Trump's New Budget Is Another Blueprint for Big Spending
We don't need more of the same. We need evidence of a serious turnaround.
Congress
Elon Musk Discovers That Serious Spending Cuts Are 'Really Difficult'
As he shifts his focus away from DOGE, he acknowledges the need for hard choices and congressional action.
Can the President Refuse To Spend Money Authorized by Congress?
Impoundment, line-item vetoes, and the tricky problem of cutting spending through the executive branch
Senate Republicans Voted Overwhelmingly To Continue Trump's Trade War
Sen. Rand Paul's attempt to end the non-existent economic emergency failed to pass the Senate on Wednesday night.
The Tariffs Imposed by President Trump Are Unconstitutional
Presidential power must stem from the Constitution or a statute, and the tariffs imposed by President Trump are unauthorized by statute, making them both unlawful and unconstitutional.
The TAKE IT DOWN Act's Good Intentions Don't Make Up for Its Bad Policy
Congress just approved a new online censorship scheme under the auspices of thwarting revenge porn and AI-generated "nonconsensual intimate visual depictions."
Can America Get Out of the Gerontocracy Trap?
If voters so overwhelmingly prefer younger candidates, why are they underrepresented in politics?
Are Public Broadcasters About To Lose Their Subsidies?
Republicans often call for cutting off the funds but have never actually done the deed. Here's why this time might—might—be different.
Feds Borrowed $1.3 Trillion in the First 6 Months of This Fiscal Year
That's the highest total outside of the COVID-19 pandemic, and now Congress wants to borrow even more.
Rand Paul on China, Free Speech, and Banning TikTok
"I said now that they're banning it, I want to join, just because they're telling me I can't," the Kentucky senator tells Reason.
Bill Would Require Federal Prisons To Notify Families of Serious Illness and Death
Families described not being told their loved one was in the hospital or even when they had died.
Rand Paul Is Leading Another Long-Shot Effort at Stopping Trump's Terrible Trade War
Bills introduced Tuesday in the House and Senate would terminate the emergency declaration Trump issued last week.
Trump's Tariffs: It's Not Just the Stock Market That's In Trouble
The president is raising taxes, hiking prices, and creating supply chain chaos. Congress should act quickly to stop this.
Senators Make Modest Moves To Reclaim Tariff Powers From Trump
A small but growing bipartisan movement in the Senate is pushing back against the president's imposition of tariffs, but there's plenty of room to go further.
The Senate Just Passed Rand Paul's Bill To Block Trump's Tariffs on Canada
The bill faces an uncertain future, but it is a faint glimmer of hope for those hoping to limit executive power over trade.
Nina Jankowicz's Defense of Government Censors Is Based on Misinformation
"Everything looks like a conspiracy when you don't know how anything works," said Jankowicz.
The Hidden Politics of Whiskey Prices
Donald Trump is determined to make everything from Canadian whiskey to Mexican avocados more expensive. Can anyone stop him?
The Atlantic Should Not Find Out About a War Before Congress Does
The White House accidentally leaked military plans in Yemen to a journalist—and demonstrated how unconstitutional U.S. war making has become.
Did Trump Just Abolish the Department of Education?
While he can't get rid of the department outright, a new executive order attempts the next best thing.
In Trump's Revenge Fantasy, Biden Did Not Actually Pardon Members of the January 6 Committee
The president says those legislators are "subject to investigation at the highest level," notwithstanding their pardons and the Speech or Debate Clause.
Why We Don't Need the Department of Education
Plus: A listener asks the editors whether a Kamala Harris presidency would have been preferable.
Congress Just Made It Harder for Congress To Block Trump's Tariffs
The cowardice of Congress will continue fueling the growth of executive power.
The House's Budget Bill Cuts Earmarks, but Spending Will Be Going Up Anyway
Every cut helps, but that's not where the money is.
The FCC and Its Private Taxman Go to Court
FCC v. Consumers’ Research could dismantle a massive slush fund run by unelected regulators and industry insiders.
Medicare Deserves Attention From DOGE and Congress
Reform could replace an unsustainable boondoggle with lower costs, more freedom, and better care.
Yes, Cutting Government Waste Is Important
Entitlements are a much bigger expense, but that doesn't mean the waste doesn't matter.
DOGE and Congress Should Take a Chainsaw to Corporate Welfare
Handouts to corporations distort the market, breed corruption, and politicize the economy.
The Best Part of Trump's Speech Was the List of Spending Cuts
If only they were as big as the list of new spending.
In Speech to Congress, Trump Promises More Tariff Madness
The tariffs Trump has already imposed on Canada, Mexico, and China will cost an estimated $142 billion this year—and he says more are on the way.
DOGE and Congress Should Look Hard at Reforming Social Security
Means-test Social Security, raise the retirement age, and let us invest our own money.
How Would Milton Friedman Do DOGE?
If the Department of Government Efficiency goes about this the wrong way, we could be left with both a presidency on steroids and no meaningful reduction in government.
Trump Promised To Lower Prices. Will Congress Help Him Deliver?
At the current rate of inflation, the dollar will lose 33 cents of purchasing power within a decade.
"Want a Hot Shower? Call Your Congressman," But Not Just to Support a CRA Resolution.
A useful example of how meaningful regulatory reform requires legislative action--and not just the passage of Congressional Review Act resolutions.
The House GOP Budget Blueprint Promises More Borrowing, More Debt, and Not Enough Spending Cuts
"If the Republican budget passes, the deficit gets worse, not better," says Rep. Thomas Massie. He's right.
The Sunny Side of Donald Trump's Power Grabs
The president is positioning himself to have much greater control over a smaller, enfeebled federal bureaucracy.
The New Republican Budget Plan Is Unserious
It tries to offset as much as $4.8 trillion—mostly for tax cut extensions—with only $1.5 trillion in supposed spending reductions.
Trump Has Good Reason To Complain About Limits on His Ability To Fire Executive Officers
His position is grounded in concerns about the separation of powers that presidents of both major parties have raised for many years.
Justin Amash on Why the President Isn't Above the Law
Plus: A listener asks the editors to guess if the real reason Donald Trump is so passionate about tariffs is because he sees them as a deal-making tool rather than a purely economic instrument.
DOGE Can't Slash Government Without Congress
The federal leviathan can’t be dismantled by executive action alone. To truly cut spending and rein in the bureaucracy, the administration needs buy-in from the branch that built it.
DOGE Is Good. It's Not Enough.
Even if the Department of Government Efficiency eliminates all improper payments and fraud, we'll still be facing a debt explosion—which requires structural reform.
Will Trump and the New GOP Congress Get to the Bottom of COVID-19's Origin?
It's a good sign that the president is calling on critics of the federal government's lack of transparency to staff his administration.
Is the HALT Fentanyl Act Delusional or Just Performance Art?
The bill would permanently schedule fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs—and impede therapeutic research.
Has DOGE Already Lost Its Way?
Much cutting. Very waste. But the Department of Government Efficiency might not have the legal and budgetary chops to actually reduce spending.
Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' Sets Up Another GOP Budget Showdown
Almost exactly one year after Congress swore off self-inflicted fiscal crises, we're back to the same tired theatrics.
Wireless Capacity Is Running Thin, but Spectrum Auctions Can Save 5G
Billions of dollars in government revenue is a no-brainer.
Biden's Record-Breaking Regulatory Run
In four years, Biden issued regulations costing an estimated $1.8 trillion, by far the highest total in American history.
Trump Tries To Fire Inspectors General, Likely Violating Federal Law
A law passed in 2022 requires the president to give Congress a "substantive rationale" for removing inspectors general. Trump has not done that.
