Federal Agencies Maintain Offices That Sit Mostly Empty
A new Government Accountability Office report notes that of 24 federal agencies, none of their headquarters are more than half-staffed on an average day.
Federal government
New Speaker Mike Johnson's First Good Idea: A Debt Commission
A debt commission won't solve any of the federal government's fiscal problems, but it's the first step towards taking them seriously.
After Losing Billions to Scammers, This COVID Aid Program Won't Require All Loans To Be Repaid
But that decision seems to violate federal law.
Americans Learned a Lesson About Interest Rates. Washington Has Not.
Higher rates lead to more debt, and more debt begets higher rates, and on and on. Get the picture?
Prosecutors Appeal Proud Boys' Prison Sentences Over January 6 Riot
Prosecutors asked for longer prison sentences at trial and now seem to be trying again.
Americans Don't Much Like Federal Agencies
Yet another year of low ratings for the apparatus of the D.C. leviathan.
No, Low Interest Rates Did Not Justify Adding Trillions of Dollars to the National Debt
Especially because the once-dismissed possibility of rising rates is now a reality.
Matthew Shepard's Murder Was Almost Certainly Not an Anti-Gay Hate Crime
President Biden commemorated the 25th anniversary of his tragic death by celebrating legislation passed in Shepard's name. But it was based on a major falsehood.
The Shady Statistics Behind the War on Painkillers
The government has doubled down on failed policies, citing deeply flawed studies and misrepresenting data.
The Best of Reason: Competition, Not Antitrust, Is Humbling the Tech Giants
The worst of the antitrust alarmism keeps proving untrue, as tech companies believed by some to be monopolies instead lose market share.
Airlines Ask FAA To Regulate Competitor Out of Business
American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and the largest union of pilots want the government to change regulations that allow a smaller competitor to operate.
The Federal Government Spent $3.3 Billion on Office Furniture as Employees Worked From Home
The Department of Defense spent $1.2 billion on furniture between 2020 and 2022, although it only uses 23 percent of its office space.
The Real Scandal in Washington Is the Government's Reckless Spending
Those sounding the loudest alarms about possible shutdowns are largely silent when Congress ignores its own budgetary rules. All that seems to matter is that government is metaphorically funded.
D.C.'s Food Truck Underworld
Despite their popularity, food trucks at the National Mall are paying a hefty price to operate.
Government Watchdog Calls Out Dangers in Section 702 Surveillance
A divided board recommends reforms as Congress debates renewing snooping authority.
Banning Criminal Background Checks Will Lead To More Housing Discrimination, Not Less
The best reforms would correct the real problems of overcriminalization and overincarceration, as well as removing all artificial barriers to building more homes.
This Law Will Kill Opportunities for Pregnant Workers
"These policies are motivated by good intentions. But that doesn't mean that the consequences of these policies will turn out well."
Competition, Not Antitrust, Is Humbling the Tech Giants
The worst of the antitrust alarmism keeps proving untrue, as tech companies believed by some to be monopolies instead lose market share.
America's Immigrant Brain Drain
International students want to stay in the U.S. after graduation. Most of them can't.
CEO: 'I'm the One Who Paid the Tariffs. China Did Not.'
Deena Ghazarian, CEO of consumer electronic company Austere, says the federal government's tariff exclusion process was "arcane, nontransparent, and highly uncertain."
How the Federal Budget Deficit Doubled in a Single Year
It's not the first time that has happened, but there are key differences about what happened this year.
5 Dissenters in the House
Plus: DeSantis' awkward pot situation, San Francisco's "overpaid executive" tax, and more…
Review: Alphabet Boys Explores Federal Cops' Manufactured Crimes
A new podcast asks whether federal agents are catching bad guys or creating them.
Kevin McCarthy's Impeachment Inquiry Provokes Predictably Polarized Reactions
Plus: The Stations of the Cross isn't a zoning violation, inflation is making people poorer, and Russian mercenaries win hearts and minds with their own branded beer.
The Best of Reason: The DEA at 50
For five decades, drugs have been winning the war on drugs.
A Cop Jailed Her for 2 Years on Fake Charges. Will She Ever Get Justice?
St. Paul police officer Heather Weyker has thus far managed to get immunity for upending Hamdi Mohamud's life.
The Federal Government Is Trying To Shut Down Decentralized Finance
The Commodities Futures Trading Commission announces charges and settlements with three companies that may mean very bad news for all DeFi operations doing business with U.S. citizens.
Is a Government Shutdown Better Than More Reckless Borrowing?
Short-term solutions and governing from crisis to crisis isn't working.
Biden Aims To Give Federal Workers Largest Pay Increase in 40 Years
The White House plans to boost federal workers' pay by 5.2 percent, the largest increase since 1980.
Politicians Say They Want To Fight Climate Change. So Why Are They Fighting China on Electric Vehicles?
Rather than posing a national security threat, the growth of China's E.V. industry is an opportunity for global innovation.
Jared Polis: Democrats Are 'More Pro-Freedom Than Republicans'
The Colorado governor finds common ground with many libertarians. But does he really stand for more freedom?
Do the Proud Boys Deserve To Be in Prison Forever?
Plus: A listener question concerning porn verification laws.
Subsidies Won't Stop Stagnation
Joe Biden is making an $80 billion bet that's doomed to fail.
Subsidized Flood Insurance Makes Storm Damage Worse
It's high time for Congress to end a program that routinely goes into debt providing subsidies to wealthy people living in high-risk areas.
Why Can't You Renew Your Passport Online?
Applicants are currently waiting 10 to 13 weeks for routine processing.
Should 'Sensitivity Training' Be Forced on Southwest Airlines?
A Texas judge ordered that the airline submit to training on the rights of religious believers after losing a religious discrimination lawsuit.
America's Alcohol Czar Wants Stricter Federal Guidelines for Drinking
George Koob says the U.S. could follow Canada's lead and recommend no more than two alcoholic drinks per week.
Government Continues To Deny Its Role in Adderall Shortage
While schoolchildren go without needed medication, government agencies shirk responsibility by blaming manufacturers.
Politicians Continue To Make a Mockery of 'Emergency Spending'
Legislators abuse the emergency label to push through spending that would otherwise violate budget constraints.
The Argentine Libertarian Dog-Friendly Darling?
Plus: Libertarian lessons in the wake of the Maui wildfires
The Biden Administration's Antitrust Changes Would Be Great for Bureaucrats—and Bad for Consumers
The guidelines would ignore decades of academic findings about how firm concentration can have a positive impact on consumers' welfare.
The Government Has Made College an Overpriced Scam
Thankfully, you don't need fancy dining halls or a college degree to have a good life or get a good job.
The IRS Misplaced Millions of Taxpayer Records. Again.
The only effective means of keeping tax collectors from misusing data is keeping it from them.
AOC Slams the FDA's Harmful Overregulation of Sunscreen
On this one issue, the democratic socialist sounds a lot like a libertarian.
The U.S. Credit Rating Just Dropped. It's Time for Radical Budget Reform.
The lack of oversight and the general absence of a long-term vision is creating inefficiency, waste, and red ink as far as the eye can see.
Yellow Corporation To Close, Lay Off 30,000 Employees, and Likely Default on $700 Million Pandemic Aid Loan
The company blames much of its problems on the Teamsters trucking union's "intransigence," while the Teamsters say Yellow is delinquent on benefit payments.
U.S. Credit Rating Downgrade Is a Sign of Government Dysfunction
The national debt has ballooned from $14 trillion to $32 trillion in a little over a decade.
