Congress returned to Washington today after the 4th of July recess with no shortage of pressing issues on its plate. One particular legislative matter on Congress' docket offers an opportunity for bipartisan regulatory reform.
Federal regulations affect almost every aspect of our lives, yet their impacts aren't at all transparent. Like spending programs, government regulations pursue policies to achieve important social goals, such as clean air or food safety. But, unlike spending programs financed through taxes, neither congress nor the president is accountable to the public for whether those goals are achieved or how much they cost. Instead, unelected officials in Washington issue thousands of new regulations each year, adding new regulations on top of old, with little accountability or transparency.
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