Since President Obama took office in 2009, the federal government has issued 600 major regulations totaling $743 billion, according to a new study from the conservative American Action Forum.
The Obama administration issues an average of 81 major rules, those with an economic impact of at least $100 million, on a yearly basis, the study found.
That’s about one major rule every four to five days, or, as the American Action Forum puts it, one rule for every three days that the federal government is open.
“It is a $2,294 regulatory imposition on every person in the United States,” wrote Sam Batkins, director of regulatory policy at the American Action Forum, who conducted the study.
At the current pace of rulemaking, the American Action Forum estimates the Obama administration will issue a total 641 major rules before the president leaves office, bringing the nation’s regulatory bill to $813 billion.
By contrast, President George W. Bush issued 426 major rules during his tenure in the White House.
