Social Security and Medicare Cuts Are Coming, Whether Politicians Do It or Not
As legislators refuse to act, benefits will be cut without any possibility of sheltering those seniors who are poor.
Entitlements
U.S. Will Add $18.8 Trillion in New Debt by 2033
Plus: Age verification for social media, a bill to ban cannabis "gatherings," and more...
3 Reasons To Abolish Social Security Now!
The old-age entitlement is unsustainable, unfair, and unnecessary. Replace it with something that helps the needy of any age.
Under No Circumstances Did Joe Biden Save Social Security
Plus: a listener question on prohibition and a lightning round on the editors' favorite Super Bowl moments
The Fight Over the Debt Ceiling Is Just Beginning
Legislators will increasingly argue over how to spend a diminishing discretionary budget while overall spending simultaneously explodes.
The State of Our Union Sucks
The bipartisan (if shouty!) embrace of big-government nationalism ensures our populist moment won't end any time soon.
Mike Pompeo Says He 'Grew Up Libertarian'
These days, he may run for president. His politics have changed.
Social Security Is on the Brink of Collapse. The GOP Won't Touch It.
In 1950, there were more than 16 workers for every beneficiary. In 2035, that ratio will be only 2.3 workers per retiree.
Donald Trump and J.D. Vance Say No Cuts for Social Security. That's Impossible.
Social Security benefits will be cut automatically in less than a decade unless Congress shores up the program before it hits insolvency. Ignoring that is not a solution.
The GOP's Current Plan To Cut Spending Is a Political Failure
Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are still the chief drivers of our future debt. But Republicans aren't touching them.
Biden and Journalists Agree: Republicans Would Deliberately 'Crash' the Economy
But…does that make any sense?
The Student Loan Forgiveness Fiasco
Plus: Spider study sheds light on how misinformation spreads, Airbnb regulation ruled unconstitutional, and more...
Biden Brags About Falling Deficits, but the Federal Fiscal Situation Is Still 'Unsustainable'
Under current policies, Social Security and Medicare will consume 85 percent of all federal tax revenue by 2050.
Medicare Is About To Run Out of Money. Democrats Want To Make the Program Cost Even More.
The federal health care program is on track for a trust fund shortfall in just five years. But instead of paying for the program that exists, Democrats want to expand it.
How 9/11 Actually Changed Everything
Plus, why is no one talking about the Medicare Trustees' entitlement report?
Social Security Will Be Insolvent in 12 Years
Without policy changes, beneficiaries will receive only 78 percent of what was promised starting in 2034.
Key Medicare Fund Will Be Insolvent in Just Five Years
The health program won't be able to pay all of its bills starting in 2026, according to a new Trustees report.
Democrats Plot Huge New Federal Health Program as Part of $3.5 Trillion Budget Plan
Plus: Steven Horwitz's economic theories, Hawaii cops sued over fatal shooting, and more...
Magical Thinking Abounds in New Budget Deal Discourse
Plus: The growing trust gap, pandemic-low unemployment numbers, and more...
America's Debt Will be Twice the Size of the Economy by 2050
The Congressional Budget Office warns that higher levels of debt will slow economic growth significantly in the years ahead.
Let Healthy Young Americans Go To College and Work
Younger people aren't immune to the coronavirus but they are less likely to die or be hospitalized because of it. Let them choose their own risk.
Social Security Will Be Insolvent Even Sooner Than Expected, Thanks to COVID-19 Pandemic
A new report from the Social Security Administration expects the program to hit insolvency by 2035. Some experts say it could happen as soon as 2028 if there is a serious recession.
The Not-So-Great Society
Historian Amity Shlaes on the good intentions and bad results of LBJ's war on poverty
The Failure of LBJ's Great Society and What It Means for the 21st Century
Historian Amity Shlaes talks about the last time a president massively expanded the federal government to help people.
Why LBJ's Great Society Flopped—and What It Means for the 2020 Election
Amity Shlaes's new history of the late 1960s explains the failure of the last time the federal government tried to fix all that was wrong with America.
Was 2019 the Year of Peak Entitlement Mentality?
Federal budget deficits continue to grow despite a thriving economy
America's Forgotten Debt
Neither party is serious about reining in spending. This is unsustainable.
There's No Such Thing as 'Free Money' or Meaningless Deficits
As debt soars, federal payments to service the debt will crowd out the government's core spending responsibilities.
Man, This CBO Report About 'Unprecedented' Debt Levels Is a Bummer
The national debt will hit 140 percent of GDP before the end of the 2040s, and that's the optimistic scenario.
Deficit Politics May Have Gone Away, but Debt and Deficits Are Worse Than Ever
The federal budget situation used to be an emergency. What happened?
Mick Mulvaney Turns His Back on Fiscal Responsibility
"Show me the majority for cutting spending," he says.
Social Security's Real Problem? Not Money, but Time.
When the program becomes insolvent in the 2030s, the inevitable cuts will hit today's workers and retirees.
Social Security Will Be Insolvent in 16 Years
So we're probably only 15 years away from Congress deciding that's a big enough crisis to do something about it.
Are Food-Stamp Receipts Beyond the Reach of FOIA? Supreme Court Hears Arguments Today
Plus: Violence in Sri Lanka leads to social media suppression, and the White House wants to make it harder for pretrial diversion participants to get government jobs.
A Mild-Mannered Radical
Former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels' totally insane, very practical ideas about how to fix college debt, reform entitlements, and redefine social justice
National Debt Hits a New Record High: $22 Trillion
A new record, but one that won't stand for long.
What Was Missing From Trump's State of the Union? America's $1 Trillion Deficit
Or the $22 trillion (and counting) national debt. Or the entitlement programs that will continue adding to them.
Congress Just Passed a Farm Bill That Legalizes Industrial Hemp. Other Than That, It's a Disaster.
The House Freedom Caucus calls it "a sprawling, cronyist agriculture bill."
We Are So Unprepared for the Coming Budgepocalypse: Podcast
You have come to the right place for CBO death porn.
'We've Never Had Deficits Like This During Peace and Prosperity Before'
Brian Riedl has a plan to stabilize the national debt at 95 percent of GDP. He says trying it might be political suicide, but the alternative is much worse.
Think Your State Is Fiscally Sound? Think Again
It's time to find out how deep in the red our country is.
Flirting With Presidential Run, Former Starbucks CEO Says America Needs to Address National Debt
"There's no for-profit business in the world that could sustain itself or survive with $20 trillion in debt," says Howard Schultz. "It's just not responsible."
USDA's 'Harvest Box' Food-Shipping Proposal Is Truly Absurd
Poor people are likely to make better food choices for themselves than the government.
Trump's Food Stamp Overhaul Sounds Like a Boondoggle Waiting to Happen
And, weirdly, grocery store cronyism might be the thing that stops it.