Veronique de Rugy is a contributing editor at Reason. She is a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
America's Debt Problem Is a Health Care Problem
And the government's "solution" is making it worse.
Veronique de Rugy
Latest from Veronique de Rugy
'The Rich Don't Pay Their Fair Share' and 4 Other Tax Myths That Won't Die
The United States has the most progressive income-tax system in the developed world.
Trump's New Budget—Which Proposes $1.5 Trillion for Defense—Is Unserious. You Should Still Take It Seriously.
It would be easy to wave it away and move on. But that's how the U.S. got in such a dire fiscal situation.
The World Bank Used To Champion Markets. Now It's Surrendering to State-Led Industrialization.
The reversal wasn't because the economics changed. It is because their biggest shareholders turned toward industrial policy.
How Will Congress Fund a $300 Billion War With Iran?
Lawmakers used to offset its emergency spending. They don't anymore.
California's Billionaire Tax Won't Save Hospitals
The state's funding crisis is driven by a third-party payment system in which roughly 90 cents of every American health care dollar is paid by someone other than the patient.
Tax the Rich All You Want. It Won't Fix the Deficit.
The problem is not that the government collects too little. It's that the government spends too much.
The Tax Loophole That Made U.S. Health Care Unaffordable
The employer insurance exclusion has chained workers to their employers, practically eliminated consumer price sensitivity, and suppressed wages.
The 4 Economic Myths Powering Trump's New Tariff Push
American businesses and consumers absorbed nearly 90 percent of the 2025 tariffs' economic burden, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found.
U.S. To Spend $24.4 Trillion More Than It Has Over the Next Decade, Report Warns
The cost of paying the interest is now the central story, and it's a grim one.
Politicians Want To Avoid Reforming Social Security and Medicare. You Will Pay the Price.
Inflation is a silent tax—and the most painful way to finance government promises.
Wealth Taxes Are Proven Failures. Will California Take Note?
Across advanced economies, they have repeatedly been narrowed or even repealed after delivering disappointing revenue, tax avoidance, capital flight, and costly administrative battles.
From Georgia's Film Subsidies to Intel's Collapse, Industrial Policy Keeps Failing
Such attempts try to engineer outcomes while acting like political favors can substitute for market incentives.
The GOP Looks Increasingly Like a Home for Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders
Many Republicans are now openly embracing ideas from the progressive playbook. Call them "Depublicans."
Yes, the Middle Class Is Shrinking—Because It's Moving Up
The real squeeze comes from government-distorted markets, not economic decline.
The Minnesota Fraud Scandal Is Just the Tip of the Iceberg
Medicaid fraud has been endemic at the state and federal levels for decades. Focusing on a single official or state misses a deeper lesson.
Why Mitt Romney's Call To Tax the Rich Falls Apart
Yes, the status quo is unsustainable. But Romney's proposed solution risks making those problems harder to fix while foreclosing opportunities for the next generation.
The Most Overlooked Holiday Miracle: Abundance
History shows clearly that the societies most capable of generosity and liberalism are not those trapped in poverty but those that have escaped it.
The U.S. Is Stealing From Millennials and Gen Z To Make Boomers Even Richer
Social insurance programs are compatible with a basic safety net. But what we have now is a slow-motion generational fleecing.
The Bipartisan War on Prices Is Coming for Your Credit Card
The strange new alliance between democratic socialists and nationalist populists isn't a sign of political healing. It's a sign that people have lost their grip on basic economics.
The 2025 Libertarian Gift Guide: 28 Great Ideas for Apocalypse Preppers, Boozers, Self-Improvers—and More
Panicked about holiday shopping? Reason staffers and contributors are here to save the day.
The Horseshoe of Doom: Populists Left and Right Say America Is Failing. The Facts Don't.
When voters believe they're living through an economic apocalypse, they're willing to embrace the very policies that would create one.
Some Say the Constitution Has Failed. This Thanksgiving, Here's Why It Hasn't.
Most countries emerged from a shared language, lineage, or ancient heritage. The United States built a state first and then had to discover what it meant to be a nation.
There Is No Such Thing as Good Industrial Policy. But Republicans And Democrats Keep Trying.
Real industrial policy has been tried—in many countries, by governments of every ideology. It fails every time for the same reason.
