The Federal Government Spent Nearly $3 Trillion on Coronavirus Relief. Oversight Has Been a Mess.
Members of Congress may have benefited from small business funds, and government watchdogs are warning that the program appears susceptible to fraud.
Government Spending
Give Individuals and Small Businesses a Government-Backed Line of Credit
An economic response to COVID-19 that's fiscally responsible.
It's Official: Money Printer Go Brrr
The Reason Roundtable discusses Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's 60 Minutes admission, as well as the Libertarian Party presidential race post-Justin Amash
As COVID-19 Approached, CDC Asked Congress for More Money To Fight the Drug War
Most of the items included in the CDC's 2021 budget request are important, serious matters. But many have nothing to do with the agency's mission.
The Next Coronavirus Stimulus Bill Is Here. It's a $3 Trillion Spending Plan That Bails Out States and the Post Office.
The new bill includes another round of stimulus checks for all Americans, funds additional coronavirus testing, and spends billions to bail out states and government agencies straining under pension debt.
Coronavirus Stimulus Has Cost $3.6 Trillion, but Oversight Is Still Severely Lacking
Before spending another dollar, Congress should make sure someone is keeping an eye how the largest pile of government cash in American history is being spent.
The Next Stimulus: Infrastructure Week, Another Rural Broadband Boondoggle, and Maybe a Sports Bailout?
It's obvious that there will be more government spending in response to the coronavirus, but distinguishing the essential from the nice-to-have is more important than ever.
Health Care Expert Avik Roy on Saving the Economy From COVID-19
"The more we lock down the economy, the more we harm those individuals who are most vulnerable, who don't have the cash cushions or the white-collar jobs that allow them to keep going."
Coronavirus Reveals Utter Sameness of Democrats and Republicans
The election committees of both parties use the same language to attack Rep. Justin Amash (I–Mich.).
Are There Fiscal Conservatives in a Pandemic? The Club for Growth Says It Doesn't Matter.
The Club for Growth prides itself on holding lawmakers accountable "by publicizing their voting record." Except, well…not right now.
How the Government Bungled the Coronavirus Response
"We have the capacity to keep this contained," Mayor Bill de Blasio told New Yorkers on March 2.
Airlines Make Out Like Bandits in $2.3 Trillion Coronavirus Aid Bill
A lot of industries and individuals are suffering right now. A select few corporations are getting big bailouts.
Massie, and That Pesky Constitution, Hold Up COVID-19 Bailout Bill
Plus: civic dynamism on display, Justice Department embraces home detainment of federal prisoners, and more...
The Senate's COVID-19 Relief Bill Is a Crony Capitalist Dream
Plus: COVID-19 in prisons and jails, Trump campaign threatens TV stations, state disparities in new coronavirus cases, and more...
A Trillion-Dollar Deficit This Year Is Now Officially the Best Case Scenario
The coronavirus is going to crater tax revenues and hike spending. And the Congressional Budget Office says the deficit was going to exceed $1 trillion even before all that.
Coronavirus Is the Health of the State
The disease will leave behind a residue of laws, spending, and precedents for future government actions.
No, Stimulus Spending Wouldn't Be an Economic Vaccine Against the Coronavirus
If it works at all (and it usually doesn't), a fiscal stimulus is meant to boost demand. The biggest potential economic problem from coronavirus has to do with supply.
CPAC Promised To Take on Socialism but Couldn't Even Take on Trump's Spending
There was a deficit of debt talk at the conservative conference.
Trump's Proposed Cuts to Farm Subsidies Don't Go Nearly Deep Enough
Instead of taking a little off the top, Trump needs to give farm subsidies a buzz cut.
The National Debt Is 'Unsustainable' and the Pentagon's Finances Are a Total Mess, Federal Audit Says
"Absent policy changes, the federal government continues to face an unsustainable long-term fiscal path," America's top auditor warns. But is anyone listening?
