As Americans begin to return to the public sphere, communities are slowly reviving as businesses come back to life. But of course this is only the first step to recovery and much more must be done to help our injured businesses return to full strength.
On Tuesday, President Trump provided more support for these communities when he issued the “Executive Order on Regulatory Relief to Support Economic Recovery.” Similar to the many regulations that were rolled back in order to help accelerate the response to the coronavirus pandemic, this executive order seeks to continue the deregulation of unnecessary requirements in order to aid our country’s economic recovery.
The order states:
It is the policy of the United States to combat the economic consequences of COVID-19 with the same vigor and resourcefulness with which the fight against COVID-19 itself has been waged. Agencies should address this economic emergency by rescinding, modifying, waiving, or providing exemptions from regulations and other requirements that may inhibit economic recovery, consistent with applicable law and with protection of the public health and safety, with national and homeland security, and with budgetary priorities and operational feasibility.
The order continues:
They [agencies] should also give businesses, especially small businesses, the confidence they need to re-open by providing guidance on what the law requires; by recognizing the efforts of businesses to comply with often-complex regulations in complicated and swiftly changing circumstances; and by committing to fairness in administrative enforcement and adjudication.
This sort of deregulation is exactly what struggling communities need to get back on their feet. Rather than returning to the pre-coronavirus status quo, President Trump aims to continue the rollback of unnecessary regulations on businesses and professionals.
Regulation and licensing reform is needed across the country. So many regulations are unnecessary, not serving their stated purpose of protecting public health and safety. In this executive order, President Trump explicitly targets such regulations. The emergency loosening of regulations in order to help the pandemic response has shown how unnecessary so many of these regulations are. If these different regulations, such as separate requirements for nursing licenses between states despite a national exam, are unnecessary during a public health crisis, why were they necessary to protect the public before?
The truth is many of these regulations are not necessary and only serve to limit competition in certain professions and stifle the American entrepreneurial spirit. We should celebrate how this executive order will help to decrease hurdles to re-opening the businesses that provide the livelihoods of so many Americans.
To learn more about deregulation and occupational licensing reform, check out the stories of IWF’s Chasing Work campaign.