A new Biden effort at consumer protections

This looks great, but whether it can survive opposition, especially from right-wing federal "judges," is another matter. Well worth pushing hard for, in any case.

The Biden administration has launched a sweeping consumer protection campaign titled “Time Is Money,” targeting corporate practices that exploit consumers through deliberately poor customer service, hard-to-cancel services, and other manipulative tactics. This initiative is part of a broader effort by the administration to hold corporations accountable and protect consumers from unfair business practices.

The “Time Is Money” initiative is the latest in a series of consumer protection efforts under President Joe Biden’s administration. The White House has made it clear that improving customer experience and protecting consumers from corporate exploitation are key priorities. This campaign builds on previous initiatives, including a 2021 executive order aimed at streamlining federal services and recent efforts to crack down on junk fees.

Neera Tanden, the White House domestic policy adviser, emphasized the administration’s commitment to these issues, stating, “The administration is cracking down on all the ways that companies—through paperwork, hold times, and general aggravation—waste people’s money, waste people’s time.” - Nation of Change

How badly might the new NAFTA screw things up?

This is a comprehensive analysis.

Unfortunately, the now-paused trade negotiations with the U.K. and Kenya started from the flawed new NAFTA/TPP template. Tai and the Biden administration are right to pause and review these negotiations and should consult with civil society before developing an entirely new template for trade negotiations. In addition to the “worker-centric” approach that Tai has outlined, a new model must incorporate important principles that President Biden articulated in his Jan. 20, 2021 executive order on modernizing regulatory review.

Biden’s order has been called “game-changing” because instead of focusing review of regulations primarily to reduce business costs it calls for promoting “public health and safety, economic growth, social welfare, racial justice, environmental stewardship, human dignity, equity and the interests of future generations.” In a significant about-face, Biden’s regulatory reform order tasks the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) — which has been a primary force for deregulation and a roadblock to lifesaving regulations for decades — with proactively encouraging agencies to develop rules that benefit the public.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) should be a first stop on this regulatory review train. The new NAFTA is out of step with the Biden administration’s expressed priorities and cannot be the model for future agreements. Instead of promoting the interests of future generations, racial justice and environmental stewardship, the new NAFTA’s so-called “good regulatory practices” chapter increases opportunities for corporate meddling to slow down, weaken and roll back protective standards. Provisions throughout call for regulatory impact statements, cost-benefit analysis, a rush to market without safety studies, limited labeling of hazards and harmonization of standards with those of other countries or weak corporate-influenced international standards. While the text includes lip service to the importance of public interest regulations, the new NAFTA includes multiple deregulatory provisions that instead fuel a race to the bottom. - IATP