White House racing to finish new regs

Time is running out on President Obama’s regulatory agenda.

President Obama is expected to unveil a flurry of controversial regulations in the waning moments of his administration, The Wall Street Journal reported. 

{mosads}These regulations would add to the 392 major rules the White House already finalized before the beginning of this year, according to a study by the Regulatory Studies Center at George Washington University.

But the Obama administration faces a glaring deadline: If it doesn’t act soon, and Republicans win the White House, they could roll back any major rules that are finalized toward the end of the year.

In recent weeks, the administration has unveiled a handful of environment, finance, and labor regulations.

The Labor Department issued final rules for retirement investment advisers and protections for construction and manufacturing workers from exposure to silica dust.

But the Labor Department has at least one more high-profile regulation in the pipeline: A plan to expand the number of employees who qualify for overtime pay.

The Treasury Department this week announced a new effort to push back against “corporate inversions,” in which U.S. companies will merge with foreign companies and move their headquarters overseas on paper, but maintain most of their operations here.

The Treasury is looking to crack down on the tax benefits provided to companies that pursue corporate inversions.

The Food and Drug Administration is also expected soon to come out with new sugar labeling rules.

These are just a few of the many rules that regulatory experts believe could be rushed through the pipeline in the coming months.