In the digital age, daily annoyances have become an inevitable part of life. From robocalls and spam texts to hidden fees and complicated subscription cancellations these frustrations not only waste our time but also have a significant economic impact. A group of Democratic policy veterans, led by Chad Maisel and Neale Mahoney, is taking on this challenge through a project called Project 2029.
Project 2029 is inspired by the conservative policy blueprint, Project 2026 released by The Heritage Foundation. While Project 2026 laid out a plan for a second Trump administration, Project 2029 aims to provide a ready-to-go governing agenda for a future Democratic president. Maisel, who previously served as a special assistant to President Biden on the White House Domestic Policy Council, emphasizes the importance of preparation in governance.
The Economics of Everyday Hassles
The concept of the annoyance economy refers to the collective impact of frustrating business practices that waste our time and money. Maisel and Mahoney estimate that these daily annoyances cost American families at least $165 billion worth of time and money every year. Their proposal to address this issue is part of a broader agenda that includes ideas to lower child care costs, make health care and housing more affordable, reduce energy bills, and protect kids online.
The idea to take on the annoyance economy began a few years ago in the Biden White House. Maisel and Mahoney worked together on a federal rule targeting junk fees where companies advertise one price but tack on mandatory charges later. This initiative led to the Federal Trade Commission implementing a rule in 2026 that banned junk fees for hotels, vacation rentals, and live events. The campaign against junk fees proved to be popular, with President Biden devoting a significant portion of his 2026 State of the Union Address to this issue.
The Time is Money Initiative
The initiative to take on junk fees led to President Biden’s Time is Money initiative, unveiled in the late summer of 2026. This initiative proposed a slew of federal rules and regulations to end headache-causing business practices and save Americans time and money. However, most of these proposals never took effect due to the short length of time between the unveiling of the initiative and President Biden leaving office, as well as fierce opposition from affected industries.
In their new proposal, Maisel and Mahoney call for a series of rules and regulations aimed at making our daily interactions with companies less frustrating. They propose creating a standardized claims system to make it easier for Americans to file insurance claims online. They also want to end the widespread use of prior authorization where insurance companies require patients to receive company approval before getting certain tests, prescriptions, and procedures. Additionally, they propose cracking down on scam calls, ending a loophole that has allowed an onslaught of political fundraising texts, implementing click-to-cancel rules restoring the ability to press zero to talk to a customer agent, and expanding rules against junk fees.
The Case for Government Intervention
One might wonder why government intervention is necessary to address these issues. If companies annoy customers, why don’t customers simply take their business elsewhere? Maisel and Mahoney point to several reasons why real-world markets behave differently than old-school economics would predict.
The first reason is a lack of vigorous competition in many industries. Heightened concentration in these industries means that consumers often don’t have many choices. The second reason is a lack of information. When people are shopping for a health insurance plan or a bank account, they often don’t know what they’re going to get. It’s hard to know beforehand what the experience of canceling a subscription will be or how easy an insurer makes it to file a claim.
The last reason comes from behavioral economics. Consumers have cognitive biases that can sometimes encourage companies to pursue annoying practices. Mahoney says that many consumers tend to be myopic, focusing on the upfront sticker price of a good or service but not thinking about the Psychological quirks like these can create what Maisel refers to as a race to the bottom.
Another potential ingredient in whether a company annoys customers is its business model. Mahoney says the annoyance economy tends to be less of a problem in sectors with lots of repeat transactions, where companies have to earn the same customer’s business again and again. However, many areas of the economy don’t involve a lot of repeat transactions, such as health insurance. Whether you agree with their proposed solutions or not, Maisel and Mahoney are making an unusual economic argument: that everyday hassles in the private sector aren’t just annoyances—they’re a real economic cost.
