Field of Welfare: How COVID Funds Might Build a Money-Losing Ballpark in a Cornfield
Is there a single movie more tied up with lousy government policy than Field of Dreams?
Government Spending
The Inflation Reduction Act Won't Meaningfully Address the Budget Deficit
Congress has added $2.4 trillion to the long-term deficit since President Joe Biden took office. Now they want credit for reducing the deficit by $300 billion?
Democrats' Rejection of Permit Streamlining Resolution Doesn't Bode Well for Joe Manchin's 'Side Deal'
The West Virginia senator conditioned his support for the Inflation Reduction Act on reforming federal environmental review laws. His Senate colleagues don't seem so hot on the idea.
Senate Passes $740 Billion 'Inflation Reduction Act' That Will Probably Make Inflation Worse
Plus: Inside Trump's family separation policy, a Grammarly for government, and more...
Jon Stewart Accuses GOP of 'Cruelty' for Wanting Minor Amendments to Pricey Veterans' Bill
Senate Republicans have raised reasonable objections that legislation covering veterans' health conditions linked to toxic burn pits will allow for more spending on unrelated items.
Does the Democrats' New Inflation Bill Have Anything To Do With Inflation?
Plus: The editors each analyze their biggest “I was wrong” moment from past work.
The 'Inflation Reduction Act' Won't Actually Reduce Inflation
But it will hike taxes, including on Americans earning less than $200,000 annually.
The Federal Student Loan Program Was Supposed To Pay for Itself. Now, It'll Cost Taxpayers $197 Billion
A new report from the Government Accountability Office found that the Federal Student Loan Program will cost over $300 billion more than originally predicted.
Maxine Waters Says She May Not Vote for 'Shameful' Inflation Reduction Act, Citing Lack of Housing Spending
The new reconciliation bill also nixes a zoning reform program that had been included in the more expansive Build Back Better bill.
Supersizing the IRS Will Hurt the Working Rich, Not Fat-Cat Tax Evaders
And it also won't help us recover from the recession we're definitely not in.
Schumer, Manchin Strike Deal To Raise Taxes, Cut the Deficit, Spend Billions on Climate Change
The proposal reportedly hikes taxes by over $730 billion, with $300 billion of that money to be used for reducing the federal budget deficit.
Did Joe Manchin Just Sink Biden's 'Build Back Better' Plan Again?
Plus: Why government responses to risk can create more harm than good, why Denver will no longer block illegal immigrants from starting businesses, and more...
The Left and Right Are Living in Different Realities
The risk of broad and overcautious policies is one we should take more seriously.
Biden's Policies Have Increased, Not Reduced, Future Budget Deficits
Dissecting the president's misleading claims about falling deficits
Democrats Are Trying To Push Through Another 'Build Back Better' Bill. It Would Only Make Inflation Worse.
Here's hoping we don't wind up with more of the spending and favoritism that's become so common.
The Army Thinks Printers Cost Over $1 Million
Poor accounting practices mean the Department of Defense can't even tell how much money or equipment it has lost.
America's Involvement in Ukraine Increasingly Looks Like War
Joe Biden announced an additional $800 million in weapons aid for Ukraine following last week's news that CIA personnel are directing intelligence in Kyiv.
California Fights Inflation by Sending People Free Money
Plus: A New Hampshire distiller fights invasive species by turning them into whiskey, a New York City law letting non-citizens vote is overturned, and more...
Greg Abbott Spent $1,400 a Head To Bus Migrants to D.C. for a Political Stunt
Texas taxpayers might be stuck footing the hefty bill for Abbott's busing scheme.
Blame Congress for Pandemic Fraud
The inconvenient truth behind all the COVID-19 relief fraud and waste is that these government programs never should have been designed as they were.
After $6 Trillion in COVID Spending, Team Biden Is Still Complaining About a Lack of Pandemic Funds
Democrats passed trillions in pandemic relief but continue to cry poor.
Federal COVID Aid to States and Localities Cost $855,000 Per Job Saved
A new paper reveals that the state and local bailout was not only unnecessary but incredibly wasteful.
The Gas Tax Makes Sense. Biden Considers Canceling It.
Road maintenance and construction don't suddenly become free because gas hits $5 a gallon.
Rand Paul Asked Senators To Balance the Budget. Only 28 Agreed.
Rising interest rates will only make it harder to balance the budget in future years.
