Federal Register weekly update: Removal of Trump administration’s public charge rule


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 15 through March 19—the ninth week of the Biden administration—the Federal Register grew by 848 pages for a year-to-date total of 15,068 pages. During the same period of the Trump administration in 2017, the Federal Register grew by 794 pages for a year-to-date total of 15,112 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:

  • 436 notices
  • zero presidential documents
  • 39 proposed rules
  • 45 final rules

Three proposed rules regarding federal acquisition regulations and one final rule removing regulations concerning the Trump administration’s public charge rule (which was vacated by a federal district court) 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 10 significant proposed rules and five significant final rules as of March 19.

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: Changes to the Federal Register

Click here to find yearly information about additions to the Federal Register from 1936 to 2018: Historical additions to the Federal Register, 1936-2018