Democrats Are Beating Trump on Affordability. Will He Keep Pretending Otherwise?
Neither side, however, has a good plan to bring down prices.
'Emergency' Has Become Washington's Favorite Loophole. It's Cost Taxpayers $15 Trillion.
Over the last decade, roughly one in every 10 dollars of budget authority has worn an emergency tag.
America's $30 Trillion Publicly Held Debt Is 42 Times Larger Than It Was in 1980
Democrats defend every entitlement and dream up new benefits. Republicans demand more defense spending and still more tax cuts.
The GOP's 'Capitalism' is Central Planning with MAGA Branding
Socialism is government control of the means of production. When the government becomes your largest shareholder, that's a strong first step.
Trump's New Tariffs on Furniture Will Be Costly, and Americans Will Pay
The evidence is clear that we are paying more, U.S. firms have lower margins, and exports are collapsing in flagship industries.
What the Democrats Are Doing Right Now Won't Lower Health Care Costs—but Here's What Actually Would
Four ideas that are better than extending Obamacare subsidies and a government shutdown.
The Government Shutdown Is a Distraction—From Our $37 Trillion Debt
This time, Democrats turned the most basic government housekeeping into hostage drama.
Trump Is Embracing 'Daddy State' Economics
Markets thrive on predictable rules, but when the president takes equity stakes or pressures firms at will, investment and risk-taking give way to hesitation.
Washington Says Tax Breaks Help People. Instead, They're Corroding the Tax Code.
The expenditures are often costly privileges for special interests that mask the true size of government and fail to deliver the promised bang for the buck.
Uncle Sam Is Investing Now. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
Some policymakers now say the federal government's stake in Intel should be a "down payment" on a U.S. sovereign wealth fund. The idea is terrible.
The Real Threat to Fed Independence Isn't Trump. It's Congress' Debt Addiction.
The president's clear attempt to interfere in the Federal Reserve is not a one-off crisis.
No, Tariffs Can't Replace Income Taxes
They are among the worst taxes imaginable—narrow, arbitrary, unstable, and regressive.
The Department of Energy Just Admitted Climate Change May Not Be Catastrophic
A report affirms that greenhouse gases are warming the planet, but it also found no convincing evidence that U.S. hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, or droughts have become more frequent or intense in recent decades.
Trump's War on Economic Data Is a Dangerous Move for MAGA's Own Agenda
The Bureau of Labor Statistics, the CBO, and the Fed are far from perfect. But the U.S. needs a statistical system that is modern, agile, and protected from political interference.
We're Lying to Ourselves About Taxes, Spending, and the Debt
It's time to ask what level of spending Americans truly want with the money we actually have.
Trump Doesn't Need To Fire Jerome Powell. He Needs To End America's Spending Addiction.
The executive branch wants to use the Federal Reserve as a tool to accommodate the government's frenzy of reckless borrowing.
Congress Cut $500 Billion in Energy Subsidies. That's Good—and Proof Reform Is Possible.
Green energy is promising. But subsidies distort the tax code, misallocate capital, and favor companies already in the game.
The 'Big Beautiful Bill' Expands Health Savings in a Rare Policy Win
In a bill packed with spending, one provision offers real gains for health care choice and savings.
The $4 Trillion 'Big, Beautiful Bill' Breaks the Bank and Violates Congress' Own Budget Rules
This is what Washington calls compromise: The House proposes $1, the Senate proposes $2, and somehow, the government ends up spending $3.
Social Security and Medicare Are Racing Toward Drastic Cuts—Yet Lawmakers Refuse To Act
Other countries have taken meaningful steps to address similar challenges. The U.S. has done nothing.
This Court Case Could Normalize Vibes-Based Regulation
A Biden-era rule mandates two-person freight crews. But the government admits it lacks evidence that is necessary—and is instead relying on "common sense."
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.
No, Trade With China Did Not Kill the U.S. Economy
A new comprehensive review finds the negative effects of trade with China have been significantly exaggerated.
Are We Headed for Another Disaster With Fannie and Freddie?
If the Trump administration fails to implement real reform, Main Street taxpayers could once again be conscripted into subsidizing lucrative Wall Street deals.
