Regulatory Reports

Despite efforts to freeze non-security discretionary spending, the budgets of federal regulatory agencies are increasing in both 2011 and 2012. The on-budget cost of regulation is detailed in a new report, Fiscal Stalemate Reflected in Regulators’ Budget: An Analysis of the U.S. Budget for Fiscal Years 2011 and 2012 by the Weidenbaum Center’s Melinda Warren and Susan Dudley of the George Washington University Regulatory Studies Center. The estimated cost of running regulatory agencies in fiscal year 2011 is $54.9 billion, a 5.7 percent increase over 2010 spending. The President’s budget request for 2012 calls for an additional 4.5 percent increase to $57.3 billion. The number of staff working to develop and enforce regulations in 2012 is expected to increase by about 10,000 people over 2011 levels to reach an all-time high of 291,676.