On Tuesday, Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson submitted a report to the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) recommending the deletion or revision of regulations considered anticompetitive across federal agencies. The submission is in response to President Trump’s Executive Order on Reducing Anticompetitive Regulatory Barriers, which directed the FTC to identify unnecessary rules that may exclude new market entrants, protect dominant firms, or predetermine economic outcomes.
FTC Bureau of Competition Director Daniel Guarnera stated, “President Trump’s Executive Order recognizes that heavy-handed regulations can hurt competition, including by entrenching incumbent firms, raising costs for new entrants, and discouraging innovative new ways to serve customers. Competitive markets lower the cost of living, improve the quality of products and services, and drive innovation. Our engagement with citizens across the country and agencies across the federal government has underscored the importance of scrutinizing regulations to ensure that they don’t distort healthy, free-market competition.”
The report highlights several examples of regulations recommended for change. These include Department of Transportation rules from the Biden administration that give preference to businesses owned by “socially and economically disadvantaged individuals” in awarding transportation contracts instead of relying solely on open competition. It also addresses Department of Education policies allowing colleges to bundle textbook costs into tuition fees—an approach that limits students’ ability to seek more affordable alternatives.
Other recommendations involve proposed Consumer Product Safety Commission requirements mandating costly finger-detection technology for table saws controlled by a single patent holder, as well as Forest Service eligibility criteria seen as barriers for younger ranchers seeking entry into the industry.
The OMB is currently reviewing these recommendations. The FTC plans ongoing collaboration with OMB and other relevant agencies regarding possible regulatory changes.
The Federal Trade Commission continues its work promoting competitive markets and protecting consumers through education and enforcement efforts.
