Government Spending
Prison Unions Punish California Taxpayers
Costs are rising even as the prison population gets smaller.
Trump's Medicaid 'Cuts' Actually Increase Federal Spending
Under Trump's budget, Medicaid spending would reach the highest level in U.S. history.
Trump's Transportation Boondoggles
Donald Trump's budget calls for cuts to transportation spending, yet his administration keeps giving the green light to dubious projects.
Trump's Half-Baked Budget
Its projection relies on giddy GDP growth estimates that few credible economists, liberal or conservative, take seriously.
Trump's Budget Plan: The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly
It doesn't cut overall spending, it's based on gimmicks, but it does slash some programs.
Hey Libertarians: Prepare To Be Disappointed in Trump's 10-Year Budget Plan
He'll cut less than we want, exaggerate economic growth, and pretend it all balances out in 2028.
Vive La Trump? Definitely Not Yet.
The U.S. could be on the path to French-style economic sclerosis.
Here Are the Cuts to Make Tax Reform Work
The problem that has long plagued reformers in the two controlling parties is the failure to put a stop to spending.
Rand Paul: Budget Deal Should Be Renamed 'The Status Quo Protection Act'
Libertarian-leaners are lonely voices on Capitol Hill opposing the latest bipartisan spending spree
Congress Reaches Spending Deal; 'Skinny Budget' Goes Out the Window
You didn't think they were really going to defund public broadcasting and slash the EPA by 31 percent, did you?
Yes, Science, But How About a March for Math?
Innumerates number the ranks of politicians and bureaucrats.
Forget Reagan: Trump's Tax Plan Is More Like George W. Bush
Instead of permanent tax reform we get temporary taxcut-and-spend, again.
France Election Preview: Terrorism, Socialism, Nationalist Socialism, and the Prospects for Economic Liberalization
Voters go to the polls Sunday, where two candidates will advance to the final round.
Publicly-Funded Ballparks Are for Suckers
The cases of Hartford, Ct., Richmond, Va., and Gwinnett, Ga.
Trump's Budget Director Confirms: The Export-Import Bank Will 'Continue to Exist' (UPDATE: Trump Declares the Bank a 'Very Good Thing')
If we're going to kill this corporate-welfare program, we can't count on the White House to help.
Is the Sky the Limit for the Debt Ceiling?
The best place to start would be a cap on all spending or a strict cut-as-you-go system.
No, LGBT Rights Are Not and Should Not Be Dependent on Census Questions
This week's fake outrage confuses welfare spending with equal government protection and blames Trump.
The Coming Federal Fiscal Binge
Ready for another round of tax cuts combined with spending increases?
Trump's Military Budget Is Not NATO's Fault
Trump leaves the impression that Americans shoulder an unnecessarily large military burden because some NATO members underfund their military establishments. But that's nonsense.
Apparently Tax and Spending Cuts are Either Too Small or Too Big, but Never Just Right
Advocates of ever increasing spending will never meet a cut they won't overreact to.
Hacking Away at the Budget Is the Humane Thing To Do
It's a tragedy that President Trump didn't use this moment to try to cut more, and to cut the biggest unsustainable spending: Medicare and Social Security.
Trump Budget Cuts: Real or 'Reality' Show?
The Trump "budget cuts" are best understood as a kind of theater or performance art.
Trump Preserves the Export-Import Bank
If you're against corporate welfare, the president's budget has some good news-and a lot more bad news.
Another Taxpayer-Funded Cleantech Company Goes Bankrupt
Aquion Energy files for Chapter 11. Will Tesla's Gigafactory be next?
Federal Infrastructure Spending Is a Bad Deal
Trump should choose privatization over nationalization.
Trump's Sanctuary City Funding Threat Protects Police Money
Law enforcement representatives had worried about loss of grants.
Will Donald Trump Cut Public Broadcasting Loose, Or Will He Decide He's the Man to Make It Great Again?
A predictable debate meets an unpredictable president.
The Problem With Block Grants
The block grant provides an opportunity for government spending unconnected to the act of revenue-raising.
Trump Brings Back Ban on Funds for Groups That Promote Abortion, While Congress Reconsiders Global Anti-Prostitution Pledge
Here we go again, and again, and again...
Even the Feds are Warning that California's Bullet Train Is a Disaster in the Making
When even the experts in boondoggles are worried…
Runaway Deficits Forever
Is anybody actually interested in balancing the federal budget?
Challenge Grant Time in the Reason Webathon! Because We Still Treat Presidential Politics as if (Bad) Ideas Matter
From Bernie to Hillary, from Trump to the chumps in Congress, we used the spectacle of politics to argue about the substance of policy.
Drain the Swamp!
Government spending and crony capitalism are out of control, and few people bother to go to Washington to ask for spending cuts.
Trump's Infrastructure Illusions
Yet another federal spending spree isn't going to fix what ails us.
The Pentagon Accounts for More Than Half of the Federal Government's $1 Billion PR Budget
More than 5,000 people work in the federal government's PR machines; more than at the Department of Education.
Spending Other People's Money Makes Trump a Perfect Fit for Washington
Staring into the abyss.
Cincinnati Streetcar Is Exactly the Spectacular Shitshow Everyone Expected It To Be
Bomb threats, broken ticket kiosks, and contract disputes with streetcar managers have plagued Cincinnati Bell Connector's opening week.
Congress to Embrace Its Favorite Pastime, Kicking the Can on Spending
The message from the GOP appears to be that the only thing that matters is winning elections.
Regardless of Aleppo, Gary Johnson Is Only Candidate Talking Spending Cuts and Foreign-Policy Restraint
Wash Post op-ed lays out strong case for a president not beholden to either Dems or GOP.
New Donor to Clinton Foundation Revealed: It's You.
Thanks for paying for the pensions and benefits of connected Beltway staff.
Will a Zombie Congress Devour Our Gains?
Well...more than the non-zombie Congress already does.
National Security Policy Is Just One Big Trolley Problem
Not everything can be a "top priority." We have to choose.
Whatever Happened to a Balanced Budget?
Deficits aren't in the trillion dollar range anymore so that's supposed to be good.
Donald Trump Promises to Out-Pork All Comers With More Than $500 Billion in Infrastructure Spending
He won't have his massive spending plans outdone by Hillary Clinton.
Imbalance of Campaign Cash Doesn't Bother Democrats This Election
Trump's shoestring campaign is subsisting on less than half of Clinton's vast fortune, yet the usual voices supporting taxpayer-funded political campaigns have fallen strangely silent.
