What the Southwest Meltdown Means for Airline Policy
Re-regulating the airline industry won’t help prevent massive service disruptions in the future.
Bailouts
Politicians Who Supported $54 Billion in Airline Bailouts Now Pose as Industry Critics
Political criticism of Southwest's mass flight cancelations mask a cronyist relationship between government and the passenger airline industry.
Great Moments in Unintended Consequences: Antwerp Siege, Hearth Taxes, Cash for Clunkers (Vol. 9)
Good intentions, bad results.
No, PPP Doesn't Justify Biden's Student Loan Bailout
The proper response to one failed bailout is not another bailout of a different group.
The Disappearing Differences Between Republicans and Democrats on Federal Family Spending
Many conservatives no longer appear to care much for fiscal conservatism.
After a $54 Billion Airline Bailout, Elizabeth Warren Thinks She Gets To Make the Rules
More airline workers and more flights—not bailouts and restrictions on mergers—is the better policy.
Biden Celebrates $90 Billion Bailout of Private Union Pension Plans
Plus: Don't cry for the failure of Homeland Security's disinformation board, states discover supply-side solutions to labor shortages, and more...
Federal COVID Aid to States and Localities Cost $855,000 Per Job Saved
A new paper reveals that the state and local bailout was not only unnecessary but incredibly wasteful.
The American Rescue Plan Bailed Out Unprofitable Government-Owned Golf Courses
Perhaps the government shouldn't be running golf courses in the first place?
Government Employees Got $872 Million in Bonuses Out of COVID Aid Cash
The federal bailout of state and local governments padded the paychecks of many public employees.
The Restaurant Industry Doesn't Need Another Bailout
The Restaurant Revitalization Fund Replenishment Act would give restaurants another $42 billion in grants to cover the lingering costs of the pandemic.
Great Moments in Unintended Consequences: Driving Days, Boat Taxes, Ghost Flights (Vol. 6)
Good intentions, bad results
Congress Wants Taxpayers To Bail Out the Postal Service
The House passed the bill this week with little fanfare and broad bipartisan support.
State Governments Didn't Need Coronavirus Bailouts. They Got Billions of Dollars Anyway.
As it turns out, state and local tax revenues hardly collapsed.
Broadway Hit Hamilton Could Get Up to $50 Million Federal Bailout
It must be nice to have Washington's pile of taxpayer cash on your side.
The $1.9 Trillion American Recovery Act Could Have Huge Implications for State Tax Policies
Six different states are already suing over a broad prohibition on tax cuts that was slipped into March's $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill.
An $86 Billion Moral Hazard
Nestled in the $1.9 trillion emergency spending bill passed in March was a bailout for unions' private pension funds.
Biden's 'Rescue Plan' Will Sic the IRS on Anyone Who Earns $600 in the Gig Economy
What does this have to do with the pandemic? Nothing.
Federal COVID-19 Bailout Prohibits States From Cutting Taxes
The measure could also make it illegal for states to create new tax credit programs, such as those used for expanding school choice.
The 'COVID Relief Bill' Is Mostly an Expensive Bundle of Politically Motivated Giveaways
The Senate is preparing to pass a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill that has very little to do with the pandemic, and we all know it. Congress should admit as much.
$75 Billion in Band-Aids Won't Cure Ailing Airlines
Airlines keep claiming they need a second bailout to bring back 35,000 furloughed employees. Don't buy their argument.
The Head of D.C.'s Long-Troubled Metro System Says Another Federal Bailout Is Needed To Stave Off Apocalyptic Service Cuts
D.C.'s public transit agency has already received close to $1 billion in federal coronavirus relief funds.
$75 Billion in Band-Aids Won't Cure Ailing Airlines
The grants and loans Congress has approved for the airline industry aren't about saving jobs.
As Airlines Begin Layoffs, Nancy Pelosi Promises Bailout
House Democrats are working to extend another round of emergency aid to airlines in a stand-alone bill after the passage of a larger coronavirus relief package stalled in the Senate.
