Congress holds the power of the purse in our system of government, and further eroding congressional responsibility for spending decisions will not end well.
A costly lease for the Maryland Department of Health, along with other findings in a state audit, raises questions about the millions in savings touted by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.
Partisan pundits are misreading statistical estimates and misrepresenting the science to suggest that Trump's Medicaid cuts will kill 100,000 people. That claim doesn’t survive scrutiny.
The bill, which could pass the Senate on Wednesday, would trim 13 cents from every $100 of federal spending.
Plus: An attack on pro-Israel protesters in Colorado, a conservative wins Poland's presidential elections, and more...
Elon Musk promised $2 trillion in cuts but delivered only a tiny portion of that total. We asked seven policy experts to explain what he got wrong.
As he shifts his focus away from DOGE, he acknowledges the need for hard choices and congressional action.
The budget proposal calls for gutting federal energy funding and environmental justice initiatives.
The White House budget plan says the agency's failure to prove it was not complicit in a possible lab leak shows it's "too big and unfocused."
The cost cutter's current projection of annual "savings" is 85 percent lower than the goal he set two months ago—and even that number can't be trusted.
Despite efforts to rein in government debt, gold prices keep rising—suggesting investors aren’t buying the promises of fiscal responsibility.
The cost-cutting initiative's calculation of "estimated savings" is mostly mysterious, and the parts we know about are riddled with errors.
The department laid off over 1,300 employees this week.
The U.S. can defend itself at a lot less expense.
Threats to impeach federal judges who rule against the government are a naked attack on their constitutionally crucial function.
The president's assertion is divorced from reality, and so are the "estimated savings" touted by Elon Musk.
Handouts to corporations distort the market, breed corruption, and politicize the economy.
"If the Republican budget passes, the deficit gets worse, not better," says Rep. Thomas Massie. He's right.
In the early 1990s, Bill Clinton's administration set out to "reinvent" government. What can the mercurial Tesla CEO learn from their efforts?
Much cutting. Very waste. But the Department of Government Efficiency might not have the legal and budgetary chops to actually reduce spending.
Eliminating the deficit requires cutting the biggest spending—defense, Medicare, Social Security. So far, Trump says he won't touch those.
Almost exactly one year after Congress swore off self-inflicted fiscal crises, we're back to the same tired theatrics.
DOGE won't necessarily have to kill any of Republicans’ sacred cows—but they will have to be put on a diet.
Ambitious budget cuts will meet political reality in Trump’s second administration.
The new advisory group promises bold savings and massive spending cuts, but without any expertise in the federal budget, it’s likely to be all bark and no bite.
Narrowly understood, the president-elect's familiar-sounding plan to tackle "massive waste and fraud" may not give us "smaller government" in any meaningful sense.
If Musk is truly serious about fiscal discipline, he'll advise the president-elect to eschew many of the policies he promised on the campaign trail.
The budget could be balanced by cutting just six pennies from every dollar the government spends. It used to require even less.
We asked delegates at the Republican National Convention whether a second Trump term would address America's debt problem.
Anatomy of a budget gimmick.
Next week, Congress will have to choose between a rushed omnibus bill or a long-term continuing resolution that comes with a possible 1 percent spending cut.
Several large public universities are getting multimillion dollar budget cuts.
Since Congress won't cut spending, an independent commission may be the only way to rein in the debt.
Legislators abuse the emergency label to push through spending that would otherwise violate budget constraints.
At a minimum, the national debt should be smaller than the size of the economy. A committed president just might be able to deliver.
Plus: A listener question concerning the key to a libertarian future—should we reshape current systems or rely upon technological exits like bitcoin and encryption?
Plus: A listener question scrutinizing current attitudes toward executive power
The most important part of the Limit, Grow, Save Act is the limits.
From delivery fees to streaming taxes, New York can’t stomach having MTA users actually pay for the system themselves.
If Republicans refuse to gore their three sacred cows, a new CBO report shows that balancing the budget is literally impossible.
Handouts for tourist-trap museums will be part of the federal funding battleground in the next two years.
Plus: Court denies motion to suppress January 6 geofence warrant, Texas may ban some immigrants from buying property, and more...
Plus: The editors consider the ongoing debt ceiling drama and answer a listener question about ending the war on drugs.
Sen. Rand Paul says Republicans "have to give up the sacred cow" of military spending in order to make a deal that will address the debt ceiling and balance the budget.
Taking stock of the utterly unserious fiscal policy discourse in Washington.
Getting rid of the much-despised tax agency would be a good idea. It’s unlikely to happen anytime soon.
The COVID-19 pandemic will strain some state budgets, but you shouldn't believe the predictions about catastrophic cuts.
