Trump orders two-for-one repeal for all new regulations

WASHINGTON — President Trump promised a massive rollback of federal regulations on small businesses Monday, signing an executive action that he said would "knock out two regulations for every new regulation" adopted by federal agencies.

Changes in regulatory policy are a routine part of every transition, but Trump's executive action seems to go even further than the usual changes to the cost-benefit analysis of new regulations. Trump himself called it "the largest cut by far, in terms of regulation," in history.

The text of the directive was not immediately available, and it was unclear how the two-for-one mechanism would work. Under the Administrative Procedures Act, the repeal of old regulations requires the same bureaucratic process as the adoption of new regulations, with agency analysis, legal review public notice and comment.

"If you have a regulation you want, number one, we're probably not going to approve it," Trump said, arguing that necessary regulations would have been already approved by previous administrations.

He said the new regulatory policy was specifically targeted at small businesses. "There will be regulation, there will be control, but there will be normalized control where you can open your business and expand your business," he said.

he signing of the regulatory order followed a meeting with small-business owners in the White House on Monday morning.

"So the American Dream is back, and we are going to create an environment in small business like we haven't had in many, many decades," Trump said at the end of that meeting. "This isn't a knock on President Obama. It’s a knock on many presidents who have preceded me."

Contributing: David Jackson

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