The Bush Administration's Regulatory Record

Abstract

The Bush administration has asserted control over federal rulemaking in important ways. The Bush OIRA has reinvigorated the regulatory review process, exhibiting a willingness to revise proposed regulations that do not meet analytical requirements, and has required changes in a larger percentage of the rules it reviewed than previous administrations. It has issued guidelines to agencies on regulatory analysis, peer review, and data quality that, while not entirely consistent with free-market and federalism principles, are generally sound. It has also increased the transparency of its activities, reducing criticism that it operates in secret to advance special interests.

Keywords: Federal register, federal rules, regulation, regulatory studies, OIRA, federal regulation, regulatory affairs, midnight regulations

JEL Classification: D73, L51