Posted on 03/31/2016 3:53:03 PM PDT by HomerBohn
Providing yet another searing example of the ridiculousness of his tenure in the Oval Office, a new report outlines how President Barack Obama’s executive orders to “eliminate red tape” in government burdened taxpayers and businesses with billions in new regulatory costs.
In 2011 and 2012, the president signed executive orders instructing federal agencies to “modify, streamline, expand, or repeal” existing regulations to lighten the massive regulatory burden on the American economy.
Using its 2+2=5 accounting, the Obama administration has claimed that the president’s actions have created $28 billion in savings since 2011.
Independent reviews, however, tell a far different story.
The American Action Forum in 2014 concluded: “Despite attempts to reduce red tape and ‘promote economic growth,’ recent regulatory reform plans from the administration actually added more than $23 billion in costs and 8.9 million paperwork burden hours. Only three agencies managed to reduce costs.”
And the latest report out from AAF, finds that agency efforts to get rid of red tape since then have only resulted in more burdensome compliance time and costs for Americans. The organization’s findings are based on government “retrospective reports” which detail an uptick in regulatory costs from the previous $14.7 billion increase to $16 billion today.
In addition to the dollar cost, AAF found that the Obama efforts to reduce red tape have also added 6.5 million compliance paperwork hours to the national regulatory burden.
“Too often for this administration, regulations are regularly expanded and rarely repealed or modified,” AAF concluded after reviewing the government reports.
The worst offenders in increasing regulatory burdens despite a directive to do the opposite are the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Health and Human Services. And that isn’t exactly surprising considering the administration has given both agencies unprecedented power to expand Obama’s healthcare and environmental agendas.
Via AAF: “HHS is the runaway leader by imposing $16 billion in net costs and more than 25 million paperwork burden hours. The agency is, amazingly, responsible for 101 percent of the net cost increase, due to cost-cutting measures from other agencies.”
The Department of Transportation, meanwhile, is the only agency to have significantly cut back regulation, with $846 million in fewer costs and more than 21 million hours in reduced paperwork reported in AAF’s review.
The government’s inability to walk back the burdensome regulations it produces is why the Wall Street journal reported that regulatory compliance officer is a job category which has defied economic trends with massive growth over the past several years.
More on Obama’s regulatory jihad:(Go to link for access)
Regulatory agencies are creating hidden taxes
Government’s ‘Ten Thousand Commandments’ are killing the economy
Obama’s regulatory blitz begins
Regulation: This Is What The First Two Months Of A ‘Year Of Action’ Look Like
Forget Fiscal Cliff, Here Comes Regulatory Tsunami
Senators launch website for people to air their grievances over burdensome government regulations
Overall Obama Regulatory Burden Nears $500 Billion
Hang them all. Sort it out later.
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