California Voters Reject 5% Billionaire Wealth Tax
Despite promises of billions in healthcare funding, voters rejected a tax that critics warned would drive wealthy residents and investment out of California.
Government Spending
Colorado Votes for More Spending and Higher Taxes
Voters passed Proposition NN and Amendment 87, raising the state spending cap and getting rid of its flat income tax, respectively.
Trump and MAGA Lost, but Big Government Notched Another Victory
There's no reason to think the state will shrink, which is really bad news.
Property Tax Revolt Succeeds in Florida; Fails in Wyoming and Oklahoma
Five states approved property tax cuts—but cutting taxes is easier than cutting the cost of government.
California's Bond Issues Aren't 'Free' Money. Voters Should Tread Carefully.
Borrowing money for infrastructure projects can be a good idea, but it can often become a sinkhole for taxpayers.
The Dutch Government Has a DOGE-Style Plan To Cut 25,000 Jobs. Will It Work?
How the Dutch plan to deliver the savings remains unclear.
State Governments Burden Residents With Growing Debt Just Like the Feds
Spending more than one can afford is business as usual for state officeholders.
With or Without Netanyahu, Israel Will Want American Taxpayers To Keep Funding Its Wars
Benjamin Netanyahu and his challenger Gadi Eisenkot disagree on some policies, but both still expect the U.S. to provide billions of dollars in military aid.
NYC Looks To Scale Up Mamdani's Office of Community Safety. Minneapolis Leaders Just Voted To End Theirs.
Some members of New York City Council want to implement Zohran Mamdani's vision for a Department of Community Safety. The Minneapolis City Council just voted to end that city's community safety apparatus.
Billionaires Have Already Paid Us Back. So Why Does California Want More?
People don't build great wealth first and redeem it later through good works. They build it by making the world better.
Social Security Is Like a Ponzi Scheme. How Do We Fix It?
Today, most of us get back much more than we paid in, and the program's costs exceed its income by billions of dollars.
France Is a Warning to California's Tax-the-Rich Crowd
The French economist pushing California's billionaire tax should instead see his country as a cautionary tale.
Grassroots Revolt Targets Unpopular Property Taxes
Annual tax bills make many homeowners feel more like eternal renters.
3 Reasons To Cancel This Year's 3.6% Social Security Boost
Or at least change how the cost-of-living adjustment is calculated.
France Burns
Plus: Property-tax rebellion, Paxton loses suburban women, Jewish life in the UAE, and more...
DOGE Worked? Only If You Grade on a Curve.
Cutting the number of federal employees wasn't the disaster that many critics fretted about, but that wasn't the metric for success.
Social Security Is Running Out of Money. Benefits Are Rising 3.6% Next Year Anyway.
Congress has yet to address a looming funding shortfall that could leave the retirement program unable to pay 22 percent of scheduled benefits by 2032.
The Federal Government Collected $5.4 Trillion. It Still Can't Pay Its Bills.
Entitlement spending, defense spending, and interest payments on the debt continue to climb.
Europe Grapples With 'Hybrid Warfare' While Rebuilding Its Defense Capabilities
Russia is targeting western nations with arson, bombings, assassination plots, and cyber-attacks.
The Federal Government Just Posted the Largest Annual Budget Deficit Since COVID
Tax revenue increased by about 3 percent last year, but spending increased twice as fast. And interest payments on the debt cost more than $1.1 trillion.
DOGE Shut Down This Agency. Now Its Employees Are Back on the Payroll With Nothing To Do.
Shutting down the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is the right thing to do, but the Trump administration's approach allowed a dozen federal employees to collect paychecks for a year.
Why Trillionaires Will Be Good for America
The problem isn't how rich someone is. It's how they got it.
The Bond Market Doesn't Trust the Treasury
To judge from rising 10-year interest rates, the bond market doesn't seem to expect Trump to bring inflation or spending under control.
The Federal Government Ran Up a $2 Trillion Deficit in 2026
Congress hasn’t balanced the budget in 25 years.
America Hits a New Debt Record at $40 Trillion and Counting
President Donald Trump has surpassed Barack Obama's record for most debt amassed by a president.
Want To Stop the Iran War? Don't Pay the Bill
Congress can stop Trump's Iran war by failing to fund it.
The National Debt Has Exploded. The Reckoning Is Still Coming.
Even the best-case scenario means less investment, slower wage growth, and a budget increasingly spent on past obligations.
Trump's New Ads Look Like Campaign Spots. Taxpayers Are Paying for Them.
With midterm voting underway, the distinction between public service announcements and campaign ads blurs.
Once Recession-Proof, D.C. Feels the Pain From Federal Workforce Reductions
Formerly tax-supported workers are discovering the uncertainties the private sector faces every day.
Trump Says He Wants To Beat China With Tariffs. He's Made the U.S. Weaker Instead.
China does present some real national security challenges. But the Trump administration's policies have made it harder to address those, all while damaging American prosperity.
Nikole Hannah-Jones' Experiment Accidentally Undercuts Her Case Against School Choice
The New York Times writer credits her own adult success with attending wealthier schools outside her neighborhood. So why does she blame New York City's education problems on choice?
Federal Health Care Subsidies Are Devouring the Budget and Killing Patient Satisfaction
A plague of federal rules and spending is bad medicine.
Nikole Hannah-Jones Admits Failing NYC Schools 'Betrayed' Daughter
Robby Soave and Amber Duke discuss what’s gone wrong in New York City public schools.
Trump Takes Page From Leftist Playbook With $5,000 Dividend Proposal
The Trump administration is willing to use public money for campaigning and gamble the country’s fiscal future, just like the leftists in Argentina who ran against Milei.
The Trump Administration Paid Federal Workers $9.5 Billion To Skip Work
How's that for efficiency?
The Fed Can't Fight Inflation Alone. Will Congress Do Its Part?
Lawmakers have to show they'll back the national debt with future fiscal surpluses, which means reining in government spending.
New York Wants To Scrap Testing Requirements While School Spending Soars
This week, the state's educational leaders moved to eliminate Regents exam requirements for high school students.
Close the Center
Plus: Embryos on ice, Venezuela's collapse, Talarico's lead, and more...
Is AI Really an Existential Threat?
Plus: California's new restrictions on social media, Trump's $5,000 “dividend,” and the future of libertarianism.
Trump and Vance's Plan To Bribe Voters With $5,000 Checks Shows MAGA Is Out of Ideas
By quickly endorsing Trump's ridiculous plan to bribe voters in the midterms, J.D. Vance reveals something about the future of Trumpism. There isn't one.
There's No Market Failure in Choosing to Stay Home. So Why Subsidize It?
J.D. Vance would like to give money to people for choices they're already making—without a workable plan to actually pay for it.
Some Bribes, as a Treat
Plus: Data center backlash, Anthropic job-loss predictions, and more...
The National Debt Has Crossed $40 Trillion. Both Parties Are Responsible.
And both are hiding behind a lie of omission.
How Much Will Andy Burnham's 'No. 10 North' Cost British Taxpayers?
Taxpayers have already paid $14,300 for branding the new office—and more than $1,300 for moving a replica Downing Street door to Manchester, according to a Freedom of Information request.
How Did America Get $40 Trillion in Debt?
Plus: Trump's trade war with Canada, the growing backlash against data centers, and calls to censor journalists in Britain
Planned New Battleships Come With a High Price Tag and an Uncertain Future
Large warships could prove to be expensive drone sponges without a clear mission.
