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.
Budget
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.
Ron DeSantis Wants $12 Million To Transport Migrants 'From Any Point' in the U.S.
The Florida governor wants to fund more migrant stunts, despite claiming that his budget will “keep more money in the pockets of Floridians.”
Review: Knock at the Cabin and To Leslie
Shyamalan’s latest twist and a most unexpected Oscar nom.
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.
Cutting Government Back to Last Year's Size Shouldn't Be 'Impossible' or 'Severe'
Taking stock of the utterly unserious fiscal policy discourse in Washington.
Whatever the Fate of the Fair Tax Act, Congress Should Still Abolish the IRS
Getting rid of the much-despised tax agency would be a good idea. It’s unlikely to happen anytime soon.
Congress and the Federal Reserve Could Be Setting Us Up for Economic Disaster
If lawmakers keep spending like they are, and if the Fed backs down from taming inflation, then the government may create a perfect storm.
Congress Can Reduce the Deficit by $7.7 Trillion in 10 Years
The Congressional Budget Office projects that future deficits will explode. But there's a way out.
A New FBI Building Would Cost Billions. Do We Even Need One?
Congress' end-of-the-year omnibus bill was delayed by arguments over where to build the new facility.
Subsidies To Help Workers Would Hurt Poor People
Some people would benefit. Others would lose money or be rendered unemployable.
Congress' Lame-Duck Legislators Want To Spend Money Like We're Still in a Pandemic
It's especially outrageous when considering the billions of dollars in fraud that took place thanks to COVID-19 relief programs.
Biden's Spending Spree Is Unprecedented
Instead of redirecting course, Biden is continuing Trump’s spending legacy.
A GOP-Led Congress May Focus on Owning the Libs. Instead, It Should Focus on Owning Inflation.
If the midterms favor Republicans, their top priority needs to be the fight against inflation—whether or not they feel like they created the problem.
The U.K.'s New 'Free Market' Prime Minister Is Fighting Inflation With Price Controls
This fiscal irresponsibility throws gasoline on the country's already raging inflation fire.
Biden Says the Deficit Is Falling. Actually, It's Rising.
Under Biden, Trump, and Obama, government federal spending almost doubled.
Gov. Newsom Proposes Eliminating One of California's Many Marijuana Taxes
The cultivation tax has driven up the cost of growing cannabis, fueling illegal operations and the state’s enormous black market.
The Defense Budget Keeps Ballooning To Fund Fleeting U.S. Primacy
The proposed defense budget reaches $813 billion, and politicians still can’t think critically about how to spend it.
Joe Biden Wants To Spend How Much? On What Now?
Plus: What is the libertarian stake in the culture war over school curriculums?
Biden Is Clueless About Inflation
The president's $5.8 trillion budget shows he wants more of the same government spending that is already sending prices through the roof.
Joe Manchin on Biden's Wealth Tax: 'You Can't Tax Something That's Not Earned.'
Joe Manchin keeps saying out loud the part that Joe Biden would rather keep quiet.
Biden Is Trying To Pass a Wealth Tax—Again. It Could Be Unconstitutional.
The president's new budget plan calls on Congress to tax wealthy Americans' unrealized capital gains.
Blame Biden for High Gas Prices
The president is running from his own hefty contributions to record gas prices and inflation.
More Defense Spending Does Not Equal More Safety
Congress continues to allocate funds to produce weapons that the Pentagon itself says it doesn't need.
Why Can't We Build Anything?
The issue has never been a lack of funds for infrastructure; it's that the money frequently ends up getting spent on something else via a highly politicized decision-making process.
Republicans Mull Shutting Down the Government Over Vaccine Mandate Funding
Plus: SCOTUS hears oral arguments in landmark abortion case, supply chain bottlenecks and labor shortages are holding back economic growth, and more...
No, the United States Has Not Always Paid Its Debts
There are five instances of the Treasury defaulting on the debt.
Inflation Will Make Government Budget Problems Worse
The cost of interest on the national debt will soon be a huge chunk of change.
The World's Richest Countries Want To Create a Competition-Crushing Global Tax Cartel
Hundreds of leaders have endorsed a 15 percent global minimum tax to quash countries with lower and simpler taxes.
Freedom, Responsibility, and Coronavirus Policy
Plus: The Reason Roundtable makes talking about taxes interesting.
How Democrats Could Hide $2 Trillion in New Spending With Budget Gimmicks
Legislating with budget gimmicks is shameful, timid, risky, and opportunistic. Mostly, though, it's really expensive.
Democrats Don't Have a Filibuster Problem. They Have a Joe Manchin Problem.
The problem isn’t the GOP or Senate rules. It’s that Democrats can’t agree amongst themselves.
Boris Johnson Taxes the Young To Pay for the Old
The highest tax burden in a generation confirms the Conservative Party has no interest in small government.
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.
The Democratic Dividing Line: Big Government…Or Even Bigger Government?
To spend a lot of money, or to spend a lot more money? That is the question.
The Pandemic Has Most Americans Paying No Federal Income Taxes
A minority of the population picking up the tab would be dangerous if the situation were to last.
A Jobs-Killing Civilian Climate Corps Is Not the Way To Fix Climate Change
Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have proposed the creation of a counterproductive $130 billion federal behemoth.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill Is a Sham
The Senate just passed a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill—and teed up another $3.5 trillion bill in the process.
Magical Thinking Abounds in New Budget Deal Discourse
Plus: The growing trust gap, pandemic-low unemployment numbers, and more...
Democrats' $3.5 Trillion Fully-Paid-for Spending Plan Probably Won't Be Fully Paid for
The spending proposal is likely to be offset by gimmicks and rosy assumptions.
Shaky Social Security Trust Fund May Run Out in 11 Years
Are you ready for 30 percent cuts in benefits to keep the program alive?
Biden's New Death Tax Hits the Middle Class While Excluding Certain Wealthy Investors
The American Families Plan hits individuals with identical net worths very differently.
Ohio Passes Controversial Conscience Clause for Doctors
Opposed by LGBT and pro-choice advocacy groups, the measure allows doctors to refuse to perform treatments on moral grounds
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill Shows That Republicans Love Big Government Just as Much as Democrats
We don't have a gridlock problem. We have a spending problem.
Government Pandemic Loans Plagued by Potential $260 Billion in Fraud
The hasty work behind the PPP and other relief loans shows the limits of big government.
The Budget Reconciliation Battle Is a Procedural Power Grab
By effectively casting aside the filibuster while technically leaving it in place, Democrats can maintain the pretense that they played by the rules.
Biden's Tax Plan Means 60 Percent of Taxpayers Will Pay More
And as many as 75 percent of middle income households face a tax increase under Biden's plan, even though the highest-earning households will pay the vast majority of the costs.