Dispatch From COGE: A Bureaucratic Meeting About Cutting Bureaucratic Bloat
Don't expect much from Zohran Mamdani’s Commission on Government Efficiency.
Bureaucracy
Can the Supreme Court Still Restrain Executive Power?
Clark Neily discusses the Supreme Court, executive authority, and why federal prosecutors wield too much power.
Here Are Some Ways SCOTUS Can Constrain Federal Agencies That Are Now Subject to Trump's Untrammeled Control
The Supreme Court has "no shortage of tools" to enforce the separation of powers, Justice Neil Gorsuch notes. "The only real question is whether we will use them."
How the FDA Created a Peptide Black Market
Because the agency has banned most peptides, products from overseas labs dominate the market. How does that protect Americans?
The FDA Finally Approved a New Sunscreen Ingredient. It Only Took Over 25 Years.
The FDA's burdensome regulatory process has throttled sunscreen innovation.
This Social Worker Wants To Help Kids With Special Needs. Louisiana Won't Let Her.
The state requires that people prove certain businesses are needed. How to do that is another question entirely.
Elon Did DOGE. Now Mamdani Is Trying COGE.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s COGE sounds like DOGE, but New Yorkers should not expect the mayor to shrink the city’s bureaucracy.
It's Not Just ICE Stockpiling Weapons—the IRS, EPA, and Other Feds Are Arming Up Too
An armed IRS agent roaming the streets should send shivers down the spine of any freedom-loving American.
Don't Waste Time Arguing Over the Surgeon General Nominee. Abolish the Office.
It’s a vestigial role that has morphed into a national annoyance.
Is the California Coastal Commission Finally Losing Some of Its Regulatory Powers?
The commission has tormented property owners and localities ever since it was created in 1976. Finally, legislative and legal efforts are undoing some of its abuses.
Justice Neil Gorsuch: 'Aspirations for Power Need To Be Checked'
The Supreme Court justice discusses the Declaration of Independence, how unchecked power threatens liberty, and what the Founders can teach future generations.
Report: High Taxes and Burdensome Regulations Are Killing California
California politicians’ policy choices are making the state unaffordable and unattractive.
Report: Federal Regulatory Compliance Costs $2 Trillion Annually
Red tape issued by bureaucrats outstrips the impact of legislation.
Maine Lobsterman Asks the Supreme Court To Strike Down a Rule Allowing the Government To Track His Boat 24/7
The case could give the Court a chance to clarify what a "closely regulated" business is and what constitutional protections it enjoys.
Man Successfully Designs mRNA Vaccine To Treat His Dog's Cancer
"If we can do this for a dog, why aren't we rolling this out to all humans with cancer?"
In Space, Regulators Seek To Boldly Go Where No Bureaucrat Has Gone Before
We don’t really need intrusive laws and regulations to govern lunar mining and space exploration.
4 Ways Trump Is Reshaping the U.S. Immigration Bureaucracy
These bureaucratic maneuvers are making it harder for immigrants to work, learn, and live in the United States.
How the FCC Became the Speech Police
The constitutionally anomalous status of broadcasting invites government meddling.
Federal Red Tape Plunges Under Trump
The president is making real progress on deregulation, but he needs to get Congress involved.
Photo: These Lenses Can Slow the Progression of Nearsightedness
While Europe and Asia have had Stellest glasses for years, the FDA finally approved them for the U.S. in 2025.
Trump's Economic Adviser Says Tariff Refunds Would Be 'Very Complicated' and Unlikely
Oh, so now the Trump administration is worried about the complexity of its tariff polices?
Andor Creator Tony Gilroy on Bureaucracy and the Surveillance State
Tony Gilroy examines how Andor portrays authoritarian power as a bureaucratic system, the moral compromises of life under surveillance, and the role ordinary people play in enforcing oppressive systems.
Empower Stays on D.C. Streets as Appeals Court Weighs Future of Rideshare Company
The D.C. Superior Court found Empower still in contempt of court despite updating its software-as-a-service agreement and will reconvene in January.
