Regulatory Agenda Watch: Why It Matters

In the last 2 years, the Trump administration has published its Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions, usually referred to as the regulatory agenda, each fall and spring, listing the regulatory projects of the approximately 60 departments, agencies, and commissions of the federal government. The semiannual regulatory agenda has included many items that impact international student and scholar programs in the United States. NAFSA follows the agenda closely, provides updates on the Adviser’s Manual 360 web page and news feed, and submits comment letters on members’ behalf when agenda items are completed and published in the Federal Register, the daily journal for the U.S. government, for comment.

Likewise, international educators should continue to follow developments in the regulatory agenda and plan to submit public comments. It is imperative for the international education community to provide the administration with critical analysis of planned changes, describe burdens and likely impacts, and advocate against harmful changes while supporting any items that might facilitate international education.

Demystifying the Regulatory Agenda

The regulatory agenda briefly describes key regulatory and deregulatory actions that each federal agency is currently working on, anticipates working on, or has recently completed. The fall publication also includes a general “statement of priorities” from each agency.

The agenda is compiled by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRS) and the Regulatory Information Service Center (RISC) and published at reginfo.gov. The OIRS and RISC state that “a clear and accurate Agenda helps avoid unfair surprise and achieves greater predictability”