Finally Approved as House Speaker, McCarthy Aims To Cut IRS Funding
Plus: More documents showcase government pressure on social platforms, appeals court to reconsider ban on nonviolent felon gun ownership, and more...
Government Spending
Fixing Congress' Broken Appropriations Process Is Worth This Mess
This week's Republican revolt against Kevin McCarthy is actually a rank-and-file revolt against the top-down process that both parties have used to control the House in recent years.
In 2022, the IRS Went After the Very Poorest Taxpayers
Despite $80 billion in new funding, the agency is living up to its reputation of hassling low-income taxpayers over rich people.
Ignoring the Anti-McCarthy Faction's Avowed Goals, The New York Times Sees Only 'Chaos and Confusion'
The paper attributes the fight over the election of the next House speaker to "anti-establishment fervor" and a lust for "personal power."
Government Spending Billions To Expand Broadband but Can't Tell Who Needs It
The Federal Communications Commission uses broadband coverage maps that are so severely flawed, states started shelling out to make their own.
The GOP Split on Ukraine Aid Isn't Really About Ukraine
For most aid critics, the urge to cut off Kyiv appears unconnected to any sort of principled realism, non-interventionism, or even isolationism.
Congress and the Federal Reserve Could Be Setting Us Up for Economic Disaster
If lawmakers keep spending like they are, and if the Fed backs down from taming inflation, then the government may create a perfect storm.
Charity and Capitalism Are Better Than Government
When I was young, I assumed government would lift people out of poverty. But those policies often do more harm than good.
Why Take Responsibility When You Can Blame Somebody Else?
The year’s highlights in buck passing feature petulant politicians, brazen bureaucrats, careless cops, loony lawyers, and junky journalists.
The Senate's Passage of the $1.7 Trillion Omnibus Spending Bill Is a Bipartisan Failure
A rushed process once again created a bad result.
The Failure To Enact Marijuana Banking and Crack Sentencing Reforms Is a Window on Congressional Dysfunction
Although both bills have broad bipartisan support, they never got a vote in the Senate and were excluded from the omnibus spending bill.
Congress Can Reduce the Deficit by $7.7 Trillion in 10 Years
The Congressional Budget Office projects that future deficits will explode. But there's a way out.
By Abolishing Fares, Big Cities Embrace Transit's Death Spiral
Transit officials and transit-boosting politicians in D.C., L.A., and New York City are warming to the idea of being totally dependent on taxpayer subsidies.
TSA Gets $400 Million for Pay Raises in Omnibus Spending Bill
The bill also gives TSA employees the power to collectively bargain, which means more pay raises are likely in the future.
$70 Million for Salmon, $3 Million for Bee-Friendly Highways, and More Absurdities in the Omnibus Spending Bill
Plus: An attempt to criminalize porn, D.C. hopes making tourism more expensive will boost tourism, and more…
A New FBI Building Would Cost Billions. Do We Even Need One?
Congress' end-of-the-year omnibus bill was delayed by arguments over where to build the new facility.
We Can Make It To Mars Without NASA
"We can—and should—develop space without government help," says Reason Foundation's Robert W. Poole.
Why Does Funding Government Take $1.7 Trillion and 4,000 Pages?
Plus: Title 42 order termination is on hold, the FTC vs. Meta, and more...
The Annual, Depressing 'Do Your Job Week' in Congress
Plus: The editors extend the discussion on the lack of immigration reform in this week’s bill.
Biden Is Set To Sign $858 Billion Pentagon Budget—One of the Biggest Ever
Plus: North Carolina strikes down voter ID law, more turmoil at Twitter, and more...
November's $249 Billion Federal Budget Deficit Set a Record. Now, Congress Is Preparing To Spend Even More.
The government spent $501 billion in November but collected just $252 billion in revenue, meaning that about 50 cents of every dollar spent were borrowed.
Subsidies To Help Workers Would Hurt Poor People
Some people would benefit. Others would lose money or be rendered unemployable.
