Using the agency rule-making process to pursue policy is a troublesome, last-ditch effort to deliver on campaign promises.

This op-ed by State Policy Network’s Erin Norman first ran at National Review.

With few policy wins and growing pressure from his party to score a significant win before the midterms, Biden took executive actions on climate change.

These orders are the latest example of the Biden administration circumventing Congress to reach policy goals. Since taking office in January 2021, Biden has pursued a laundry list of regulations aimed at everything from financial services to the environment to railroads. In fact, a new report finds the Biden administration has implemented more regulations in its first year in office than any other administration in history.

Back in February, the Wall Street Journal reported growing anxiety and pushback from the business community, concerned about the negative impact that a rush to regulate will have on the fragile economy. The White House responded that nothing is being rushed, and that “standard rule-making” processes are being followed. Perhaps that is the problem.

The Regulatory Studies Center at George Washington University tracks the number of “significant” rules and regulations that take effect each year — the ones that create contradictions with other rules, have major budget effects, or alter Americans’ rights or responsibilities under the law. These are not your homeowner-association’s rules about mailbox color — these are significant regulations that have a substantial impact on the way Americans live and conduct business. Aside from the early years of the Trump administration, new significant regulations amount to hundreds every year going back to the early 1990s.

Read the full piece at National Review here.