The Federal Register is a daily journal of federal government activity that includes presidential documents, proposed and final rules, and public notices. It is a common measure of an administration’s regulatory activity.

From March 9 to March 13, the Federal Register grew by 1,258 pages for a year-to-date total of 14,732 pages. Over the same period in 2019 and 2018, the Federal Register reached 9,692 pages and 11,844 pages, respectively. As of March 13, the 2020 total led the 2019 total by 5,040 pages and the 2018 total by 2,888 pages.

The Federal Register hit an all-time high of 95,894 pages in 2016.

This week’s Federal Register featured the following 520 documents:
• 420 notices
• three presidential documents
• 35 proposed rules
• 62 final rules
One proposed rule was deemed significant under E.O. 12866—meaning that it could have large impacts on the economy, environment, public health, or state or local governments. Significant actions may also conflict with presidential priorities or other agency rules. The Trump administration in 2020 has issued 10 significant proposed rules and 16 significant final rules as of March 13.

Not all rules issued by the Trump administration are regulatory actions. Some rules are deregulatory actions pursuant to President Trump’s (R) Executive Order 13771, which requires federal agencies to eliminate two old significant regulations for each new significant regulation issued.

Ballotpedia maintains page counts and other information about the Federal Register as part of its Administrative State Project. The project is a neutral, nonpartisan encyclopedic resource that defines and analyzes the administrative state, including its philosophical origins, legal and judicial precedents, and scholarly examinations of its consequences. The project also monitors and reports on measures of federal government activity.

Additional reading:
Click here to find yearly information about additions to the Federal Register  from 1936 to 2016: