Combating Deregulation
Effective Regulations
Federal agencies protect everything from our economy and elections to our air, water and food. Effective regulation is critical to making markets work for people and promoting health, safety and fairness. However, both Congress and industry have thrown up burdensome obstacles that significantly slow agency progress on rulemaking, and in some cases, deter them entirely. Life-saving regulations have been known to languish a decade or more at agencies due to unnecessary obstacles and industry pressure.
Public Citizen advocates for a more efficient regulatory system that can act quickly to protect Americans from hazard.
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Learn more by visiting the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards website.
Resources on Combating Deregulation
- Public Citizen Comments on Advanced Methods to Target & Eliminate Unlawful Robocalls, June 30, 2017
- Portman’s Regulatory Accountability Act Would Endanger Children, June 2017
- A Swing and a Miss at Our Midnight Regulations Study, August 2016
- Shining a Light on the Midnight Rule Boogeyman, July 18, 2016
- Sacrificing the Pawns, June 2016
- Undermining the FSOC: Chamber Seeks to Roll Back Regulations On Massive Nonbank Financial Institutions, January 5, 2016
- Undermining the CFPB: Chamber Seeks Light Regulation of Credit Cards by Limiting Powers of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, December 10, 2015
- Undermining Dodd-Frank: A Critical Review of the 2015 “Fix. Add. Replace. (FAR)” Agenda of the Center for Capital Market Competitiveness at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, December 3, 2015
- Clean Power Plan, November 2015
- Dodd Frank 5 year Anniversary, July 2015
- Lake Research Partners: Enforcement Poll Findings (PDF), October 3, 2014
- The Perils of OIRA Regulatory Reforms Needed to Address Rampant Delays and Secrecy, June 12, 2012
- public safeguards past due, June 2012
- Forgotten Lessons of Deregulation, May 2012
- “top 10: Threats of the Trans-Atlantic ‘Trade’ Deal to Americans’ Daily Lives”, November 2013
- eBook: Reality Check: The Forgotten Lessons of Deregulation and Unsung Successes of Sensible Safeguards, April 3, 2013
- Testimony of Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen, before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law, February 28, 2013 (PDF)
- Report: Regulation Issue: Industry’s Complaints About New Rules Are Predictable and Wrong, February 14, 2013
- Written Testimony of Robert Weissman President, Public Citizen on H.R. 4078, the Regulatory Freeze for Jobs Act of 2012, February 27, 2012
- Substantially Unsafe, February 2012
- OSHA Inaction, October 2011
- Press Release: Five Worker Safety Rules Have Saved Thousands of Lives, August 15, 2011
- Press Release: REINS Act Is Priority for Energy Industry, Lobbying Records Show , August 11, 2011
- Report: Decoding the Bill: Electric Utility Industry Dominates Push for ‘REINS’ Act (PDF), August 2011
- Regulation at work, July 2011
- Press Release: Another Lopsided Hearing Ignores Societal Benefits of Regulation, May 25, 2011
- Press Release: Regulations Save Lives, Contribute to Job Growth, Groups Tell Lawmakers, May 16, 2011
- Coalition Letter to the House Opposing the REINS Act (PDF), February 11, 2011
- Fact Sheet: REINS Act (H.R. 10), February 4, 2011
- Press Release: Obama’s New Approach to Regulation Is Misguided; We Need Stronger Controls Over Big Business, January 18, 2011
- Flowchart of the Federal Rulemaking Process (PDF), March 29, 2011
- Press Release: Regulatory Process Is Broken, Public Citizen Tells Congress, September 14 2011
- Report: Regulation: The Unsung Hero in American Innovation (PDF), September 13, 2011
- Press Release: Regulations Spur Reluctant Industries to Innovate, September 13, 2011
- Report: Regulations at Work: Five Rules that Save Workers’ Lives and Protect their Health (PDF), July 2011
- Press Release: Streamlining Regulatory Process Is Fine, but Administration Should Look Forward, May 26, 2011
- Cranes & Derricks, April 2011
- Press Release: Committee Holds Hearing on Regulation, Report Shows Rulemakings Are Too Slow, April 14, 2011
Public Citizen works with the Congress and federal agencies to reduce preventable harm caused by corporate malfeasance, market failures and the influence of money in politics. We also educate policymakers about the need for effective public protections.
Resources on Strengthening Federal Agencies
- Press Release: Voters Overwhelmingly Want More Enforcement of Laws and Regulations, New Poll Shows, Oct. 1, 2014
- Flowchart of the Federal Rulemaking Process (PDF), March 29, 2011
- Press Release: Investors, Activists, to Announce One Million Supportive Comments for Political Spending Disclosure Petition at Securities and Exchange Commission, August 28, 2014
- Press Release: One Million Comments Urge the SEC to Stop Secret Corporate Political Spending, Sept. 4, 2014
- Press Release: Senate Should Resist Calls to Block FDA Rulemaking on Generic Drug Labels, June 19, 2014
- Press Release: House Republicans Continue Attempts to Cripple Consumer Protection Agency, May 21, 2014
- Press Release: CFPB Study Shines Light On The Widespread, Unjust Corporate Practice Of Secret, Forced Arbitration, Dec. 12, 2014
- Press Release: Hearing Today Will Show That Consumers, Employees and Even Small Businesses Are Losing Right to Sue, Dec. 17, 2014