The Federal Tap: Federal government report: $23 billion in deregulation savings in 2018
From Ballotpedia
October 19, 2018Issue No. 135
THE WEEK IN REVIEW
Tuesday, October 16
Adelsons donate $32 million to conservative super PACs in third quarter
- The Republican Party’s biggest donors, Sheldon and Miriam Adelson, donated $32 million to Republican and conservative PACs in the third quarter, bringing their total contributions in this election cycle to at least $88 million.
- The Adelsons donated to the Congressional Leadership Fund, America First Action, and the ESAFund.
- Other big donors in 2018 include former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Tom Steyer, who have donated $100 million and $42 million, respectively, backing Democratic congressional candidates.
Judge rules Education Department must implement borrower defense rule
- Judge Randolph D. Moss, a federal judge in Washington, ruled that the U.S. Department of Education must implement a borrower defense rule created by the Obama administration. The borrower defense rule establishes guidance for students seeking loan forgiveness in the event of fraud by a college or university. Under the borrower defense system, a student’s federal loans can be forgiven if the student shows that the school has broken state consumer protection laws.
- The Obama-era rule was supposed to take effect in July 2017, but Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos delayed the implementation while she worked on rewriting the rule. In September 2018, Moss wrote that DeVos’ decision to delay the rule was arbitrary and capricious.
- Moss’ final decision on the rule came in a lawsuit brought against the Department of Education by the California Association of Private Postsecondary Schools. Moss ruled that the group was unable to show that the rule would cause harm to the for-profit schools it was representing. He ordered the rule to take effect.
- Liz Hill, a spokeswoman for the Education Department, said that DeVos “respects the role of the court and accepts the court’s decision. The secretary continues to believe the rule promulgated by the previous administration is bad policy, and the department will continue the work of finalizing a rule that protects both borrowers and taxpayers.”
- The borrower defense rule establishes the following:
- If a student’s school closes while the student is still in school or closes shortly after program completion, the student is eligible for automatic loan discharge.
- Students can apply for loan discharge as a group.
- Schools cannot prevent students from suing the school.
- Schools must accept financial responsibility if the school closes.
Senate Majority PAC enters New Jersey with $3 million buy
- The Senate Majority PAC announced Tuesday that it would launch a $3 million ad campaign opposed to businessman Bob Hugin (R), who is among seven candidates challenging Sen. Robert Menendez (D).
- The expenditure is the group’s first in New Jersey this election cycle. So far this election cycle, Senate Majority PAC has made just under $49 million in independent expenditures, according to OpenSecrets. New Jersey’s Senate race is the ninth this cycle that the group has spent more than $1 million in.
- Ratings outlets consider Menendez to be more likely to win than Hugin; Sabato’s Crystal Ball and Inside Elections rate the race “Likely Democratic”, while Cook Political Report rates it “Leans Democratic”. No Republican candidate has won election to the U.S. Senate from New Jersey since 1972. The last Republican candidate to win a statewide election in New Jersey was Chris Christie (R), who won re-election as governor in 2013.
NE-02 candidates participate in first debate
- Rep. Don Bacon (R) and Kara Eastman (D) participated in a debate ahead of the election for Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District. The debate highlighted their differences on a number of issues, including social security, abortion, and military funding. Two more debates are scheduled before the general election.
- The 2nd District backed Donald Trump (R) by two percentage points in 2016, Mitt Romney (R) by seven percentage points in 2012, and Barack Obama (D) by one percentage point in 2008. Bacon won the seat by one percentage point in 2016.
Wednesday, October 17
Federal government report: $23 billion in deregulation savings in 2018
- The Trump administration reported that $23 billion in savings were accrued from 176 deregulatory actions in the 2018 fiscal year. The administration has issued 65% fewer economically significant rules—defined as rules that impose costs exceeding $100 million per year—than the Obama administration and 51% fewer than the Bush administration.
- The report comes alongside the release of the new Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions, released twice each year to outline the federal regulatory rulemaking plans for the next fiscal year. Neomi Rao, administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, said in the introduction to the agenda that, “in modern times, the expansion of the administrative state has placed undue burdens on the public, impeding economic growth, technological innovation, and consumer choice. … Our reform efforts emphasize the rule of law, respect for the Constitution’s separation of powers, and the limits of agency authority.”
- After his inauguration, President Trump issued Executive Order 13771: Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs, which required that agencies eliminate two old regulations for each new regulation issued and put forth procedures for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to determine annual regulatory cost allowances.
- The agenda projects that regulatory costs will reduce by $18 billion in the coming 2019 fiscal year. The agenda also proposes reform of the greenhouse gas and Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards, which it projects will save between $120 and $340 billion.
- Some groups opposed to the administration argue that the figure may be overstated and the cuts to the regulatory rules could be harmful.
Congress is in/out of session
The Senate will be in session Monday through Friday. The House will not be in session. The lower chamber will reconvene on November 13, 2018.
SCOTUS is in/out of session
The Supreme Court will not hear arguments this week. To learn more about this term, read our review.
WHAT'S ON TAP NEXT WEEK
What's On Tap Next Week
Voter registration deadlines
- Next week, voter registration deadlines will pass in the following states:
- Oct. 22: Alabama, California, South Dakota, and Wyoming
- Both California and Wyoming offer Election Day registration.
- Oct. 23: New Hampshire
- Oct. 27: Iowa (Iowa also offers Election Day registration)
- Oct. 22: Alabama, California, South Dakota, and Wyoming
Where was the president last week?
- On Monday, President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump flew to Florida today to survey damage from Hurricane Michael.
- On Wednesday, Trump held a meeting at the White House where he discussed deregulation and the economy with workers. He then held a Cabinet meeting. In the afternoon, Trump spoke at the Presentation of the Medal of Honor Ceremony for Gunnery Sergeant John L. Canley.
- On Thursday, Trump held a rally in Montana for Senate candidate Matt Rosendale and incumbent House Rep. Greg Gianforte.
- On Friday, Trump held a rally in Arizona for Senate candidate Rep. Martha McSally.
Federal Judiciary
- 132 federal judicial vacancies
- 56 pending nominations
- 22 future federal judicial vacancies
About
The Tap covered election news, public policy, and other noteworthy events from February 2016 to February 2022.
