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 July 27 to July 31, the Federal Register grew by 1,474 pages for a year-to-date total of 46,530 pages. Over the same period in 2019 and 2018, the Federal Register reached 37,954 pages and 38,244 pages, respectively. As of July 31, the 2020 total led the 2019 total by 8,576 pages and the 2018 total by 8,286 pages.
The Federal Register hit an all-time high of 95,894 pages in 2016.
• 66 final rules
Two final rules concerning chemicals regulated under the Toxic Substances Control Act and surety companies certified by the Department of the Treasury were deemed significant under E.O. 12866—meaning that they 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 23 significant proposed rules, 41 significant final rules, and one significant notice as of July 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 yearly information about additions to the Federal Register from 1936 to 2018: Historical additions to the Federal Register, 1936-2018