June 2026

Our latest report tracks the spending and staffing of 77 federal departments and agencies to analyze the growth and changing composition of federal regulation from 1960 to 2024. Between FY 2020 and FY 2024, real regulatory FTEs increased 4.5% percent, reaching more than 279,138 full-time equivalent workers. During the same time period, spending on federal regulation increased by 19.7%. Read More >

The Trachtenberg School of Public Policy & Public Administration and the Regulatory Studies Center present the Executive Innovation Series. The sessions will shine a spotlight on issues such as data governance, energy, program evaluation, policy engagement, professional development, and more. We hope you will join us for these engaging discussions!

Thursday, June 25, 2026. 1:00 pm  – 2:00 pm EDT. Virtual via Zoom

The first webinar in our new Executive Innovation Series is a timely and insightful discussion featuring Professors William Yeatman, a leading expert on administrative law, and Susan Dudley, one of the nation’s foremost authorities on regulatory process. Learn More > 

Thursday, July 9, 2026. 12:00 pm  – 1:00 pm EDT. Virtual via Zoom

Panelists, Cynthia Pierre, Frank DiGiammarino, Garrett Kephart, and Kathryn Newcomer, will discuss the role of public sector leaders in embracing changes connected to AI while attending to risk as well. Speakers will highlight the readiness layers that leaders must enable — including data, trust, and governance - to ensure that AI improves public value safely, repeatedly, and at scale. They will also highlight the tradeoffs between sustainability in public actions and embracing AI, and how leaders can effectively lead such unprecedented change efforts within their agencies. Learn More > 

Congratulations to our graduating students! Tambudzai Charumbira, Henry Hirsch, Sayam Palrecha (pictured) each completed their MS in Data Science in May. Time to celebrate your latest impressive accomplishments!

Finn Dobkin Wins 2026 Ellig Award

The Society for Benefit-Cost Analysis has selected Senior Policy Analyst Finn Dobkin as the winner of its 2026 Jerry Ellig Award for Best Student Paper.  

Dobkin presented his paper, 'Capitalization of Climate Mitigation in Housing Markets: Evidence from California’s Residential Construction Requirements' at the society's annual conference in Washington, DC. The Ellig Award honors the legacy of RSC economist Jerry Ellig and recognizes the best student paper presented at the conference which applies economic, law, political science, policy analysis, and/or public administration concepts to real policy problems. Nicely done, Finn!

Katya is a Senior Policy Analyst at the George Washington University Regulatory Studies Center and a PhD candidate in Public Policy. Her research focuses on evidence-based policymaking, regulatory evaluation, retrospective review, and the use of AI to strengthen evaluation, evidence-building, and public-sector decision-making. Read More >

The George Washington University’s 2026 Student Employment Supervisor of the Year is none other than our own Susan Dudley! Nominations are judged for a supervisor’s strengths in integrating students as staff members, guidance and mentoring, initiative, and alignment with GW values. Our team is proud of the opportunities we provide to the student community, and this is a wonderful recognition of Susan’s dedication to student development.

We recently checked in with Trachtenberg graduate (MPP '25) and former RSC policy analyst Sarah Hay for an update on her new role at the Alliance for Automotive Innovation where she is Senior Manager for Energy and Environment Policy. Read More >

June 17, 2026
By Hyejin (Jin) Kim

A summary of remarks on U.S. deregulation and German administrative reform from our recent conference hosted with the Frankfurt Competence Center for German and Global Regulation. Read More >

June 3, 2026
Public interest comment by Finn Dobkin

The "Speed Rule" seeks to amend NOAA's rule on reducing vessel strikes affecting the North Atlantic Right Whale. Read More >

May 29, 2026
Public interest comment by Katya Fink

EPA's FY2027 Evidence Plan outlines the agency’s priorities for evidence-building, evaluation, and organizational learning. Read More >

April 28, 2026
Event summary by Tambudzai Charumbira (Gundani)

At a recent summit, many promising ideas were offered for preparing students and workers for an AI-transformed economy. Translating these ideas into federal policy likely will require broader regulatory reform. Read More >

April 22, 2026
Commentary by Steven Balla & Susan Dudley

Previously considered largely a tool for the incoming Congress and president to overturn a departing president’s midnight regulations, Congress has recently begun using the CRA in unanticipated ways. Read More > | Listen to Podcast >

April 21, 2026
With Hoover Institution Fellow Patrick McLaughlin

Hoover Institution Research Fellow Patrick McLaughlin discusses how the driving force behind safety improvements in the freight rail industry is capital investment, not minimum staffing requirements. Listen to Podcast >

April 13, 2026
Public interest comment by Mary Sullivan

When mandatory fees such as “lifestyle fees” are not included in advertised rents, they make it difficult for apartment seekers to know and compare the total costs of prospective apartments. Read More >

March 30, 2026
Essay by Finn Dobkin in The Regulatory Review

RSC Senior Policy Analyst Finn Dobkin argues that the prevalence of unquantified costs and benefits may hinder regulatory analysis. Read More >

William Yeatman spoke on a panel hosted by the Hoover Institution: Regulating Transportation Networks: Opportunities And Challenges For Federal Regulatory Policy, June 11, 2026.

Christopher Carrigan presented research at the 85th Plenary Session of the Administrative Conference of the United States (June 11, 2026).

Steven Balla presented his co-authored paper, “Measuring Government Responsiveness: Looking Backward and Moving Forward” at a conference at the Peking University School of Government in Beijing (June 5, 2026).

At the Gruter Institute for Law and Behavioral Research conference on ”Law, Institutions and New Frontiers: Governing What Comes Next,” May 19, 2026, Susan Dudley presented research on “Designing Institutions for Rapid Technological Change” and Brian Mannix presented a “Structural Theory of Regulatory Failure and Success.”  

Susan Dudley joined other former OIRA administrators on a plenary panel at the ABA’s spring Administrative Law Conference on “Deregulation in Trump 2.0”, May 8, 2026.

Richard Pierce, Jr. was quoted in Time: Could a Federal Lawsuit Stop the UFC Fight at White House on Trump's Birthday? Here's What to Know (June 8, 2026).

William Yeatman was quoted in Bloomberg Law: Trump’s Swift Deregulation Strategy Falls Flat With Agencies (May 26, 2026).

Commentary by Dylan Desjardins was cited by the Desert News: The AM Radio Debate: Necessary or Obsolete? Trump Has an Opinion (May 17, 2026).

Steven Balla was interviewed in National Law Journal: Congress' Ambiguous Review Act Opens Door to Ending Years-Old Agency Actions, Experts Say (May 8, 2026). 

Tambudzai Charumbira (Gundani) was cited by GovExec: Experts say Trump Inflated His Deregulation Numbers, But His Process Changes are Here to Stay (April 23, 2026). 

Roger Nober shared perspectives on transit planning and transportation policy for a GW Hatchet report marking 50 years of metro rail transit in the nation’s capital (April 11, 2026). 

Howard Beales wrote an op-ed in Washington Reporter: Blissfully Ignorant is Both Unwise and Unconstitutional (April 10, 2026). 

Susan Dudley joined the 'Catching the Codfather' podcast of WGBH News to discuss how the Loper Bright case challenged government regulations all the way to the Supreme Court (March 26, 2026).

Listen to our podcast for insights on regulatory trends. Recent discussions have explored the Congressional Review Act, Biden's Data Security executive order, effective public engagement strategies for federal agencies, and more.