Musk's Department of Government Efficiency Can—and Should—Tackle Medicare and Social Security
Doing nothing will lead to Medicare benefits being cut by 11 percent and Social Security Benefits being cut by 23 percent in less than a decade.
Medicare
DOGE Can Succeed by Scaling Back Its Ambitions
The new advisory group promises bold savings and massive spending cuts, but without any expertise in the federal budget, it’s likely to be all bark and no bite.
Trump's First Term Wasn't Fiscally Responsible. Will His Second Be Different?
Even before the pandemic spending increase, the budget deficit was approaching $1 trillion. The GOP has the chance to embrace fiscal sanity this time if they can find the political will.
To Succeed at Cutting Government, Musk and Ramaswamy Must Take on Entitlements
When it comes to cutting waste, fraud, and abuse, what's lacking is not ideas but the political will to act on them.
Trump Has No Discernible Interest in Fiscal Responsibility
The president-elect’s record and campaign positions belie Elon Musk’s talk of spending cuts.
This Election Has Been Defined by Presidential Policy Pandering
From taxes to special loans to price gouging, the Trump and Harris campaigns have engaged in a race to see who can pander hardest.
Harris' 'Medicare at Home' Plan Would Fail To Make At-Home Care Affordable
Harris' plan to extend at-home care to Medicare recipients is yet another example of wasteful spending.
Kamalacare Is Just Bidencare
As with Biden, you can count on Harris to expand government programs.
Medicare-Covered Ozempic and Long-Term Care Would Be Very Pricey
Healthcare promises always come with high costs.
Reform Social Security for Those Who Need It Most
As it stands, the program effectively redistributes money from younger and poorer people to richer people.
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris Keep Making Economically Illiterate Promises
These policies may sound good on paper—but they would be disastrous in reality.
Chase Oliver on Budget Cuts, War, and Immigration
"Right now, we need to get ourselves at least to a balanced budget, and that involves cutting a lot of the third rails of American politics," the Libertarian presidential nominee tells Reason.
Don't Expect a Return to the Trump Economy
If the former president wins the 2024 race, the circumstances he would inherit are far more challenging, and several of his policy ideas are destructive.
Medicare and Medicaid Spend More on Native-Born Americans Than Immigrants
Despite anti-immigrant rhetoric, the foreign-born account for nearly 20 percent less public health spending than those born in America.
Trump and Harris' Economic Plans Are Depressingly Similar
Both campaigns represent variations on a theme of big, fiscally irresponsible, hyper-interventionist government.
The U.S. Can't Afford To Cut Taxes on Social Security Benefits
The campaign promise from Donald Trump sounds nice, but it would be disastrous when considering the program is already racing toward insolvency.
Chase Oliver: Q&A With the Controversial Libertarian Party Candidate
The 2024 Libertarian Party presidential candidate speaks out about the Israel-Hamas war, the authoritarian impulses of both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, and homophobia within his own party.
Lessons for the U.S. from Japan's Lost Decade
Facing an economic downturn in the 1990s, Japan racked up debt. America should not repeat that mistake.
The Real Economic Catastrophe Will Be Caused by the U.S. Debt
Should we blame Biden and the politicians applauding him for their unwillingness to address our looming fiscal disaster?
We Showed Trump Voters the National Debt
We asked delegates at the Republican National Convention whether a second Trump term would address America's debt problem.
Republicans Hammer Biden on Inflation. But Do They Have a Better Plan?
Opening night of the Republican National Convention programmed a central issue with a Trumpian twist: "Make America Wealthy Again."
The 2024 GOP Platform Promises To 'Make America Affordable Again.' So Why Are They Embracing Fiscal Insanity?
Although former President Donald Trump's deregulatory agenda would make some positive changes, it's simply not enough.
The National Debt Is Crossing an Ominous Line
The U.S. has successfully navigated past debt challenges, notably in the 1990s. Policymakers can fix this if they find the will to do so.
America Is in a Debt Crisis. Will Trump or Biden Address It at the Debate?
The candidate who grasps the gravity of this situation and proposes concrete steps to address it will demonstrate the leadership our nation now desperately needs. The stakes couldn't be higher.
'I Don't Support Mandates From Government': John Stossel Interviews Libertarian Presidential Nominee Chase Oliver
The candidate makes the case against the two-party system.
Eating Doritos While Drowning in Debt
Plus: A listener asks if there are any libertarian solutions to rising obesity rates.
The National Debt Is Now So High That Every American Essentially Owes $100,000
We could grow our way out of our debt burden if politicians would limit spending increases to just below America's average yearly economic growth. But they won't even do that.
Feds Arrest Telehealth Execs for Overprescribing Adderall
But will the government ever face repercussions for its role in the Adderall shortage?
The GOP Once Claimed To Be the Party of 'Fiscal Responsibility.' So Why Not Reform Social Security?
Reasonable options include gradually raising the minimum retirement age, adjusting benefits to reflect longer life expectancies, and implementing fair means-testing to ensure benefits flow where they're actually needed.
The Congressional Budget Office's Alternative Scenarios Forecast a Dire Economic Picture
Why aren't politicians on both sides more worried than they seem to be?
Social Security and Medicare Are Going Insolvent. Neither Biden nor Trump Has a Plan for It.
Social Security is expected to hit insolvency in 2035, while the portion of Medicare that pays for hospital visits and other medical care will be insolvent by 2036.
Say No to This: America's Fiscal Norms Are in Decline
Despite their informal nature, those norms have historically constrained U.S. fiscal policy. But they're eroding.
Biden and Trump Try To Wish Away the Looming Entitlement Crisis
Neither presidential candidate is willing to back the reforms necessary to close the gap between revenue and benefits.
A Bipartisan Tax Hike Won't Fix This Deficit
The government needs to cut back on spending—and on the promises to special interests that fuel the spending.
Brian Riedl: Who Bankrupted Us More—Trump or Biden?
"I'm concerned about a Trump-Biden rematch," argues Riedl. "You have two presidents with two of the worst fiscal records of the past 100 years."
Politicians Need To Stop Pretending the National Debt Is Sustainable
The reality raises questions about the kind of future we want to leave for the next generation.
On Economic Issues, the Populist Right and Left Share a Lot of Common Ground
That's bad news for Americans.
Here's One Way To Move Toward Responsible Government and Sane Fiscal Policy
The Copenhagen Consensus has long championed a cost-benefit approach for addressing the world's most critical environmental problems.
The U.S. Needs a Fiscal Commission Because Congress Won't Do Its Job
In the last 50 years, when the budget process has been in place, Congress has managed only four times to pass a budget on time.
87% of Americans Want Politicians To Do Something Before Social Security Runs Out of Money
Entitlement reform has long been considered a third rail in American politics, but that perspective might be changing.
The Real Scandal in Washington Is the Government's Reckless Spending
Those sounding the loudest alarms about possible shutdowns are largely silent when Congress ignores its own budgetary rules. All that seems to matter is that government is metaphorically funded.
The Case for Letting Medicare Bureaucrats Haggle With Drug Makers
Medicare's new price-setting process for drug purchases is better than its current one if the result is lower government spending.
How the Federal Budget Deficit Doubled in a Single Year
It's not the first time that has happened, but there are key differences about what happened this year.
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.
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.
The U.S. Credit Rating Just Dropped. It's Time for Radical Budget Reform.
The lack of oversight and the general absence of a long-term vision is creating inefficiency, waste, and red ink as far as the eye can see.
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.
