Congress Is Still Using 'Emergency Spending' on Non-Emergencies
Since Congress won't cut spending, an independent commission may be the only way to rein in the debt.
Defense Spending
5 Dissenters in the House
Plus: DeSantis' awkward pot situation, San Francisco's "overpaid executive" tax, and more…
Hunter Biden Gets Caught in America's Double War on Drugs and Guns
Plus: A listener asks for the editors’ advice on how to spend his money.
Don't Let the Government-Shutdown Charade Distract You From the Debt Crisis
America’s biggest fiscal challenge lies in the unchecked growth of federal health care and old-age entitlement programs.
Politicians Continue To Make a Mockery of 'Emergency Spending'
Legislators abuse the emergency label to push through spending that would otherwise violate budget constraints.
Ukraine's Sluggish Counteroffensive Raises Questions About U.S. Support
Should the U.S. continue to bankroll the counteroffensive?
Is the Budget Process Broken, or Is Congress Just Refusing To Do Its Job?
Since Congress designed and implemented the last budget process in 1974, only on four occasions have all of the appropriations bills for discretionary spending been passed on time.
When Our Weapons Go Missing
Washington is doing a poor job of monitoring whether the weapons it sends to Ukraine are ending up in the right hands.
Cluster Bombs Aren't the Only Weapons That Kill People After a War Is Over
Progressive Democrats' opposition to sending cluster bombs to Ukraine is welcome. Their arguments apply to much of the military aid the U.S. is sending the country.
The Debt Ceiling Deal Does Not Go Nearly Far Enough
Projections of huge savings are making the rounds. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Senators Want To Declare Fentanyl a National Security Threat
Plus: SCOTUS won't hear Reddit sex trafficking case, debt deal would increase spending on SNAP benefits, and more...
Debt Ceiling Bill 'Locks in the Inflated Spending Levels of Recent Years'
Plus: Artificial intelligence and jobs, how government caused a lifeguard shortage, and more...
Debt Ceiling Deal Curtails GOP-Backed Budget Cuts, Spending Caps
The deal will freeze non-military discretionary spending this year and allow a 1 percent increase in 2024.
Did the Pentagon Just Make a $3 Billion Accounting Error—or Did It Do Something Even Worse?
The Pentagon’s “accounting error” will allow President Joe Biden to send an extra $3 billion in military aid to Ukraine without congressional approval. Was this deliberate?
Debate: The U.S. Should Increase Funding for the Defense of Ukraine
Does Ukraine face an existential risk? Does it matter?
To Balance the Budget, Republicans Must Cut Military Spending, Trim Entitlements, or Raise Taxes
If Republicans refuse to gore their three sacred cows, a new CBO report shows that balancing the budget is literally impossible.
During Surprise Trip to Kyiv, Biden Promises Endless Support for Ukraine War
Plus: The National Endowment for Democracy ends funding of conservative media blacklist, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear major internet free speech case, and more...
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...
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.
Mike Pompeo Says He 'Grew Up Libertarian'
These days, he may run for president. His politics have changed.
By Shooting Down Balloon, the Expensive, Useless F-22 Fighter Finally Won a Dogfight
After $67 billion and more than 20 years, the F-22 finally won a dogfight against an unarmed, nearly immobile opponent.
Are We Making Any Progress on Police Brutality?
Plus: The editors consider the ongoing debt ceiling drama and answer a listener question about ending the war on drugs.
If Republicans Want To Cut Spending, They Should Start With the Pentagon
Sen. Rand Paul says Republicans "have to give up the sacred cow" of military spending in order to make a deal that will address the debt ceiling and balance the budget.
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.
Pentagon Can't Account for $220 Billion of Gear Given to Contractors
The actual total is probably higher according to the Government Accountability Office's new report.
Will We Get Private Flying Cars Before the Pentagon Manages To Get This New Jet Off the Ground?
A Swedish company will soon be delivering electric single-person aircraft that can take off and land vertically, which the F-35B struggles with despite billions in funding.
The GOP Split on Ukraine Aid Isn't Really About Ukraine
For most aid critics, the urge to cut off Kyiv appears unconnected to any sort of principled realism, non-interventionism, or even isolationism.
This Military Spending Bill Will Make Puerto Rico's Next Hurricane Disaster Even Worse
The maritime industry inserted some protectionism into the National Defense Authorization Act.
Why Does Funding Government Take $1.7 Trillion and 4,000 Pages?
Plus: Title 42 order termination is on hold, the FTC vs. Meta, and more...
The Annual, Depressing 'Do Your Job Week' in Congress
Plus: The editors extend the discussion on the lack of immigration reform in this week’s bill.
Biden Is Set To Sign $858 Billion Pentagon Budget—One of the Biggest Ever
Plus: North Carolina strikes down voter ID law, more turmoil at Twitter, and more...
The Space Force Is an Expensive Farce
Why does the newest branch of the U.S. military need horses?
Air Force One Cost Overruns Are a Reminder of How Expensive an Imperial Presidency Can Be
Boeing reports that the two new presidential shuttles its building will now be $2 billion over budget.
Jon Stewart Accuses GOP of 'Cruelty' for Wanting Minor Amendments to Pricey Veterans' Bill
Senate Republicans have raised reasonable objections that legislation covering veterans' health conditions linked to toxic burn pits will allow for more spending on unrelated items.
The Army Thinks Printers Cost Over $1 Million
Poor accounting practices mean the Department of Defense can't even tell how much money or equipment it has lost.
Biden Says the Deficit Is Falling. Actually, It's Rising.
Under Biden, Trump, and Obama, government federal spending almost doubled.
Burn Pit Bill Creates Massive, Debt-Fueled Backdoor Expansion of the V.A. Health Care System
Iraq and Afghanistan veterans wouldn't have to show any link between their service and a long list of medical conditions to obtain government-funded healthcare.
The World Is Back on a War Footing and We'll All Pay the Price
Mourn the end of a too-brief interlude of relative peace and prosperity.
The $1.7 Trillion F-35 Fighter Jet Program Is About To Get More Expensive
GAO: Congress has been buying planes that lack crucial parts and haven't undergone full testing, so costly upgrades will eventually be needed.
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.
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.
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.
Congress Spends More on Defense Than the Next 10 Countries Combined
We can't afford to keep funding defense contractors' cost overruns.
House Votes To Make Your Daughters Eligible for the Military Draft
With minimal debate, Selective Service was doubled in a "must-pass" $778 billion defense bill.
On Memorial Day, Remember Skepticism Toward a Large, Standing Military
Thank the troops, but question the uses to which they’re put.
Does America Need To Be Involved in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict?
Neither side needs military aid funded by U.S. taxpayers.
The U.S.-China Relationship Doesn't Have To Be 'Increasingly Adversarial'
Many U.S. complaints about China aren’t about actions that threaten U.S. security.
