We're 8 Years Away From an Automatic 23 Percent Cut in Social Security Payouts
Social Security’s board of trustees expects the program to be insolvent in eight years.
Congress
The 'Big Beautiful Bill' Will Require Even More Borrowing Than Previously Thought
After accounting for the dynamic effects of the Trump-backed tax bill, the CBO concludes it will add $2.8 trillion to the deficit over 10 years.
Whether or Not Trump Invokes It, the Insurrection Act Is Antiquated and Dangerously Broad
On its face, the law gives the president sweeping authority to deploy the military in response to domestic disorder.
Extending the Trump Tax Cuts Is a Good Idea. But It Won't Deliver 'Big, Beautiful' Economic Growth.
The budget legislation is full of other expensive provisions that will add trillions to our sky-high national debt.
Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' Would Boost Subsidies for Rich Farmers
Subsidies inherently skew the market, and farm subsidies are no different.
Marsha Blackburn Wants Secret Police
Sen. Blackburn introduced a bill this week that would make it a crime to publish the name of a federal law enforcement officer.
The 'Big Beautiful Bill' Will Add $2.4 Trillion to the Deficit
That total will rise to about $3 trillion once the interest costs of more borrowing are included.
Belated Republican Objections to the One Big Beautiful Bill Glide Over Its Blatant Fiscal Irresponsibility
House members who discovered objectionable elements only after voting for the package nevertheless underline the unseemly haste of the legislative process.
It's Rand Paul and Elon Musk vs. Donald Trump Over the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Paul said he refuses to support "maintaining Biden spending levels," and Musk said the Trump-backed tax bill is "a disgusting abomination."
Elizabeth Warren and Jim Banks Attack Nvidia for Expanding Its Chinese Facility
Complying with export regulations should build trust between Nvidia and Congress, not erode it.
Congress Must Vote on Tariffs
For both practical and constitutional reasons, this is the obvious way out of the chaos Trump's tariffs have created.
Elon Musk Is Right. The 'Big Beautiful Bill' Is a Bad Deal.
Musk's opinion about the bill matters, since he is one of the few people in conservative politics who can get away with defying Trump.
The Pentagon Is Getting $150 Billion From the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Giving the Defense Department even more taxpayer money is a recipe for waste, not security.
How Does the National Debt Affect You? A Budget Expert Explains.
Higher debt means lower wages, higher interest rates, and fewer opportunities, says Romina Boccia of the Cato Institute.
Congress Is Giving Energy Lobbyists a 3-Year Window to Keep Up to $2 Trillion in Subsidies
The "one big, beautiful bill" keeps the corporate welfare that Republicans claim to hate.
America's Credit Is Falling—and the Government Is Still Digging Deeper Into Debt
The lesson from the Moody's credit downgrade is that the U.S. cannot borrow its way to prosperity.
The GOP Tax Bill Will Add $2.3 Trillion to the Deficit, CBO Says
That total could double if temporary provisions in the bill become permanent, as is likely to happen.
The GOP Budget Is Big, Bloated, B.S.
Plus: A listener asks if the economic inequality data is bad.
Not Even the Moody's Downgrade Can Make Republicans Take the National Debt Seriously
Friday's announcement by Moody's and the House Budget Committee vote could have been a turning point.
What Happens to Your Kids if We Abolish the Department of Education?
The Department of Education doesn’t handle teaching, set curricula, or pay teacher salaries.
Republican Reconciliation Package Will Lead to $3 Trillion Annual Deficits
A new analysis from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates that the national debt will equal nearly 130 percent of GDP by 2034.
Since Immigration Is an 'Invasion,' a Top Trump Adviser Says, the President Might Suspend Habeas Corpus
Stephen Miller's understanding of the Constitution is dubious for several reasons.
Republicans Want To Redefine Obscenity
A new bill would ban sharing visual content that might "arouse" or "titillate."
Billionaire Cliff Asness: Can Technology Outrun 'Stupider and Stupider' Government?
Co-founder of AQR Capital Management, Cliff Asness, discusses the decline of market efficiency, the dangers of populist economics, and his libertarian outlook on capitalism.
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.
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.