How Much More Should Trump Be Spending on You?
Federal outlays per person have increased $1,441 since 2016, to a grand total of $14,652 per person.
Trump's Budget Follows in the Footsteps of Giant Spenders
It’s a testament to fiscal irresponsibility.
Buttigieg Makes the Democratic Case for Cutting Debt
Plus: Josh Hawley's latest terrible idea, sex work divides NOW, Gary Johnson's 2020 endorsement, and more...
Uncle Sam Doubles Down on His Spending Addiction
The federal government is not a good steward of your money.
Trump Has Fully Embraced the Idea That Deficits Don't Matter
The president likes things big, so that apparently applies to government budgets too.
House Democrats' $760 Billion Infrastructure Proposal Has Lots of Funding Proposals, Few Proposed Funding Sources
The "Moving Forward Framework" includes some sensible reforms alongside expensive, dubious policy proposals.
The 2020s Will Be the Decade of Deficit Doomsday
America will have to pay for its spending spree and its wars.
Was 2019 the Year of Peak Entitlement Mentality?
Federal budget deficits continue to grow despite a thriving economy
America's Forgotten Debt
Neither party is serious about reining in spending. This is unsustainable.
Should Public Buses Be Free to Riders?
Kansas City wants everyone except bus riders to pay for bus rides.
No, Trump's Food Stamp Plan Wouldn't Have Cut Off AOC's Family
This is why we can't have serious conversations about government spending.
Congress' Continuing Resolution Is an Opportunity for Reform
Budget negotiations offer lawmakers the opportunity to ditch tax carve-outs and cut spending.
Rand Paul: Feds Wasted Millions Subsidizing Serbian Cheese Production
But at least they had enough tax dollars left over to buy a Bob Dylan-made sculpture for the U.S. embassy in Mozambique, and to get zebrafish addicted to nicotine in London.
Ilhan Omar's $1 Trillion Housing Proposal Is an Expensive Joke
The Homes for All Act misdiagnoses the roots of the country's housing problems, then adds a boundless faith in the feds' ability to solve them.
The First Amendment and Government Property: Free Speech Rules (Episode 8)
Episode 8 of Free Speech Rules by UCLA Law Professor Eugene Volokh
Pete Buttigieg Has a $1 Trillion Plan to Drive Up Housing, College, and Labor Costs
Dramatic increases in federal spending will not “unlock access” for the poor. It will only help those with the right connections.
Plans by Warren and Sanders Neglect Logic, Math, and Honesty
The Democratic candidates are making promises they can’t deliver.
Federal Deficit Hit $984 Billion Last Year—a Nearly 50 Percent Increase Since Trump Took Office
In three years in office, Trump has added more to the national debt than President George W. Bush did in his entire two terms.
'Most Americans Don't Want To Work for the Federal Government' Says Andrew Yang, Trashing Federal Jobs Guarantee
The entrepreneur argued instead for a federal universal basic income proposal that would provide every American $1,000 a month.
Don't Worry, Partisan Politics Isn't Getting in the Way of Government Spending
Climate strikes, "Medicare for All," national security whistleblowers, and Canadian blackface scandals are all distractions from D.C.'s core function: spending more money than we have.
The Progressive Feeding Frenzy
The progressive agenda assumes that no amount of taking will ever lead to less earning.
Democrats' Anti-Scientific Climate Dystopias
What last week's town hall tells us about this week's presidential debate—and about the state of Democratic policy thinking
America's Roads Are Getting Bumpier and More Dangerous
A new report from the Reason Foundation highlights some of the worsening conditions of America's roadways.
Democrats Debate To Determine Who Will Spend Us Into Oblivion
The idea that "deficits don't matter" has been growing among Trump-supporting Republicans. Democrats are preparing to take full advantage.
There's No Such Thing as 'Free Money' or Meaningless Deficits
As debt soars, federal payments to service the debt will crowd out the government's core spending responsibilities.