Best Executive Order Yet?
Pretty good start: On Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed what might possibly be his best executive order yet, focused on majorly curbing the power of agencies within his purview. “It is the policy of my Administration to focus the executive branch’s limited enforcement resources on regulations squarely authorized by constitutional Federal statutes, and to commence the deconstruction of the overbearing and burdensome administrative state,” reads the executive order.
This is an OUTSTANDING Executive Order. It’s somewhat nerdy and lawyer-y (which is maybe why I like it so much). But it might be the most significant thing this administration has done to date. https://t.co/GY9c3LPQp5
— Casey Mattox (@CaseyMattox_) February 20, 2025
Consider it in full:
Within 60 days of the date of this order, agency heads shall, in consultation with the Attorney General as appropriate, identify the following classes of regulations:
(i) Â Â Â unconstitutional regulations and regulations that raise serious constitutional difficulties, such as exceeding the scope of the power vested in the Federal Government by the Constitution;
(ii) Â Â regulations that are based on unlawful delegations of legislative power;
(iii) Â regulations that are based on anything other than the best reading of the underlying statutory authority or prohibition;
(iv) Â Â regulations that implicate matters of social, political, or economic significance that are not authorized by clear statutory authority;
(v)Â Â Â regulations that impose significant costs upon private parties that are not outweighed by public benefits;
(vi)Â Â regulations that harm the national interest by significantly and unjustifiably impeding technological innovation, infrastructure development, disaster response, inflation reduction, research and development, economic development, energy production, land use, and foreign policy objectives; and
(vii) Â regulations that impose undue burdens on small business and impede private enterprise and entrepreneurship.
“The broadly written order directs federal agencies and their Department of Government Efficiency teams to comb their regulations for any that violate the administration’s priorities, among other factors,” reports Politico. “The Office of Management and Budget will then develop plans to rescind or change the regulations.”
This is huge for anyone who cares about beginning to peel back the administrative state, or that nasty and overgrown fourth branch of government that’s amassed far too much power. It’s “a thermonuke deregulatory warhead,” says regulatory policy wonk Daniel Goldbeck on X. Of course, we have yet to see how it gets implemented. Trump’s first-term “slash two regulations for every one you add” policy was useful, but didn’t really go far enough. Without clearly defined metrics and proper incentives, this executive order might not end up accomplishing everything a libertarian might wish, but just defining the problem properly and outlining a clear vision for how
Article from Reason.com
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