Economics
GDP Growth Is Good News—But Can It Continue During a Trade War?
The nation's GDP rose 4.1 percent in the second quarter, but those good numbers aren't likely to last.
'If We Didn't Trade,' Trump Argues, 'We'd Save a Hell of a Lot of Money'
The president's longstanding obsession with trade deficits reveals mercantilist instincts he cannot escape, no matter how much he talks about zero tariffs.
House Republicans Want Permanent Tax Cuts They Can't Pay For
GOP legislators released their "Tax Reform 2.0" proposal, which aims to make last year's tax cuts permanent, adding trillions to the $21 trillion debt.
Trump's Soybean 'Deal' With the E.U. Is Actually Pretty Insignificant
Europe already imports soybeans for free, and the European market isn't big enough to make up for China anyway.
Did We Just Dodge a Trade War With Europe?
It's too soon to call this a truce in the trade war. But we may have a temporary ceasefire.
Department of Veterans Affairs
The V.A. Has a New Boss, But Will He Fix the Agency's Problems?
New chief Robert Wilkie is in a position to tackle the agency's bureaucratic mismanagement. Will he?
Pipeline Company Hit With $40 Million Retroactive Tax After Applying for Tariff Exemption
Unsurprisingly, the bureaucratic, cronyist process for getting an exemption is not in fact protecting American steel jobs.
'Tariffs Are the Greatest,' Trump Proclaims, as White House Begins Subsidizing Farmers Harmed by Tariffs
Tariffs are so great that we have to create new government programs to compensate the victims of tariffs.
Andrew Cuomo Wants the State to Save a Failing Newspaper
After the struggling New York Daily News laid off about half of its staff yesterday, Gov. Cuomo offered to help.
More and More of What We Do Depends on Government Permission
The granting or withholding of that approval is a powerful lever over our lives.
Larry Kudlow Is Bad. So Is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Chartreuse Is Good: Podcast
The Reason Podcast crew covers deficits, tariffs, Russians, gender, and more.
Trump Claims That Trade War Only Risks 'The Bank's Money'
He's so, so wrong about that. But at least he's admitting a trade war won't be good or easy to win.
Can Bitcoin Become the Global Monetary Standard?
With its supply permanently capped at 21 million units, Satoshi Nakamoto's invention may turn out to be the best form of money ever conceived.
Trump Says He's Ready to Slap Tariffs on All Chinese Imports
All of them. $500 billion's worth.
Fed Chair: Cryptocurrency Investors Are 'Unsophisticated'
Chairman Jerome Powell says they are putting their money in risky, unbacked investments built on reckless speculation.
Trump Wants More Low Interest Rates From Federal Reserve but Isn't Getting Them
Trump worries that the Fed chief's predictable interest rate policy could impair the economic growth needed to make his tax policies viable.
Imported Cars Are Not a National Security Threat
Representatives of the auto industry are in Washington to deliver an obvious message to the oblivious Commerce Department.
Top White House Adviser Wrong About the Deficit, According to White House Report
Trump adviser Larry Kudlow says the tax law will bring the deficit down. An administration report shows that's not right.
Taxpayers Spent Nearly $250,000 on the Trump Sons' Business Trips
The costs incurred by the Secret Service to protect President Trump's two oldest sons is astounding.
Slavery Did Not Make America Rich
Ingenuity, not capital accumulation or exploitation, made cotton a little king.
Trump's Tariffs Injure Another American Business
Tariffs always divert resources toward government-favored firms and away from everyone else.
After Slapping Allies With Tariffs, U.S. Drags Allies to WTO to Complain About Tariffs
The United States has accused the victims of its tariffs of engaging in unfair and punitive measures with their retaliatory tariffs.
Whirlpool Took Tariffs for a Spin, Ended Up With Tumbling Sales
Tariffs let the government pick winners and losers-but sometimes even the winners get hung out to dry.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Says Unemployment Is Low 'Because Everyone Has Two Jobs,' Which Is Not How Unemployment Rates Work
"Capitalism has not always existed in the world and it will not always exist in the world."
Trump's Tariffs Are Going To Make Your Food More Expensive
Food prices are rising, and they're likely to soar even more
Hernando de Soto Knows How To Make the Third World Richer than the First
The Peruvian economist says blockchain technologies and social media will transform the planet by securing property rights.
McConnell Admits U.S. May Be in 'Early Stages' of Trade War
But will Congress act to rein in Trump?
Why a Democratic City Council Is Working With a Republican Congress To Overturn a Minimum Wage Bill
Restaurant workers and bartenders generally opposed the minimum wage ballot initiative, which passed despite their opposition.
Here's What You Could Buy With June's Federal Budget Deficit
Of course, June's deficit represents just a small fraction of our overall national debt.
Rep. Justin Amash Slams Republican Leadership for Meaningless Response to Trump Tariffs
Amash wondered why Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan even want to be leaders in Congress "if all they intend to do is outsource their jobs to the president."
Are Congressional Republicans Ready To Fight Trump's Tariff Madness?
Is Congress finally ready to get into the fight?
Deprived of Mandatory Dues, Public Sector Unions Come After Your Tax Dollars
After Janus ruling, state lawmaker in New York wants to include collective bargaining costs in state union contracts.
Trump Voters Stand by Their Man as He Wrecks Their Jobs
In Poplar Bluff, Missouri, support for Trump's tariffs is about tribalism more than anything else. That's dangerous and scary.
The Debt Clock Keeps Spinning
Federal debt now equals 78 percent of gross domestic product.
The Government's Economic Illogic Is on Display
Trump's tariffs are just part of the problem.
Will the Future Have No Work or Just Less Work?: Podcast
Economist Michael C. Munger argues the sharing economy is the next great economic revolution—and it's already underway.
Trump's Case for Tariffs Is Unraveling
Automakers, motorcycle manufacturers, the stock market, and even the White House's own analyses are telling Trump to change course.
Could Puerto Rico Be the Solution to Our Latest Immigration Fight?
The island's population has fallen dramatically even as Spanish speakers from other nations are desperate for a new home.
Utah Metalworking Company Cancels Expansion Plans Because Tariffs
The unseen costs of the Trump administration's bellicose trade policy matter too.
The President Shouldn't Act as an Arms Dealer to the Saudis
"The business of buying weapons that takes place in the Pentagon is a corrupt business."
Republican Governor Signs $15 Minimum Wage Bill in Terrible 'Grand Bargain'
The Republican governor of Massachusetts just made a deal to give away more freebies and keep taxes high.
Trump's Plan to Privatize the Post Office Deserves a Serious Look
The case for privatization is strong, but there are political hurdles.
3 Statistics That Will Make You Smarter and Happier
If you read Reason you already know these three pieces of good news about global trends.
All Over the World, People Love Bootleg Moonshine and Hate Taxes
If you don't want a black market in booze to develop, keep the tax man on a leash and regulators in check.
