Dems' Hazard Pay Proposals Are a Recipe for a Lot Fewer Essential Workers
We need essential workers right now. We also need markets and the price signals they provide.
Congress
Social Security Will Be Insolvent Even Sooner Than Expected, Thanks to COVID-19 Pandemic
A new report from the Social Security Administration expects the program to hit insolvency by 2035. Some experts say it could happen as soon as 2028 if there is a serious recession.
GOP Debt Hypocrisy
The Trump-era GOP lends credence to the idea that Obama-era Republicans cared about deficits only as a means of hampering a Democratic president.
The Next Stimulus: Infrastructure Week, Another Rural Broadband Boondoggle, and Maybe a Sports Bailout?
It's obvious that there will be more government spending in response to the coronavirus, but distinguishing the essential from the nice-to-have is more important than ever.
Ilhan Omar's Bill Would Enable the Feds To Seize Landlords' Properties for Trying To Collect Rent During Coronavirus
The Minnesota congresswoman's proposal to cancel rents and mortgages during the coronavirus pandemic is both wildly impractical and constitutionally dubious.
There Is Literally One Guy Overseeing Nearly $500 Billion of Emergency Coronavirus Spending
He has no colleagues or staff, but he's supposed to provide oversight on $454 billion in coronavirus spending—nearly equal to the annual budget for Medicare.
Zoom Is Keeping Pandemic-Stricken America Connected. Cue Congress's Tech Panic.
Plus: Court upholds Texas abortion ban, Americans say they're choosing to stay at home, a doctor's view on hydroxychloroquine, and more...
Remy: Savage (Megan Thee Stallion Coronavirus Bailout Parody)
The last time we sent this much money to the Kennedy Center, it was for a pair of Hamilton tickets.
House Coronavirus Committee Will Investigate 'Price Gouging,' Not Government's Failed Pandemic Response
"We're not going to be looking back," said House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn.
Massie, and That Pesky Constitution, Hold Up COVID-19 Bailout Bill
Plus: civic dynamism on display, Justice Department embraces home detainment of federal prisoners, and more...
The Senate's COVID-19 Relief Bill Is a Crony Capitalist Dream
Plus: COVID-19 in prisons and jails, Trump campaign threatens TV stations, state disparities in new coronavirus cases, and more...
Most Politicians Are Disingenuous Opportunists. The Coronavirus Outbreak Only Makes That More Obvious.
Politicians are merely using COVID-19 to push for policies they already wanted.
The EARN IT Act Is the New FOSTA
The new bill takes aim at internet freedom and privacy under the pretense of saving kids.
An Epidemic Big Enough to Accommodate Everyone's Wish List
Politicians of both major parties are using COVID-19 to advance their pre-existing policy agendas.
Over Objections From Privacy Advocates, Tame Surveillance Bill Sails Through the House
Some Republican senators are working hard to get Trump behind stronger fixes.
A Compromise Bill on Domestic Surveillance Reform Aims to Do Just Enough to Shut Trump Up
Privacy activists on the left and the right decry a limp set of proposed changes to the USA Freedom Act.
Will We See Real Surveillance Reform This Week?
The USA Freedom Act is about to sunset. Who will decide how and if it will be changed?
Senators Push Sneaky Anti-Privacy Bill
The EARN IT is an attack on encryption masquerading as a blow against underage porn.
Reviving Congressional Reauthorization
A Symposium at The Regulatory Review engages with "Delegation and Time," and the question of whether Congress is capable of addressing nondelegation concerns.
Rand Paul Says Trump Is Backing Surveillance Reform
Plus: Who's using Clearview AI?, court rules against Joe Arpaio, and more...
The Feds' Bulk Collection of Our Data Records Has Been Expensive and Useless. But That Doesn't Mean It's Going to Stop.
A congressional battle erupts over how much to reform the soon-to-expire USA Freedom Act—if they reform it at all.
Why Libertarian-Leaning Reps. Massie and Amash Voted Against the House's Anti-Lynching Bill
Lynchings are already illegal. But the law would give prosecutors more power—including what amounts to an expansion of the federal death penalty.
Judge Napolitano on the Politics of Impeachment
"Each president has more authority than his predecessors."
Senate Passes Bill Stopping Further Military Action Against Iran Without Approval
Eight Republicans join the vote, but that's not enough to overrule a likely veto.
Republican Lawmakers Introduce Trillion Trees Act To Combat Climate Change
A real plan or just a "climate messaging exercise"?
House Bill To Undo State-Level 'Right To Work' Laws Is a Preview of Democrats' Post-2020 Priorities
The PRO Act would implement a veritable grab bag of policies that labor unions have been pushing Congress to pass for years. The House will vote on it this week.
In Trump Subpoena Fight, the Supreme Court Weighs Executive vs. Congressional Power
A major constitutional clash is unfolding at SCOTUS.
House Moves To Give Homeland Security More Power To Snoop
Plus: Santa Cruz decriminalizes shrooms, the feds target medical marijuana in Michigan, "the growing threat to free speech online," and more...
Lawmakers Say the FBI's Problematic Carter Page Warrants Require Congressional Surveillance Reforms
A bipartisan coalition wants to restrain secret snooping and create more independent oversight of the secretive FISA Court.
Congress Passed a New North American Trade Pact but Failed To Limit Trump's Tariff Powers
Republicans might rue that mistake when Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders inherits Trump's beefed-up trade authority.
The Senate Has Enough Votes To Stop Further Unapproved Military Action Against Iran
Four Republicans cross the aisle to support a new resolution limited the president's power to wage war. But could they get enough to overrule a veto?
War Worries Transcend Trump
Even the president’s buddies understand the threat posed by the unconstrained use of military force.
No War With Iran, House Tells Trump. Next Up: Finally Forbidding Military Force in Iraq?
Plus: Tarriffs are killing U.S. wine, Vermont bill would ban cell phones for kids, and more...
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie Signs On to House Bill Ending War in Iraq
“Let’s vote on this and see who is serious about ending forever wars.”
House Schedules Vote To Halt Further Strikes Against Iran Without Congressional Approval
Sens. Mike Lee and Rand Paul declare support for a Senate version.
Trump's Soleimani Strike Turns Democratic Hawks Into Doves and Republican Doves Into Hawks
Whether politicians care about congressional oversight seems to hinge on who is in power.
Can We Stop With All the Congressional Grandstanding?
Hearings aren’t about educating lawmakers or getting answers. They're all about getting good soundbites.
Stossel: Hot Air on the Hill
Politicians use congressional hearings to score cheap points and bully productive people.
Congress Should Debate War, Not Mindlessly Cheer for It
The constitutional role of Congress is not to cheerlead a major escalation of a nearly 17-year-old conflict. It's to consider the best interest of the American people.
Dems Promise To Close Gitmo. Again.
Democratic presidential candidates sparred over how they'd close one of the worst excesses of the war on terror.
Congress' Budget Deal Kills Solar Industry Tax Credits
The solar industry has benefited from "temporary" tax credits for decades. These might finally be allowed to lapse.
Bipartisan 'Bucket of Garbage' Budget Bill Contains $50 Billion in Special Interest Tax Breaks
On their own, some of those tax breaks might be defensible. Dumping them into a must-pass budget bill is not.
Trump Is Getting Impeached Today. Should His Complaints About the Process Be Taken Seriously?
Many of the president's beefs are frivolous, but he is right that impeachment has been rushed.
