Acting Attorney General Whitaker Announces Justice Department Rescission of 69 Guidance Documents

WASHINGTON –Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker today announced that, pursuant to President Trump’s Executive Order 13777 and the Department of Justice’s November 2017 memorandum ending the practice of regulation by guidance, the Department is rescinding 69 additional guidance documents that are unnecessary, outdated, inconsistent with existing law, or otherwise improper.

In making the announcement, Acting Attorney General Whitaker said:

“Under the Constitution, Congress writes our laws and the Executive Branch carries them out,” Acting Attorney General Whitaker said. “Congress has given us a specific process for implementing regulations, and we have to follow it. Unfortunately, not every previous Administration has done that, and some have overstepped their lawful authority by issuing guidance documents that impose new obligations on parties outside of the Executive Branch and go further than existing law allows. The Trump Administration has already rescinded dozens of guidance documents that were improper, outdated, unnecessary, or inconsistent with current law, and today we are rescinding dozens more. We will continue this effort to restore the rule of law and our constitutional order because this government is accountable to the American people.”

In March 2017, President Donald Trump issued Executive Order 13777, which calls for agencies to establish Regulatory Reform Task Forces, chaired by a Regulatory Reform Officer, to identify existing regulations for potential repeal, replacement, or modification. Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Jesse Panuccio chairs the Department of Justice Task Force, which is continuing its review of existing guidance documents that should be repealed, replaced, or modified.

 The Task Force identified 25 guidance documents for repeal in December 2017, 24 guidance documents for repeal in July 2018, and has identified 69 more documents to announce for repeal this month. 

The list of 69 total guidance documents that the Department of Justice is announcing withdrawal of today is as follows:

1. ATF Rev. Ruling 69-114.
2. ATF Ruling 77-25.
3. ATF Ruling 77-26.
4. ATF Ruling 75-30.
5. ATF Ruling 77-13.
6. ATF Ruling 80-22.
7. ATF Procedure 80-7.
8. ATF Ruling 80-23.
9. Open Letter to all FFLs dated Aug. 31, 2006.
10. Open Letter dated Aug. 22, 2001. 
11. Open Letter dated  Nov. 20, 2001.
12. Open Letter dated Nov. 4, 2008.
13. Open Letter to Washington FFLs dated Aug. 12, 2011.
14. 53 Open Letters dated February 1994.
15. Open Letter to all Federal Explosives Licensees and Permittees dated Feb. 12, 2003.  
16. Dear Colleague Letter on Nondiscriminatory Administration of School Discipline dated Jan. 8, 2014.
17. Overview of the Supportive School Discipline Initiative dated Jan. 8, 2014.