Staff ReportsFederal regulations are turning out to be the ultimate time suck, consuming a mind-boggling 10.5 billion hours each year in the U.S. That’s roughly equivalent to dedicating nearly 15,000 lifetimes to filling out forms and deciphering tax documents instead of, say, enjoying a barbecue or working on that home renovation. However, recent findings suggest the number has ballooned to 12.3 billion hours, all thanks to the red tape that has been wrapped tighter than a spring-loaded snake in a can.
The Office of Management and Budget recently released its report on this regulatory madness, and it’s crystal clear that the Biden administration’s penchant for paperwork is off the charts. Clyde Wayne Crews from the Competitive Enterprise Institute points out that the sheer volume of paperwork acts like a time tax on Americans, creating several billion dollars worth of unnecessary costs. This is almost poetic—if one considers drowning in paperwork poetic—because it could ultimately hinder economic growth and personal productivity across the nation.
DOGE Target: Government Paperwork Hits 10 Billion Hours, Equals 15,000 Lifetimes https://t.co/LcbTLCDU2R #news #breaking
— Off The Press (@OffThePress1) November 21, 2024
Take a moment to imagine the sheer scale of it: 12.3 billion hours spent on federal red tape means plumbers, teachers, and electricians are all busy scrolling through paperwork instead of doing what they do best. If the hourly rate for all of that effort was set at a modest $40, we’re staring down the barrel of an annual paperwork bill ranging anywhere from $187 billion to nearly $420 billion. Add to that another report estimating the total cost under Biden at an eye-watering $1.8 trillion, and it becomes abundantly clear that the shared misery of the American people is not just frustrating—it’s economically catastrophic.
The irony here is that while Trump made bold moves to “drain the swamp” and cut red tape during his first term, the burden didn’t disappear; it merely went dormant. The current administration seems intent on proving that evolution can still happen backward. Now, with Trump back on the political scene and promising a more aggressive approach to efficiency—enlisting modern moguls like Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy as his efficiency czars—the public could witness a possible resurgence of the anti-red tape movement.
The reality is that while slashing through regulations sounds good in theory, it’s akin to trying to slice a laser beam with a butter knife. The existing layers of compliance and bureaucratic nonsense are deeply entrenched, making any attempts to streamline processes a Herculean task. Nonetheless, with fresh leadership in office, the hope remains that America can claw back the lost time and money wasted on unnecessary paperwork, allowing citizens to redirect their efforts toward more meaningful pursuits.