Federal Payments to Farmers Have Tripled Since 2017, and Trump Just Promised Even More
Trump's farm bailouts have cost taxpayers more than $28 billion already, and he just announced another $14 billion in payments as part of his reelection pitch to farm-heavy states.
A Second Round of Airline Bailouts Would be Bad for the Industry and Consumers
Passenger airlines are demanding another $25 billion in taxpayer support to prevent mass layoffs.
Airlines Are Asking for a Second Bailout. Congress Should Say No.
The federal government has already made $32 billion available to distressed airlines. The industry wants another $25 billion.
A Coronavirus Bailout Won't Save (or Fix) the USPS
The postal service stands to lose $13 billion this year. But this is an ongoing trend, not a new problem created by the coronavirus pandemic.
The COVID-19 Pandemic Is Crushing State Budgets. A Federal Bailout Is Still a Bad Idea.
There is no state that will weather the COVID-19 pandemic without making difficult decisions. But the revenue hit will be less severe in places that were being thrifty and vigilant.
Don't Bail Out Bars, Let Them Reopen
So long as governments view lockdowns as their primary tool for combating COVID-19, they are in effect sentencing bars and other shuttered businesses to a likely death.
The Paycheck Protection Program Is a Mess. Here's Who Is Benefitting From the Dysfunction.
A program designed to keep workers on payrolls showered benefits on lobbyists, advocacy groups, and even members of Congress.
The U.S. Postal Service 'Unsustainable,' Says GAO. And That Was Before COVID-19 Hit.
The USPS has lost $78 billion since 2007, but could lose as much as $13 billion this year as the pandemic has crushed mail volume.
United Airlines Received $5 Billion From Taxpayers to Protect Employees' Paychecks. Now It's Cutting Hours for 15,000 Workers.
Lawmakers who voted for the $50 billion bailout of the airline industry are just shocked at these companies' behavior.
Did the $50 Billion Coronavirus Bailouts Effectively Nationalize America's Commercial Airlines?
The CARES Act gives the federal government the power to take large ownership stakes in the airlines and dictate much of their operations.
Remy: Savage (Megan Thee Stallion Coronavirus Bailout Parody)
The last time we sent this much money to the Kennedy Center, it was for a pair of Hamilton tickets.
The Federal Government Is Spending $60 Billion To Keep Mostly Empty Commercial Planes Flying Over the U.S.
Pending minimum service rules would require airlines to keep operating a certain number of flights, regardless of how little demand there is for air travel.
How Much Is $2.3 Trillion? More Than Even Obama Could Imagine
The CARES Act plunges the nation into a crash course on experimental economics.—and we're the lab rats.
Most Politicians Are Disingenuous Opportunists. The Coronavirus Outbreak Only Makes That More Obvious.
Politicians are merely using COVID-19 to push for policies they already wanted.
Last Week, the Public Transit Industry Asked for $12.8 Billion in Emergency Funding. The Senate GOP Relief Bill Gives Transit $20 Billion. House Dems Want $25 Billion.
The public transit bailout is spiraling out of control.
Republicans' New $1 Trillion Stimulus: Keep the Corporate Bailouts, Limit Checks for All
The new plan seeks to help an economy decimated by the coronavirus.
Public Transit Advocates Ask for $12.8 Billion Bailout To Cope With 75 Percent Revenue Drop Related to Coronavirus
Public transit was already in decline before the COVID-19 outbreak. Now transit agencies are teetering on the brink of collapse.
$1 Trillion Coronavirus Stimulus Unveiled: Corporate Bailouts and Loans, Checks for All
The package seeks to curb the economic chaos caused by COVID-19.
Biden Promises 'Major, Major, Major Bailouts' in Response to Coronavirus
Not to be outdone, Bernie Sanders promises that every single American will "be made whole" despite economic losses due to the outbreak. That's totally impossible.
Trump Administration Swears Proposed Hotel, Airline, Cruise Bailout Is Totally Not a Bailout
Actually, it's a bailout.
St. Louis Thought Hiring a Comedian Would Boost Trolley Ridership?!
It didn't, and now the Loop Trolley needs a $700,000 bailout to stay afloat.
