Trump signs another executive order aimed at regulations

President Trump signed an executive order Friday requiring federal agencies to appoint regulatory watchdogs that will chew away at their rulemaking authority. 

The regulatory watchdogs will be tasked with enforcing Trump’s agenda.

“Every regulation should have to pass a simple test: Does it make life better or safer for American workers or consumers?” Trump said as he signed the executive order. “If the answer is no, we will be getting rid of it and getting rid of it quickly.”

The Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda executive order was first reported by Bloomberg BNA. 

Trump’s agency heads will appoint regulatory reform officers to ensure the agencies are following the president’s orders, including his 1-in-2-out executive order that encourages agencies to repeal old rules before the publish new ones. 

{mosads}Trump’s order also creates regulatory task forces responsible for repealing old regulations at each agency.

“Each task force will make recommendations to repeal or simplify existing regulations,” Trump said.

Trump said the order will solve an “impossible situation” for businesses when it comes to complying with regulations.

“This executive order is one of many ways we’re going to get real results when it comes to removing job-killing regulations and unleashing economic opportunity,” the president said.

“We will stop punishing companies for doing business in the United States,” Trump added. “It’s going to be absolutely just the opposite. They will be incentivized to do business.”

Trump’s order “adds teeth” to the longstanding requirements for federal agencies to review outdated regulations, Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) said in a statement.

“Under the previous administration, agencies didn’t take retrospective review seriously,” Lankford added.

But critics said the order will allow “Trump’s hand-picked deregulatory henchmen” to “hack away at critical public protections.”

“The Trump administration is doubling down on its dangerous anti-regulatory efforts and making clear that big business is in charge of our government,” said Amit Narang, regulatory policy advocate at the left-leaning Public Citizen.

– Updated at 2:38 p.m.