The Trump Administration Begins 'Substantial' Layoffs of Federal Workers
Civil servants are normally temporarily furloughed during shutdowns. The White House insists the current funding lapse empowers them to permanently fire workers.
The Economy Doesn't Need Federal Jobs Data To Function
There are plenty of private alternatives to the employment report put out by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Review: A Godzilla Movie About Bureaucracy
In Shin Godzilla, scientists must cut through red tape to save Tokyo.
Alcohol Escapes a Government Crackdown—for Now
A quiet push to declare “no safe level” of drinking has officially fizzled.
The Trump Administration Misses Key Deadlines for Imposing Restrictions on Gain-of-Function Research
Biosafety advocates worry the administration is backtracking on its promise to implement meaningful restrictions on the type of research that likely caused the COVID-19 pandemic.
Department of Veterans Affairs
In 16 Years, the V.A. Turned This $450 Million Hospital Project Into a $1.6 Billion Boondoggle
What began as a simple hospital project has become yet another example of bureaucratic failure at the Department of Veterans Affairs
Lawmakers Want To Shield Kids From AI Chatbots. But Restricting Them Could Cut Off a Mental Health Lifeline.
Crackdowns on AI chatbots over perceived risks to children's safety could ultimately put more children at risk.
The Nearly Free Markets of Guatemala
Guatemalans don't wait for the government's permission. They build their own markets through voluntary exchange.
The ACLU Says a New York Official Violated the NRA's First Amendment Rights. They Still Can't Sue Her.
A federal court concluded the official was entitled to qualified immunity in a case that united two unlikely allies.
Why Does the Government Run Air Traffic Control?
Air traffic control is simply too important to leave up to the politicians.
The Freedom of Information Act Is Failing Due to Government Bloat
In FY 2024, over 200,000 Freedom of Information Act requests were backlogged, according to the Government Accountability Office.
Feds Try To Bankrupt a Moving Company for Hiring Strong, Young Movers
Nobody complained about the company, so federal bureaucrats launched their own crusade.
Federal Judge to Trump on FTC Commissioner Firing: No, You Can't Fire Whomever You Want
The ruling upholds protections afforded to officers of the "quasi legislative or quasi judicial agencies" created by Congress.
Federal Officials Won't Admit the Real Reason for Ditching the TSA's Shoe Rule
The widely resented and ridiculed policy, which the U.S. was nearly alone in enforcing, never made much sense.
Will Trump Actually Close the Education Department?
Plus: Cuomo has a hard time taking no for an answer, a pro-party manifesto, Trump's about-face on Ukraine, and more...
Trump Walks Back Talk of Abolishing FEMA
After criticizing the agency for being ineffective for months, the Trump administration now plans to reform it to supplement state disaster response efforts.
Bill Kristol Is Alarmed That a President Would Ship Accused Foreign Enemies to an Overseas Prison
The hawkish defender of Guantanamo Bay and the post-9/11 security state worries President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown is threatening civil liberties.
DMV Officials Issued Driver's Licenses for Cash. Why Will REAL ID Be Any Different?
Bureaucratic requirements impose burdens only on people not inclined to break the law.
With Environmental Regulatory Reform, California Gov. Gavin Newsom Finally Does Something Substantial
Without Newsom's efforts, major reforms to California's stifling environmental laws would have died on the vine.
Why Do Republicans Support the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit?
Publicly funded homes in some cities are costing taxpayers more than $1 million per unit, but Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” would increase funding for these inefficient projects.
If Brendan Carr Cares About Free Speech, He Should Make These Changes at the FCC
Now is the perfect time for the FCC to change its precedent to comply with the First Amendment.
Some Federal Agencies Are Actually Getting More Efficient
Downsizing pushed the Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau to adopt tech solutions that it could have tried years ago.
What Happens if the Department of Education Goes Away?
Most of what the department does would likely stick around, for better or for worse.
Courts Are Quietly Taking Over the Internet
The next generation of online platforms is being shaped less by engineers and entrepreneurs and more by regulators and courts—and they’re very bad at it.
