PrintObama administration issued nearly $600 billion in unfunded mandates
Another dubious achievement for the Obama administration. The White House has imposed a record number of unfunded mandates on states and private business totaling nearly $600 billion. The 101 mandates are twice the number of mandates imposed between 1996-2008.
Unfunded mandates are orders from the federal government that must be complied with even though the government does not supply funds to implement them. The entire burden for compliance falls on the individual public or private entity.
The Obama Administration imposed a record number of 101 unfunded mandates, costing $596 billion and 101 million paperwork hours, according to a research paper released Friday by The American Action Forum (AAF).
To put those figures in context, there were just 88 unfunded mandates between 1996 and 2008.
Thus, Obama managed to trump 13 years worth of unfunded mandates in just two terms. The Bush Administration pushed 56 unfunded mandates, and the Clinton Administration imposed even less — 32.
Obama enacted just over 10 unfunded mandates in 2015, and the states faced a regulatory cost of $35 billion and 75 million paperwork hours.
The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) was enacted in 1995 to avoid unfairly burdening state, local, or tribal governments, or private sector entities with too many unfunded mandates, or mandates requiring functions for which it provides no funds. AAF’s research finds that this law actually didn’t achieve those ends during Obama’s term.
It would take 50,506 individuals an entire year to meet the requirements of the Obama Administration’s 101 unfunded mandate, according to the report.
Unfunded mandates are a way for politicians to hide the true cost of government. It's like adding an extra trillion dollars to government spending. Someone has to pay for them - ultimately, it's the taxpayer.
To be fair, the administration is not entirely at fault. They may propose the mandates but its Congress that approves them. Here are a few unfunded mandates that are placing an undue burden on states:
- Clean Water Act (especially wetlands)
- Clean Air Act
- Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (solid waste disposal)
- Safe Drinking Water Act
- Asbestos abatement
- Lead paint abatement
- Endangered Species Act
- Americans with Disabilities Act
- Fair Labor Standards Act
- Underground storage tank regulations
Obviously the law passed in 1995 to curtail the mandates hasn't worked. But with little interest in fiscal responsibility in Congress, it will be a while before they get around to reform.
