Today, a group of 35 organizations, including the American Consumer Institute, sent a letter to President Trump urging him to sign an executive order that would provide regulatory relief as businesses start back up. As many regulations were waived during the COVID crisis, the executive order would ask that waivers be continued until regulations were deemed to be necessary. Here is the Letter:
June 1, 2020
The Honorable Donald J. Trump
President of the United States of America
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear President Trump,
We write in support of your Regulatory Relief to Support Economic Recovery Executive Order (EO). As the focus turns toward restarting the economy and society, this EO will give businesses the flexibility they need to reopen their doors, create jobs, and safely get Americans back to work.
Instead of using the pandemic as an excuse to consolidate more power, you have made deregulation the centerpiece of your Administration’s Coronavirus response. This regulatory relief has streamlined our national response to the Coronavirus, leading to over 500 waived rules and regulations nationwide.
Most importantly, the Order directs agencies to review the impact of any regulations that they have waived or suspended during the pandemic and determine if they are necessary to reinstate. Permanently repealing these regulations – most of which were never necessary in the first place – will help grow our economy long after the pandemic has run its course.
Authorizing agencies to use the same emergency authority they have used to fight the Coronavirus to also waive regulations that stand in the way of our post-pandemic economic recovery will promote job creation, economic growth, and reduce the cost and unnecessary delays caused by overregulation.
The Order not only directs agencies to temporarily waive or suspend any rules or regulations that inhibit economic growth as we recover from the Coronavirus, but also establishes a “Regulatory Bill of Rights,” to provide businesses with more certainty and direction.
The “Regulatory Bill of Rights” directs agencies not to over-enforce when American businesses are clearly working in good faith to follow the law and keep their customers and employees safe. It is a set of ten regulatory principles that direct agencies to be fair and transparent in enforcing against any potential violations of law should there be an administrative proceeding.
Before the Coronavirus crisis, your pro-growth agenda of tax cuts and regulatory relief kickstarted one of the strongest economies in American history. We can return America to prosperity the same way.
As our country reopens, your new regulatory relief EO will jumpstart the economy and give businesses the flexibility and confidence they need to safely get Americans back to work.
We encourage you to continue removing regulations that stand in the way of private sector and government assistance during the crisis and to make as many of these regulatory waivers, suspensions, and adjustments permanent where possible.
Sincerely,
Grover G. Norquist, President, Americans for Tax Reform
Phil Kerpen, President, American Commitment
Steve Pociask, President & CEO, The American Consumer Institute
Lisa B. Nelson, CEO, American Legislative Exchange Council
Brent Wm. Gardner, Chief Government Affairs Officer, Americans for Prosperity
Robert Alt, President & CEO, The Buckeye Institute
Garrett Ballengee, Executive Director, Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy
Andrew F. Quinlan, President, Center for Freedom & Prosperity
Thomas Schatz, President, Citizens Against Government Waste
Chuck Muth, President, Citizen Outreach
Curt Levey, President, The Committee for Justice
Clyde Wayne Crews Jr., Vice President of Policy & Senior Fellow, Competitive Enterprise Institute
Katie McAuliffe, Executive Director, Digital Liberty
Patrick Purtill, Director of Legislative Affairs, Faith and Freedom Coalition
Rick Watson, Florida Center/Right Coalition, Adam Brandon, President, FreedomWorks
Annette Meeks, CEO, Freedom Foundation of Minnesota
George Landrith, President, Frontiers of Freedom
Andresen Blom, President, Hawaiian Values
Jessica Anderson, Executive Director, Heritage Action for America
Wayne Hoffman, President, Idaho Freedom Foundation
Seton Motley, President, Less Government
Ann Schockett, President, National Federation of Republican Women
Pete Sepp, President, National Taxpayers Union
William L. O’Brien, Co-Chair, New Hampshire Center Right Coalition
Daniel J. Erspamer, CEO, Pelican Institute
Jim Vokal, CEO, Platte Institute
Eli Leher, President, R Street Institute
Paul Gessing, President, Rio Grande Foundation
Karen Kerrigan, President & CEO, Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council
Tim Andrews, Executive Director, Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Sara Croom, Executive Director, Trade Alliance to Promote Prosperity
James L. Martin, Founder/Chairman, 60 Plus Association
Saulius “Saul” Anuzis, President, 60 Plus Association
Maureen Blum, Executive Director, USA Workforce Coalition
Carol Platt Liebau, Yankee Institute, Connecticut