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 April 20 to April 24, the Federal Register grew by 1,466 pages for a year-to-date total of 23,204 pages. Over the same period in 2019 and 2018, the Federal Register reached 17,930 pages and 18,726 pages, respectively. As of April 24, the 2020 total led the 2019 total by 5,274 pages and the 2018 total by 4,478 pages.
The Federal Register hit an all-time high of 95,894 pages in 2016.
This week’s Federal Register featured the following 563 documents:
• 474 notices
• seven presidential documents
• 44 proposed rules
• 58 final rules
One final 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 15 significant proposed rules and 20 significant final rules as of April 24.
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.
Click here to find more information about weekly additions to the Federal Register in 2018 and 2017.
Additional reading:
Click here to find yearly information about additions to the Federal Register from 1936 to 2018.