Obama Moves to Root Out 'Dumb' Regulations

Republicans have said that deregulation will be a major part of their platform, but it looks like President Obama is beating them to the punch. The president will sign an executive order today mandating “a government-wide review of the rules already on the books” that aims to “root out regulations that conflict, are not worth the cost, or that are just plain dumb,” Obama writes today in an op-ed piece for the Wall Street Journal.

The review may result in some tougher rules, and some new regulations—like new safety rules for infant formula—but the overall goal is to streamline “regulations that have become a patchwork of overlapping rules," specifically, those "that conflict, that are not worth the cost, or that are just plain dumb.” The order will also direct agencies to “to account for—and reduce—burdens regulations may place on small businesses. Small firms drive growth … We need to make sure nothing stands in their way.” (More deregulation stories.)