President Biden Issues Regulatory Freeze on First Day in Office

As one of his first actions as President of the United States, President Biden signed a regulatory freeze on any new and pending rules. Ronald Klain, Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff, released a memorandum on Inauguration Day explaining that the freeze is intended to “ensure that the President’s appointees or designees have the opportunity to review any new or pending rules,” and outlines a set of steps for federal agencies to follow to implement the freeze.

Outside of emergency situations, no rule is to be proposed or issued in any manner until a department or agency head appointed by President Biden after noon on January 20, 2021, reviews and approves the rule. Rules that have already been issued but not implemented are to be removed from the Federal Register until they are examined by a Biden Administration appointee. Rules that have been published but have not yet gone into effect are to be postponed for 60 days from the date of the memorandum.

These actions are part of the Biden Administration’s effort to halt last-minute rules that the Trump Administration pushed through before leaving office.

The full memorandum can be read at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/regulatory-freeze-pending-review/.