A Wonky Evisceration of Biden's Bad Deficit Math
Interest rates and servicing costs could push us into worrisome territory sooner than we think.
The U.S. Is Spending $130 Million a Day on Military Aid for Ukraine Without Meaningful Congressional Oversight
Lawmakers are avoiding important debates about America's role in the conflict and the potential for misuse of funds and weapons.
Does Affordable Housing Make the Surrounding Neighborhood Less Affordable?
A Urban Institute research brief found that affordable housing developments in Alexandria, Virginia, were associated with a small increase in surrounding property values.
Why Biden's Claim of Cutting the Deficit Is False, in a Single Chart
...and why government spending is like an infestation of cicadas.
U.S. Spent Over $21 Billion on Afghan Police, Got 'Barely Qualified Mall Guards'
New SIGAR findings shine a light on America’s dysfunctional efforts to train the Afghan National Police, which “actually contributed to increasing criminality” in Afghanistan.
Why Everything About Politics Sucks, in 1 Chart
Only 6 percent of Americans say the federal government is extremely "careful with taxpayer money," yet those same Americans consistently report that they want the government to do more.
Biden Says the Deficit Is Falling. Actually, It's Rising.
Under Biden, Trump, and Obama, government federal spending almost doubled.
Watchdog Report: At Least 20 Percent of Federal Pandemic Unemployment Dollars Wasted
A new report from the Government Accountability Office found that nearly $80 billion was paid out to ineligible beneficiaries or outright fraudsters.
Burn Pit Bill Creates Massive, Debt-Fueled Backdoor Expansion of the V.A. Health Care System
Iraq and Afghanistan veterans wouldn't have to show any link between their service and a long list of medical conditions to obtain government-funded healthcare.
Do We Really Need 100 Different Federal Programs To Fund Broadband?
A new GAO report finds that the government lacks a "national strategy with clear roles, goals, objectives, and performance measures."
The American Rescue Plan Bailed Out Unprofitable Government-Owned Golf Courses
Perhaps the government shouldn't be running golf courses in the first place?
Biden's Plan for Reducing Inflation Will Actually Make It Worse
The president's argument is amazing for its tone-deafness, inconsistent thinking, and sheer economic ignorance.
Government Employees Got $872 Million in Bonuses Out of COVID Aid Cash
The federal bailout of state and local governments padded the paychecks of many public employees.
Biden (Almost) Admits That His Own Stimulus Spending Stoked Inflation
Biden's three-point plan to tackle inflation is really a one-point plan: Let the Federal Reserve handle this mess.
The Return of Earmarks Means More Pork-Barrel Spending by Congress
Lawmakers stuffed more than $8 billion in pet projects into an omnibus federal spending bill passed in March. But wait, didn't Congress ban earmarks back in 2011?
New CBO Report Exposes Biden's Deficit-Reduction Misinformation
The president is trying to claim credit for falling deficits. Actually, his administration has overseen a $2.4 trillion increase in the long-term deficit.
Tucker Carlson's Great Replacement Theory Is Spectacularly Wrong
Republicans have thrived since Ronald Reagan granted amnesty to 2.7 million mostly Mexican illegal immigrants in 1986.
Jerome Powell, Who Wildly Misjudged Inflation, Is Overwhelmingly Reconfirmed as Fed Chair
There is seldom any meaningful accountability for government incompetence.
Bad Policy Creates Inflation and Opens the Door to Even Worse Ideas
When politicians break the economy, they hurt us in the short term but also create future opportunities to do harm in the name of undoing the damage they inflicted.
The V.A. Bought 10,000 iPhones for Veterans. 8,544 of Them Were Never Used.
The department lost nearly $2.4 million on data plans for iPhones and iPads that sat in storage.
A Global Tax Cartel Would Be as Bad as It Sounds
Several studies have found that the vast majority of costs incurred by increased corporate taxes are passed along to workers in the form of lower wages.
Joe Biden's Phony Fiscal Responsibility
Biden gloats over a historically astronomical budget deficit as if he's accomplished something significant. He hasn't.
Don't Wait! The National Debt Is Only Getting Worse
New CBO report shows that the longer Congress waits to deal with the debt, the bigger the problem becomes.
The World Is Back on a War Footing and We'll All Pay the Price
Mourn the end of a too-brief interlude of relative peace and prosperity.
