The government has slow rules for setting and relaxing the body and mind.
One institution proposed regulations – for example, establishing a minimum level of staffing for nursing homes. Economists then analyzed it, public commented it, lawyers revised it, and finally, the agency set the rules. It usually takes several years to start completing, and so does the process of abolishing the rules.
President Trump is not patient with this speed. During his first semester, he wanted to remove hundreds of rules about the environment, financial oversight and more. But he was frustrated when some rollbacks almost all completed the term. Then, the Biden administration's annoyance at him restored many of them.
So this time, Trump plans to kill rules quickly and permanently in more than 400 federal agencies that regulate almost every aspect of American life, from plane flights to handling poultry.
In today’s newsletter, I will explain how his plan works and which institutions may affect.
The government has been cut
Russell Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget and architect of the 2025 Blueprint Project, is overseeing the White House’s relaxation and regulation efforts. Elon Musk's government efficiency is implementing it.
In some cases, the government believes it can simply revoke the rules directly without following the traditional multi-year process. In other cases, it plans to effectively eliminate the rules by instructing institutions to stop enforcing them in a slow and legal relaxation process.
Experts say part of the plan could be illegal. However, this could quickly affect American lives, as companies no longer comply with rules about environmental, transportation, food, workplace safety, etc. without worrying about government penalties.
“Kill List”
The first step for the White House is to identify regulations that can be cut. Federal agencies must summarize a list of rules that may be related to the recent Supreme Court ruling, or simply do not match government priorities.
Vought then compiles the rules into a master deregulation list, which is called the killing list. The government plans to revoke or cease enforcement of these rules immediately.
Musk also developed an artificial intelligence tool that can tease through more than 100,000 pages of federal regulations and identify outdated or legally fragile rules.
Some possible candidates for the list:
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Mining Safety and Health Management Rules aim to protect miners from the inhalation of harmful dust from minerals from crystals, smartphones and kittens litter.
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The Ministry of Labor rules increase the number of workers eligible for sick leave, minimum wage and overtime pay.
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Alcohol, tobacco, guns and explosives rules that expand background check gun sales.
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The Federal Trade Commission's ruling on “trash fees” prohibits hotels and ticket sellers from advertising misleading prices without revealing other fees.
Legal basis
Many industry groups are excited. “This is a real opportunity to rebalance the regulatory environment,” said Marty Durbin, senior vice president of policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
While some people want the plan to quickly revoke the regulations, they are more optimistic about the other approach, but they simply stop enforcing the rules when they are legally relaxed.
The approach relies on an obscure ruling by the Supreme Court in 1985. Chaney, the judgment concluded that if the federal agency does not enforce the statute, it usually goes beyond the court's review.
Lisa Heinzerling, who served in the EPA during the Obama administration, said the case could serve as the basis for the administration's efforts to deregulate, even as Trump pushed the case. The consequences of the cuts “will be huge.”
More: Read the full story, which includes more details on Trump’s deregulation plan. I've explained more in this video, too.
Yesterday clicked most: The story of a plane crash in the Hudson Valley, which caused all six people on board.
Searched most yesterday: People want to know about Katy Perry’s visit to space. (Read our reviewer’s review of the 10-minute trip.)
Life and life: Brad Holland is a trait artist who in the 1970s subverted American illustrations for Playboy magazine and the New York Times and produced a generation of imitators. He died in 81.
Exercise
“Stranger Things: The First Shadow”, a new Broadway drama based on the beloved Netflix series, made a splash: a bold five-minute scene, gunfire and predatory demogorgons. “This is probably the most challenging body production ever on stage,” said one producer. “When reading about the way to open the blockbuster.
