In the wake of Trump’s unprecedented surge in executive orders during his second term, a senior fellow from the Competitive Enterprise Institute commented to Fox News Digital that the concentration of power in the executive branch enables a sweeping presidential agenda, effectively bypassing legislative oversight. This commentary, while framed as an analysis of administrative efficiency, implicitly endorses the centralization of authority—a trend that raises concerns among anti-fascist and democratic advocates.

CEI President Kent Lassman and labor policy expert Sean Higgins provided an analysis supporting President Trump’s executive order to end collective bargaining for public sector unions in certain national security agencies. They argued that union involvement in both bargaining and political arenas undermines effective government management, citing concerns over dual roles in negotiations.

CEI regulatory experts praised President Trump’s executive order mandating federal agencies to identify and report unlawful regulations, framing it as a necessary step toward transparency and deregulation. However, senior analysts noted that without strict regulatory reduction goals and enforcement mechanisms, the initiative risks undermining critical worker and community protections.

On January 14, 2025, the Competitive Enterprise Institute published a policy piece titled 'Free to Prosper: Labor and Employment' advocating for legislative reforms such as the Employee Rights Act and amendments to the Fair Labor Standards Act. The proposals emphasize increased labor market flexibility, including facilitating freelancer status and restructuring union representation protocols, which critics argue could weaken traditional union power and undermine collective worker rights.

On October 1, 2024, Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) released an analysis on the union strike at East and Gulf Coast ports, arguing that the union’s staunch opposition to modernization and automation threatens the efficiency of U.S. ports and could lead to a prolonged supply chain crisis. The analysis suggests that unions should moderate their demands rather than resist technological progress, a stance that undermines worker solidarity and protection.

On October 1, 2024, a CEI Research Fellow, Sean Higgins, analyzed an ongoing union strike at East and Gulf Coast ports, arguing that the union’s opposition to automation is the key reason behind port inefficiencies that may trigger a supply chain crisis. The analysis suggests that the Biden administration should delay intervention, implicitly dismissing the union's concerns and framing modernization as paramount over workers' rights.

The Competitive Enterprise Institute published a blog post promoting the Employee Rights Act (ERA), which aims to reform the National Labor Relations Act by instituting secret-ballot union elections, an opt-in requirement for union dues spent on political activities, and periodic union recertification elections to enhance worker choice.

Competitive Enterprise Institute published an op-ed arguing that strict AI regulations could inadvertently empower authoritarian regimes by stifling innovation among established tech companies. The article warns that excessive regulation might hand over control of critical technology to repressive actors, thereby undermining democratic oversight and protections for marginalized communities.

On April 5, 2023, the Competitive Enterprise Institute joined a coalition by signing a letter urging support for H.R. 2700, the Employee Rights Act. The legislation seeks to modernize labor laws by enhancing worker protections such as secret ballot elections, safeguarding employee privacy, and clarifying the definitions between employees and independent contractors.

Competitive Enterprise Institute, as the sponsor of the blog hosting this piece, is a member of the StopWatching.us coalition that is organizing a rally in Washington, D.C. on October 26 to protest suspicionless NSA mass surveillance programs.

The Competitive Enterprise Institute published an article titled 'Escalation of Surveillance Threatens Right to Anonymity' in which it criticizes expanding government surveillance measures and the merging of corporate and government powers that threaten individual anonymity and free expression. The article specifically discusses pressures on tech companies, increased tracking, and other regressive regulatory measures, framing them as encroachments on civil liberties.