Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg moved Wednesday to undo key deregulatory actions by the Trump administration, an overhaul that department officials said was necessary to address challenges that include climate change, racial injustices, the coronavirus pandemic and the economy.
In an obscure but potent bureaucratic step, Buttigieg formally deleted many internal departmental rules and policies put in place under his predecessor, Elaine Chao, that were part of the Trump administration’s push to pare back regulations, and in some cases, limit their enforcement.
The changes at Transportation are an outgrowth of a broader effort by President Biden to reverse Trump’s executive orders directing federal agencies to sharply limit their regulatory reach. Embodying the now-removed Trump orders was one that instructed department officials to find two regulations to eliminate for every one they imposed. Continue reading.