The Supreme Court Will Hear a Second Challenge Over Biden's Student Loan Forgiveness Plan
As the Court agrees to take up yet another case against the Education Department's loan forgiveness plan, Biden's goal of forgiving billions in student loans seems increasingly doomed.
Congress Has a New Scapegoat for COVID Fraud: Banking Apps
Fintech platforms facilitated fraud in the Paycheck Protection Program, according to a new congressional report.
Pandemic Repairs Were Supposed To Put D.C. Metro Back on Track. Then It Literally Went Off the Rails.
Putting the district's train system back on track will take more than better bureaucracy.
Congress' Lame-Duck Legislators Want To Spend Money Like We're Still in a Pandemic
It's especially outrageous when considering the billions of dollars in fraud that took place thanks to COVID-19 relief programs.
Biden's Student Loan Debt Forgiveness Plan Just Faced Its Third Major Setback in a Month
On Wednesday, a federal appeals court denied the Biden administration's request to block a Texas judge's ruling that declared the policy unconstitutional.
After House Democrats' Midterm Defeat, Nancy Pelosi Says She'll Step Down From Congressional Leadership
The first female speaker of the House leaves behind a legacy of big government liberalism.
Republicans Need an Actual Plan To Grow the Economy
The biggest beneficiaries of economic growth are poor people. But the deepest case for economic growth is a moral one.
Biden's Student Loan Forgiveness Plan Gets Blocked Again
On Monday, a federal appeals court placed an injunction on Biden's student loan forgiveness plan, marking the second major setback for the proposal in recent days.
NASA's Costly, Delayed Mission To Update Its Spacesuits
NASA has spent more than $420 million on the development of spacesuits with very little to show for it.
The Space Force Is an Expensive Farce
Why does the newest branch of the U.S. military need horses?
There's No Good Reason To Expand Government-Funded School Lunches
It's an expensive policy with little upside.
Farm Subsidies and Food Stamps Won't Fix High Grocery Prices. Innovation Will.
With government meddling, many farmers end up doing less with more, and people end up paying more for less.
In Arizona's Senate Race, Blake Masters and Mark Kelly Battle Over Their Preferred Kinds of Big Government
Though the candidates have seemingly little in common, either one winning will harm the cause of individual liberty.
Air Force One Cost Overruns Are a Reminder of How Expensive an Imperial Presidency Can Be
Boeing reports that the two new presidential shuttles its building will now be $2 billion over budget.
A GOP-Led Congress May Focus on Owning the Libs. Instead, It Should Focus on Owning Inflation.
If the midterms favor Republicans, their top priority needs to be the fight against inflation—whether or not they feel like they created the problem.
White House Deletes Tweet Praising Biden for Inflation
In a now-deleted tweet, the official White House Twitter account attempted to frame a mandated cost-of-living increase in Social Security checks as the result of President Biden's good "leadership."
Illinois Voters Asked Whether To Give Government Unions Veto Power Over Laws They Don't Like
Amendment 1 would grant public workers collective bargaining power over just about anything that affects them, ignoring the will of voters and lawmakers.
San Francisco Wants To Spend $1.7 Million on a Single Public Toilet
Local officials argue that the eye-popping sum is necessary due to rising construction costs, but experts disagree.
New Prime Minister Rishi Sunak Will Probably Disappoint Fans of Free Markets
After 50 days, Liz Truss is out as the U.K. prime minister and Rishi Sunak is in.
D.C. Rehired Cops and Paid Them $14 Million in Back Pay.
Out of 37 officers who were terminated and later reinstated, 17 had committed acts deemed a "threat to safety."
Federal Court Issues Dubious Decision Dismissing Six-State Lawsuit Against Biden Loan Forgiveness Program for Lack of Standing [Updated]
The ruling is based on badly flawed reasoning, and may well be overturned on appeal. Even if it isn't, the plaintiff states have an obvious way to get around it.
Polling Data Suggest That Student Loan Debt Relief Is Not Very Important to Young Voters
The new survey, released by Data for Progress, could spell trouble for Democrats hoping for gains in November following Biden's debt relief plan.
