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
Federal government
Trump Says His Budget Proposal Will End the 'Green New Scam'
The budget proposal calls for gutting federal energy funding and environmental justice initiatives.
Trump's Budget Calls for $17 Billion Cut to NIH, Citing Lax Oversight of Gain-of-Function Research in Wuhan
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."
U.S. Government: We Didn't Use 'Political Violence' in Iraq
A training slideshow reveals how deluded American leaders continue to be about the Iraq War, more than two decades later.
100 Days of Trump
Plus: "Calm corners" in the subway system, mysterious 18-hour power outage, and more...
Trump Administration Restores Thousands of Terminated Foreign Student Visa Records
Earlier this month, 4,700 foreign students were at risk of detainment after ICE inexplicably terminated their visa records.
DOGE Has Been a Smashing Success
When compared to the most likely alternatives, DOGE has cut as much government as one could hope for.
Harvard University Should Emulate Hillsdale College and Cut Ties With the Government
To remain independent, institutions of higher education should end their reliance on taxpayer money.
Fewer People Support Censoring False Information Online
Support for suppressing "violent content" has also dropped.
The Intelligence Community's AI Revolution
The feds are rapidly deploying artificial intelligence across spy agencies. What could go wrong?
The Paperwork Reduction Act Created a Paperwork Explosion
A law meant to simplify government forms now blocks commonsense improvements, wastes taxpayer money, and slows life-saving services.
Trump Says Alleged Gang Members Don't Need Hearings Because the Government Is Infallible
The Supreme Court unanimously rejected that claim, upholding the right to due process in deportation cases.
A New IRS-ICE Agreement Could Reduce Tax Revenue by $300 Billion Over the Next Decade
That's what could happen if undocumented immigrants decide not to file their taxes, according to an estimate by The Budget Lab at Yale.
Why Trump's China Tariffs Won't Work
Plus: A listener asks whether or not Thomas Jefferson was right.
Neither Trump Nor the Associated Press Controls Our Words
The Associated Press’s legal victory highlights the limited power presidents and the press have over the creative destruction and spontaneous order of our language.
Two Cheers for Extended Tax Cuts and an IRS in Chaos
It’s not the reform we need, but it’s welcome relief from ravenous and unpopular tax collectors.
Many Politicians Want To Ban Gambling. So Why Are They OK With State Lotteries?
Lottery ticket buyers are disproportionately poor, and the odds are very bad. But governments want the money.
Milton Friedman's Warning to DOGE
The Nobel Prize-winning economist says the Iron Triangle of Politics must be defeated to cut down the government for good.
Trump Is Giving Everyone What They Want In the Dumbest Way Possible
Dynamists, protectionists, hawks, and doves are seeing their policy goals realized in the most bungling and incompetent fashion imaginable.
'Liberation Day' Tariffs Will Liberate People—From Their Income
Lower-income families who spend the largest shares of their income on goods—and who have been badly hurt from the recent inflation—will likely suffer the most.
Trump's Use of the Alien Enemies Act Violates Madison's View of Presidential Power
Alleged criminal aliens may face legal punishment. But only after receiving due process of law.
The 'Meritocracy' Lie
Two months after he was inaugurated, Trump has smashed many of the government's silly DEI rules. But he hasn't created a new age of meritocracy.
Will Jay Bhattacharya Get Gain-of-Function Research Under Control?
The past three administrations have tried and failed to implement binding regulations on risky research that likely caused the COVID-19 pandemic.
Deportation Standoff
Plus: Rehiring federal workers, using Signal to orchestrate bombing the Houthis, and more...
Trump Ends Program for Legal Migrants From Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela
Over 500,000 migrants used the program to enter and work in the U.S.
Trump and Congress Have a Right and a Duty To Kill the Department of Education
The feds have no constitutional authorization to meddle in education.
The Trump Administration's HIV Prevention Contradictions
Is shutting down the CDC's HIV prevention division a good idea?
Will ICE Use the Alien Enemies Act To Enter Homes Without Warrants?
Already this year, the agency has allegedly conducted a warrantless raid in Newark and several warrantless arrests in the Midwest.
One Federal Clause Allows DOGE To Cancel Contracts at Will
The Federal Acquisition Regulation requires the right for the government to terminate any federal contract "for convenience."
Invest in Education—Not the Department of Education
More education dollars are funding more bureaucrats, who, by and large, are not improving student outcomes.
The Federal Government Has a Lot of Unused Land. Can We Sell It Off To Build Houses?
One proposal would create a streamlined process for selling off federal land to state and local governments, but only if they allow housing to be built on it.
When the Government Puts Wolves in Your Backyard
Endangered red wolves became a symbol of federal overreach—and a target for local ire—in eastern North Carolina.
How Pokémon Helps Explain DOGE
Musk's fans and critics will keep debating whether DOGE is revolutionizing government or wrecking important institutions.
TSA Screeners' Union Sues the Trump Administration for Violating Its First Amendment Rights
Passengers suing the TSA for First Amendment violations have had a rough time in court.
Passport Applicants May Have To Affirm That They Are 'Not Required To Register' As Sex Offenders
The proposed State Department policy would add to the irrational burdens that registrants face.
Taking $200 Out of an ATM Should Not Trigger Federal Financial Surveillance
No, not even if you do it in a county that borders Mexico.
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.
DOGE Isn't Exempt From FOIA Requests, Judge Rules
The judge found that the agency's "unusual secrecy" and "substantial authority" make it subject to public record laws.
The IRS Bleeds
Plus: Ceasefire talks, J.D. Vance as the future of the GOP, the government's war on treehouses, and more...
We're Overdue To End Daylight Saving Time
The government experiment in socially engineering the country into less energy use raised costs.
Yes, We Should End Taxes on Tips
Taxing tips generates practically no revenue, burdens workers, and fuels pointless IRS audits.
By Ending Contract, Union Officials Claim, Trump Administration Violated 'Dignity and Rights' of TSA Agents
The Department of Homeland Security unilaterally tore up a collective bargaining agreement it had signed with unionized TSA screeners in May 2024.
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.
U.S. Attorney Threatens Georgetown Law for 'Teaching DEI'
The law school's dean rejected the letter, arguing the First Amendment "guarantees that the government cannot direct what Georgetown and its faculty teach and how to teach it."
Trump Is Weaponizing the DOJ Just Like He Accused Democrats of Doing
Trump's appointees are wielding federal power in a manner that appears every bit as corrupt as what he complained about on the campaign trail.
