JdispNpsvf
— American Action Forum (@AAF) November 30, 2015
After imposing years of costly regulations, the price tag isn’t a total surprise. But the administration’s plan rush through some of the most impactful regulations ever is.
The reason, according to Batkins’ report: Obama wants to make sure that they are imposed before Congress and the next president has a chance to junk them.
“The early flurry of activity next year could be in response to fears that the Congressional Review Act (CRA) could be used to rescind some rules in 2017. The later the administration publishes significant rulemakings in 2016, the more likely Congress and the next president will be able to repeal those rules,” he wrote.
And, he warned, the costs could soar higher.
“The $118 billion estimate contains just 38 monetized figures and an incredible amount of uncertainty. The public does not know the cost of proposed rulemakings not yet published, nor the countless other rules that will be final next year, but were excluded from this agenda,” he wrote in the report that lists the upcoming significant regulations.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
