Regulatory Action Center Review - February 8, 2019

Welcome to FreedomWorks Foundation’s third regulatory review of 2019! Our Regulatory Action Center proudly updates you with our favorite tidbits from the swamp. We want to smash barriers between bureaucracy and the American people by delivering regulatory news straight to FreedomWorks activists. Check back in two weeks for the next edition.

1) Video of the Week: The left is still trying to kill the Restoring Internet Freedom Order, which took the government’s hands off of our Internet. In this video, Andrew Heaton of ReasonTV explains why so-called “net neutrality” is a solution in search of a problem, and why the left shouldn’t be taking their talking points on Internet governance from John Oliver.

2) CFPB Unveils Plan to Revise Obama-Era Payday Loan Regulation: “The Trump administration said Wednesday it will overhaul an Obama-era payday loan regulation, unveiling a proposal to remove a lending requirement that would have made it difficult for companies to offer high-cost consumer loans.” https://www.wsj.com/articles/cfpb-unveils-plan-to-revise-obama-era-payday-loan-regulation-11549472626

3) Administration rolling back restrictions on agriculture: “When he won the election, farmers and ranchers were hopeful he would stand by that promise and loosen the regulatory grip that has put increasing pressure on their livelihoods. Two years later, some reform has already taken place, and other changes are in the works. Some agricultural groups say the biggest factor is the Trump administration is more willing than the Obama administration to listen to their concerns.” https://www.capitalpress.com/nation_world/agriculture/trumping-regulation-administration-rolling-back-restrictions-on-agriculture/article_2458c230-241d-11e9-bf6e-03dc77235c16.html

4) Trump Announces His Pick to Head the Interior Department: “‘President Trump has made a great choice in nominating David Bernhardt to be Secretary of the Interior,’ Myron Ebell, director of energy policy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, told The Daily Caller News Foundation. ‘He has done an outstanding job as deputy secretary in implementing the president’s energy agenda. The immense challenges in reforming Interior’s dysfunctional federal land agencies require someone of David’s experience, skills, and dedication,’ said Ebell, who served on Trump’s transition team.” https://dailycaller.com/2019/02/04/trump-interior-david-bernhardt/

5) We Must Scale Back the Regulatory Structure Left to Us by the Progressives: “Lasting regulatory reform will require more than executive action. It will require sustained and substantial work, including significant legislation. For such an effort to succeed, it must be based upon a widely shared understanding and agreement that the administrative state has been erected using a model for centralized bureaucratic governance that is increasingly outdated and fundamentally flawed.” https://www.realclearpolicy.com/articles/2019/02/08/we_must_scale_back_the_regulatory_structure_left_ to_us_by_the_progressives_111035.html

6) The Shutdown is Over – How Does That Affect Regulation: “The big lesson is that even a month-long shutdown will have little impact on how much regulating agencies do. Rules that were scuttled during the shutdown will come into effect just the same, except a little later or with less advance notice. It is also possible that agencies will simply not bother to publish some overdue notices or other documents, which could be a transparency concern. Hopefully this kind of evasion will be minimal, but it will be impossible to quantify.” https://cei.org/blog/shutdown-over-how-does-affect-regulation

7) Who needs Net Neutrality when the Internet is working just fine: “Repeal didn’t slow down the Internet. One year later, in 2018 the average download speeds increased more than 35 percent and upload speeds went up by 22 percent from the previous year. Unlike what the Left wanted you to believe, repeal clearly did not “break the Internet.” Most importantly, despite the fuss we saw surrounding the net neutrality debate, following repeal broadband providers didn’t drastically hurt the delivery of content like the Left feared. Consumers continue to be protected by the Federal Trade Commission, an agency with a long history of effective consumer protection.” https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/who-needs-net-neutrality-when-the-internet-is-working-just-fine