Congress Sanctions a Syrian Government That No Longer Exists
The Caesar Act was meant to punish Bashar Assad’s government. It’s now a serious obstacle to Syria’s reconstruction.
Congress
Even Without the Sex and Drug Allegations, Matt Gaetz's Nomination Should Have Been Doomed
The House Ethics Committee's findings, combined with Gaetz's lack of relevant experience, again raise the question of why Donald Trump picked him for attorney general.
Kay Granger, Like Joe Biden, Is a Symptom of America's Gerontocracy
The 81-year-old congresswoman has not voted since July, at which point she apparently moved into an eldercare facility.
Cancerous Politics
Plus: Taking gerontocracy to new heights, a real life Arc Reactor, Happy Festivus, and more...
Third Time's the Charm?
Plus: House Speaker Elon Musk, the value of the debt ceiling, and D.C.'s shut down specials.
The Spending Bill Would Fund Censorship
Republicans should not give any more money to the Global Engagement Center.
Disaster Spending
Plus: A failed return to regular order, COVID-era spending scandals, and yet another city tries to shut down a local church's homeless shelter.
Taxpayers Outside Maryland Shouldn't Pay To Rebuild a Toll Bridge Inside Maryland
Part of the 1,500-page spending bill Congress is expected to pass this week would obligate federal taxpayers to fund the Key Bridge replacement.
The SAFE SEX Workers Study Act, a Bill Aimed at Ultimately Repealing FOSTA, Is Back
The bill is meant as a first step toward repealing FOSTA, the 2018 law that amended Section 230 and criminalized hosting adult ads.
Holiday Spending Spree
Plus: More funding for the "disinformation" censors, more fines for cashless businesses, the link between pandemic shutdowns and murder rates, and more...
Social Security Is Deeply Unfair. The Social Security Fairness Act Won't Fix That.
What is paid out to Social Security beneficiaries is not a return on workers' investments. It's just a government expenditure, like any other.
Senate Tees Up $200 Billion Social Security Giveaway to Public Sector Workers
The Social Security Fairness Act will boost payouts to public sector workers who receive pensions and did not pay taxes to support Social Security.
The Return of the Women's Libbers
Plus: Israel in the Golan Heights, trouble in China's government, Whoopi Goldberg tries to explain health insurance, and more...
Federal Government Has 'Grown Too Big, Promised Too Much, Subsidized Too Many,' Warns Former GAO Boss
This week's House Budget Committee hearing showed bipartisan agreement about the seriousness of America's fiscal problems.
He Was Convicted of a Felony for Holding a Gun on the Sidewalk in Front of His House
Gabriel Metcalf argues that his prosecution under the Gun-Free School Zones Act violated his constitutional right to keep and bear arms.
When Deciding Whether To Investigate His Opponents, Trump Says, He Will Defer to 'Very Fair' Kash Patel
Trump's pick to run the FBI has a long list of enemies he plans to "come after," with the legal details to be determined later.
A Taxpocalypse of Rising Rates Is Coming For Americans if Congress Doesn't Act
Here's how expiring tax cuts could affect you.
Congress Is Fiscally Reckless. Will Lawmakers Step Up?
Trump is talking about cutting government spending, but that's mostly in Congress' hands.
Big City, Little Reforms
The final version of New York's "City of Yes" reforms makes modest liberalizing changes to the city's zoning code.
House Votes To Let Treasury Kill Politically Disfavored Nonprofits
Administrative power over financial matters is a dangerous weapon for bypassing due process.
The Last Chance To Curtail Trump's Tariff Powers?
Sen. Rand Paul's bill to require congressional consent for tariffs is getting new attention in the final weeks before Trump's return to power.
We Are Going To Learn More About Matt Gaetz's Sex Life Than We Wanted
Trump's pick for attorney general is manifestly unqualified for the job, even without considering the salacious details of the ethics charges against him.
Thomas Berry (Cato Institute) on Trump's Recess Appointment Plan
Berry explains why the plan is flawed on legal and other grounds.
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.
Democrats Are About to Rediscover the Value of the Filibuster
Rep. Pramila Jayapal perfectly demonstrates the shamelessness of those who support ending the filibuster.
Want To Lower the Political Temperature? Make the Presidency Less Important
Congress needs to reassert its powers and bring the imperial presidency back down to earth.
How Much Will Trump's Tariffs Cost?
Much of the detail remains to be worked out, but lawmakers and corporations are already preparing.
Central Planning Won Big on Election Night
The bipartisan embrace of industrial policy represents one of the most dangerous economic illusions of our time.
The House Is Democrats' Best Chance To Check Trump's Executive Powers
With control of the House still undecided, a Democratic majority could serve as the strongest check on Trump's worst impulses.
Nobody Trusts Congress, but Americans Keep Reelecting the Same People
Increasingly like-minded communities make incumbent lawmakers safer than ever.
This Libertarian Republican Is Running for Congress in Nevada
Drew Johnson wants to help define the post-Trump GOP.
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.
J.D. Vance Is Wrong: Congress Is Indeed 'a High-Class Debating Society'
While congressmen hold performative hearings to win political points, they delegate policymaking to the administrative.
A Pro-Immigrant Party Wouldn't Want To Revive the Failed Senate Border Bill
Tim Walz is wrong to insist that it would "keep our dignity about how we treat other people."
Congress Passes Bill Backing 'Self-Care' for People Pursuing Prostitution Stings
The IMPACTT Human Trafficking Act would provide outreach and training to Homeland Security Investigations staff.
Congress Fails the Budget Test, Again
Despite promises to pass orderly budgets, the House GOP is poised to approve yet another stopgap spending measure.
The Cutting Edge
Plus: The Federal Reserve cut interest rates, Congress still isn't cutting spending, and more....
Tim Scott Wants to Deregulate Manufactured Housing
Plus: An alleged slumlord gets a "tenant empowerment" grant, Seattle's affordable housing mandates lead to less housing, D.C.'s affordable housing crisis.
An Efficiency Commission Led by Elon Musk Would Be Good for the Government
The idea, proposed by former President Donald Trump, could curb waste and step in where our delinquent legislators are asleep on the job.
Take Two
Plus: The Senate wrestles with IVF funding, a dictator dies, and SpaceX passengers conduct the first-ever private spacewalk.
Should Airliners Be Forced To Fly Through War Zones?
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D–N.Y.) claims that airlines are engaging in discrimination and enabling price gouging by canceling flights to the Middle East without government permission.
These Democrats Want the FEC To Crack Down on Elon Musk's Grok
Seven congressional Democrats called on the FEC to stop deepfakes. But is there really much to worry about?
Censoring the Internet Won't Protect Kids
Sen. Rand Paul makes the case against the Kids Online Safety Act.
Mike Pence's Sensible (and Probably Doomed) Plan To Fix the National Debt
Lawmakers must be willing to reform so-called "mandatory spending," Pence's nonprofit argues in a new document.
Tim Walz Is Against Unaccountable Wars—but He Voted To Fund Them Anyways
While the former congressman cares a lot about war powers, he has often flip-flopped on actually enforcing Congress’ red lines.
New Bill Would Revive the Right To Sue Federal Cops for Constitutional Violations
The Supreme Court created, then gutted, a right to sue federal agents for civil rights violations.
