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 January 25 through January 29—the second week of the Biden administration—the Federal Register grew by 790 pages for a year-to-date total of 7,614 pages. During the second week of the Trump administration in 2017, the Federal Register grew by 686 pages for a year-to-date total of 9,342 pages.

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

This week’s Federal Register featured the following 488 documents:

• 419 notices

• 39 presidential document

• 7 proposed rules

• 23 final rules

President Joe Biden’s (D) 39 presidential documents rank as the highest weekly presidential document total since Ballotpedia began tracking changes to the Federal Register in 2017. President Barack Obama (D) issued 25 presidential documents—the second-highest weekly presidential document total since 2017—during his final week in office in January 2017. Presidential documents include announcements from the Executive Office of the President, such as executive orders, proclamations, and memoranda.

No proposed or final rules were deemed significant under E.O. 12866—defined by the potential to 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 Biden administration has issued one significant proposed rule as of January 29.

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 2019, 2018, and 2017: https://ballotpedia.org/Changes_to_the_Federal_Register

Additional Reading:

Click here to find yearly information about additions to the Federal Register from 1936 to 2018: https://ballotpedia.org/Historical_additions_to_the_Federal_Register,_1936-2018