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 August 3 to August 7, the Federal Register grew by 1,544 pages for a year-to-date total of 48,074 pages. Over the same period in 2019 and 2018, the Federal Register reached 39,722 pages and 39,870 pages, respectively. As of August 6, the 2020 total led the 2019 total by 8,352 pages and the 2018 total by 8,204 pages.
The Federal Register hit an all-time high of 95,894 pages in 2016.
This week’s Federal Register featured the following 575 documents:
• 470 notices
• nine presidential documents
• 42 proposed rules
• 54 final rules
One proposed rule concerning oversight of organic agricultural products 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 24 significant proposed rules, 41 significant final rules, and one significant notice as of August 6.
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: Changes to the Federal Register
Additional reading:
Click here to find yearly information about additions to the Federal Register from 1936 to 2018: Historical additions to the Federal Register, 1936-2018
Learn More
