The federal government added 16,150 pages to the Federal Register in the first quarter of 2026, spanning from Jan. 1 to March 31. This is more than in all quarters during the second Trump administration except the third quarter in 2025, during which the government added 19,256 pages. These pages constitute the 6,071 documents that the government added to the Federal Register during the quarter.
Four years earlier during the first quarter of 2022, the government added 6,977 documents, which brought the 2022 first quarter page total to 18,966.
Here’s a breakdown of the 6,071 documents added last quarter:
- 4,697 notices
- 62 presidential documents
- 408 proposed rules
- 605 final rules
In the first quarter of 2026, Trump administrative agencies proposed 50 significant rules and issued 56 significant final rules. A 1993 executive order defines significant rules as those that can potentially have large effects on the economy, environment, public health, or state or local governments.
The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) determines which rules meet this definition and are subject to its review. Significant actions may also conflict with presidential priorities or other agency rules.
The Trump administration issued 71 significant proposed rules, 110 significant final rules, and 10 significant notices in 2025.
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, accounting for both regulatory and deregulatory actions.
Ballotpedia maintains page counts and other information about the Federal Register as part of our neutral, nonpartisan encyclopedic coverage of the administrative state. Click here to see our full coverage of changes to the Federal Register.