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.
Government Spending
DHS Pledges Not To Deport Any U.S. Citizens if Congress Ends Shutdown
In a letter to senators, the administration offered five concessions—two of which were simply that going forward, officers would follow the law.
NYC Spent Over $368 Million To Combat Homelessness This Past Fiscal Year. Now the State Can't Track the Money.
The Big Apple is spending more than ever on services for the unsheltered, but state auditors don’t know if it’s working.
The Federal Spending Spree Will Make the Next Economic Shock Even Worse
Growing federal debt hobbles the government’s ability to respond to crises.
Facing a Budget Squeeze, New Jersey Decides To Go After Big Tech
Gov. Mikie Sherrill called Big Tech worse than Big Tobacco before proposing measures to regulate social media platforms.
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.
War Rations
Plus: Pete Hegseth spends millions on lobster tail and rib-eye steak, oil prices go for another roller-coaster ride, no inflation increase, and more...
Minnesota's Fraud Scandal Isn't an Immigration Problem. It's a Spending Problem.
Health care fraud is an all-too-common feature of the U.S. health care system, not only in Minnesota.
The Federal Government Was Told To Make a List of Everything It Funds. 15 Years Later, There Still Isn't One.
A sad commentary on the sprawling size and eye-watering cost of the government.
Maryland Lawmakers Want To Strengthen Regulations That Make Health Care More Expensive
A new bill could make Maryland "the most restrictive environment in the country," warns one doctor.
Zohran Mamdani's $70 Million Grocery Gamble
Amid a $5.4 billion budget deficit, the mayor of New York City is pushing forward with a proposal that has historically yielded terrible results.
It's the Spending, Stupid!
The truest measure of government in our lives is the federal budget, which is out of control.
Withholding $260 Million From Minnesota Won't Win the War on Medicaid Fraud
The legal exploitation of Medicaid's federal matching system is a much bigger problem than criminal fraud.
Pete Buttigieg: Federal Agents Are Losing Public Trust
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg discusses immigration enforcement, the role of government, and why federal agencies are losing public trust.
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.
Trump's $10 Billion Lawsuit Against the BBC
A federal judge has set the date for the president's push to punish a news organization he dislikes, again.
How Much Is Kristi Noem's Alleged Adultery Airplane Costing You?
If the DHS secretary is actually having a high-flying affair with Trump adviser Corey Lewandowski, the taxpayers are the ones getting screwed.
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.
Interest on the National Debt Will Cost $16 Trillion Over the Next 10 Years
A new Congressional Budget Office outlook expects entitlement spending and the national debt to explode in the next decade.
Blame Overregulation for High Child Care Costs
Politicians like New York’s Mayor Mamdani promise to solve a problem that they created.
Alienated by Trump, Europeans Finally Take Responsibility for Defense
Spurred by a hostile U.S. president, Europe struggles against stagnant economies to rearm.
Immigration Massively Reduces Budget Deficits
A new Cato Institute study provides the most comprehensive analysis of this issue to date.
Do Republicans Want To Control Elections?
Plus: assessing Trump’s first year, the dysfunction of Washington, D.C., and the politics of the Super Bowl. (Recorded live in Washington, D.C.)
Department of Homeland Security
ICE Funding Freeze
Plus: detention center NIMBYism and why you shouldn't walk on the semifrozen Potomac river.
So Much for Abolishing the Department of Education
The Department of Education is getting a bigger budget, less than a year after President Donald Trump ordered the department's closure.
Deploying Troops to U.S. Cities Cost Half a Billion Dollars in 2025
Maintaining a uniformed domestic security force is pricey in terms of life, liberty, and dollars.
Shutdown Showdown
Plus: the Epstein files, the officers who shot Alex Pretti, and more...
Dumping State Income Taxes Could Mean High Sales Taxes—or an Opportunity for Smaller Government
A new report warns that some plans for replacing income tax revenue rely on unrealistic assumptions.
There Are No Good Reasons To Subsidize Sports Stadiums. Governments Keep Doing It Anyway.
“If we stop funding all sports stadiums tomorrow, then the world wouldn't change hardly at all," says one economist.
South Carolina Gave $1.3 Billion to Scout Motors. It's Already $150 Million Over Budget.
The company is backed by Volkswagen but still received considerable funding from state taxpayers.
Why Mamdani's 'Free Child Care' Won't Work
The more the government intervenes in the market, the more New York parents pay for child care.
The Real Reason You Pay for NFL Stadiums
Economist J.C. Bradbury breaks down why taxpayer-funded stadiums are a bad idea, how team owners market them to politicians, and why another stadium building boom may be coming.
Congress Is Aiming To Avoid Another Shutdown by Spending More on Almost Everything
The bill includes $1 million for new elevators at New York City's Metropolitan Opera, among other wasteful earmarks.
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.
Elon Musk Said Rand Paul Is the One Person in Washington Who 'Gets It'
In an interview with Reason, CNN's Scott Jennings recounts the conversation he had with the tech entrepreneur about his distaste for exorbitant government spending.
CNN's Scott Jennings: The Conservative Movement's Identity Crisis
Scott Jennings discusses life as a conservative at CNN, Trump’s record a year into his second term, and how figures like Candace Owens damage the right.
Rand Paul's Annual Festivus Report Highlights $1.6 Trillion in Wasteful Spending
These wasteful boondoggles add up. So do the programs that many Americans insist are important but refuse to reform.
Will Zohran Mamdani Defund New York City Police?
The new mayor is keeping Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch on the job, but they might have a contentious relationship.
NYC Schools Are Losing Students and Burning Cash. Mamdani Could Make the Situation Worse.
New York schools need more choice and better curricula, but the city's new mayor wants to take choices away.
The Big Lesson of the 2020s? Don't Ignore the Economists.
From COVID-19 lockdowns to Biden's inflation and Trump's tariffs, bad things have happened when economics are sidelined in policymaking.
The Minnesota Welfare Fraud Story Is Really About a Broken Medicaid Bureaucracy
Federal Medicaid policy creates little incentive for states to stop potential fraudsters. Fixing that should be the priority, not demonizing Somali immigrants.
Mamdani's $6 Billion Child Care Expansion Would Be a Handout to Wealthy New Yorkers
The more the government intervenes in the market, the more New York parents pay for child care.
Almost a Year After It Launched, DOGE's Legacy Is Mixed
Has the Department of Government Efficiency delivered on promises to downsize federal employment, cut regulations, and reduce federal spending?
Congress Gives the Military $8 Billion More Than It Asked for
The version of the NDAA passed by the House is larger than the administration’s budget request.
Republican Socialism: Trump Is Taking Federal Stakes in Private Companies
The Trump administration's pivot toward socialism did not come without warning.
Chicago Is the Latest Example of How Public School Spending Doesn't Prioritize Students
Misused pandemic funds, luxury travel, and declining achievement reveal a crisis of priorities—one only school choice can fix.
Trump Slammed Biden's $52 Billion CHIPS Act. Then He Used It To Buy a Federal Stake in Intel.
Biden said "companies are investing in America again." Instead, America is investing in companies—and getting little in return.
