OPINION:
Many Americans are worse off now than they were four years ago. Fewer than 1 in 4 told Associated Press pollsters their economic situation has improved since then. In a report Wednesday, the House Oversight Committee identified the cause of the widespread malaise: $1.7 trillion in red tape imposed under the Biden-Harris administration.
The committee’s economic gurus calculated the administration’s economic meddling imposed $47,136 in extra costs on each U.S. household. That regulatory expense is piled on top of the taxes, inflation and interest rate costs that have exploded under the current leadership.
Topping the list of expensive regulations is the $900 billion mandate forbidding automakers from producing affordable cars that achieve their maximum range once the fuel tank has been filled. The administration is getting rid of a system that works to pursue the dream of a handful of liberals who have never ventured beyond the inner city and imagine the electric runabout that works for them must be great for everyone else.
Not everyone can afford to pay $8,000 more for an electrified SUV. Democrats don’t seem to care. Just last week, all but nine House Democrats voted to preserve the Biden-Harris electric vehicle mandate against a GOP-led revolt. Although repeal legislation cleared the House, it’s unlikely to go anywhere in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
As if manipulating the vehicle market weren’t enough, the administration has imposed 100 new energy-efficiency standards that force the makers of household appliances to redesign their products to meet arbitrary government targets that render the machines less effective. The latest rules micromanage lightbulbs, dishwashers, refrigerators and natural gas stoves, banning the production of current models so they can be replaced with more expensive, less functional substitutes.
On top of all this, the new rules generated 312 million hours’ worth of paperwork that needs to be filled out to the satisfaction of Washington functionaries. Businesses have no choice but to hire legions of staff to go through the motions of compliance, even though this is a wasted effort. The hours spent filling out forms and submitting reports could be better spent creating new goods and expanding services.
Former President Donald Trump recognized the need for change with his “2-for-1” executive order. It required federal agencies to repeal two old rules whenever they wanted to pass a new one. He also imposed strict limits on the financial burden agencies could place on businesses and consumers. As a result, America’s regulatory burden was scaled back by $100 million during Mr. Trump’s term.
Allowing a remote bureaucracy to run the country is anathema to the principles of America’s founding. Ever since President Franklin D. Roosevelt used his court-packing threat to bully the Supreme Court into approving the creation of the administrative state, commissions and agencies have assumed the authority meant for congressional lawmakers. Politicians willingly give away this power because it means they no longer need to risk their reelection prospects. Contentious policy questions are now punted to the Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Communications Commission or Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
The public is the biggest loser when this happens because it has no power to fire the agency heads or commission members responsible for making cars more expensive and dishwashers less functional.
Those who relish the idea of paying more for less — without accountability or prosperity — can cast their vote for Vice President Kamala Harris in November.
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