Government Spending
Why Did Joe Biden Stop Talking About the Deficit?
The federal budget deficit has exploded under Biden's watch, and he can no longer pretend otherwise.
Biden's Latest Student Loan Scheme Has a Bigger Price Tag Than Originally Projected
The administration’s SAVE plan for student loan forgiveness is estimated to cost $475 billion.
A Decade After Bankruptcy, Is Detroit Better?
The 2013 bankruptcy filing didn't make the city more prosperous, more functional, or less corrupt.
'Bidenomics,' Like All Industrial Policy, Sucks
Plus: Does Tom Cruise really do all of his own stunts?
Biden Forgives Almost $40 Billion in Student Loans
The spate of forgiveness reconciles administrative errors when carrying out changes to income-driven repayment plans.
'Bidenomics' Is Nothing New
It's a familiar program. And it will result in higher prices, slower growth, and fewer jobs.
Get Your Politics Out of My Pickleball
Fault lines emerge as government gets involved in America's weirdest, fastest-growing sport.
Can Biden Still Forgive Student Debt?
Biden wants to use the Higher Education Act of 1965 to forgive student loans. But that plan has major issues.
Biden's Changes to Income-Based Student Loan Repayment Could Cost Billions
Biden plans to slash minimum monthly payments to just 5 percent of borrowers' income.
This Election Season, Beware of These False Promises
Many politicians offer a simplified view of the world—one in which government interventions are all benefits and no costs. That couldn't be further from the truth.
Is Debating Debt Policy Actually Terrorism?
The fight over the debt ceiling has foreshadowed how the policy debates of the presidential election cycle are likely to go.
Despite SCOTUS Smackdown, Biden Will Still Extract Billions From Taxpayers for Student Loans
Biden's proposed income-driven repayment plan could still cost taxpayers billions. And it will likely raise tuition too.
Joe Biden's Incoherent Student Loan Logic
Plus: Fewer cops, less crime; free beer; and more....
My CNN Article on "Why the Supreme Court Got it Right on Student Loans"
The article goes over the main reasons why the Court's decision was justified.
The Next President Needs To Cut Spending
At a minimum, the national debt should be smaller than the size of the economy. A committed president just might be able to deliver.
CBO Projects Huge Deficits, $116 Trillion in New Borrowing Over the Next 30 Years
A new Congressional Budget Office report warns of "significant economic and financial consequences" caused by the federal government's reckless borrowing.
Fearmongering Won't Solve Climate Change
Global warming is an issue. But there are other pressing problems that deserve the world's attention.
Trucking Company, Careening Toward Bankruptcy, Could Default on $700 Million Federal Bailout Loan
After losing more than $100 million in a single year, Yellow Corporation got a $700 million pandemic assistance loan from the government. It has only paid $230 on the principal.
Scammers Stole $200 Billion From Two Federal COVID Aid Programs
A new audit says one out of every $6 distributed by the Small Business Administration during the pandemic was stolen.
Biden's $42 Billion Broadband Boondoggle
More than 90 percent of Americans already have access to high-speed internet.
Price Tag of NASA's Martian Rock Retrieval Mission Is Skyrocketing
The Mars Sample Retrieval program is now estimated to cost double than what was originally projected.
Economic Freedom Is Declining in the U.S.
We once ranked No. 4 in the world, according to the Heritage Foundation. Now we're 25th.
The Fed Won't Save Us From the Inflation Iceberg
Plus: Was Gerald Ford right to pardon Richard Nixon?
Can Republicans Fix Student Debt?
Unlike Democrats, Senate and House Republicans have released proposals that would actually tackle the root causes of increasing student loan debt.
Over $400 Billion in COVID Aid Was Stolen or Wasted
A new Associated Press analysis of government data suggests 10 percent of all COVID aid was lost to fraud or theft. That figure will likely grow.
Movie Industry Says Georgia's Film Tax Credits Are Great. State Auditors Say They're a Waste of Money.
Contradicting a new report funded by entertainment industry advocates, state auditors have cast significant doubts on the tax credit program's actual effectiveness.
The Debt Ceiling Deal Does Not Go Nearly Far Enough
Projections of huge savings are making the rounds. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The Student Loan Pause Has Made Borrowers Worse Off
A new working paper finds that borrowers whose loan payments were paused actually had more debt at the end of 2021 than those whose loans were never paused.
CBO: Debt Ceiling Deal Means 78,000 More Able-Bodied, Childless Adults Could Get Food Stamps
New work requirements will target those over age 50, but the debt ceiling deal also loosens existing work requirements for those under age 50.
Debt Ceiling Deal Will End The Student Loan Repayment Pause
If the debt ceiling bill passes, the Education Department will be barred from extending the student loan repayment pause yet again.
Social Security and Medicare Are Ticking Time Bombs
Even taking all the money from every billionaire wouldn't cover our coming bankruptcy.
Conservatives Rage Against Debt Ceiling Bill: 'Not One Republican Should Vote for This'
But a lot of Republicans probably will.
Banging Our Heads on the Debt Ceiling
Plus: A listener question cross-examines prior Reason Roundtable discussions surrounding immigration, economic growth, and birthrates.
Debt Ceiling Bill 'Locks in the Inflated Spending Levels of Recent Years'
Plus: Artificial intelligence and jobs, how government caused a lifeguard shortage, and more...
Debt Ceiling Deal Curtails GOP-Backed Budget Cuts, Spending Caps
The deal will freeze non-military discretionary spending this year and allow a 1 percent increase in 2024.
Taxing the Rich Will Have No Meaningful Effect on Our Sky-High National Debt
The U.S. tax system is extremely progressive, even compared to European countries—whose governments rely on taxing the middle class.
Do the Natcons Get Anything Right?
Plus: A listener asks if the Roundtable has given the arguments of those opposed to low-skilled immigration a fair hearing.
Worried About the Debt Fight? Make the Hard Spending Decisions That Politicians Won't!
The debt ceiling isn’t the issue; excessive federal spending is the real problem.
As Rail Riders Disappear, the Feds Want To Spend $8.8 Billion Expanding a Rail Station
The rail lines servicing Washington, D.C.'s Union Station are carrying as little as a quarter of their pre-pandemic ridership. Officials still want to triple the station's capacity.
Did the Pentagon Just Make a $3 Billion Accounting Error—or Did It Do Something Even Worse?
The Pentagon’s “accounting error” will allow President Joe Biden to send an extra $3 billion in military aid to Ukraine without congressional approval. Was this deliberate?
Conservatives Pushing 'Common Good Capitalism' Sound a Lot Like Progressives
The ideology champions the same tired policies that big government types predictably propose whenever they see something they don't like.
There Is No Party of Immigration in American Politics
Plus: A listener question concerning the key to a libertarian future—should we reshape current systems or rely upon technological exits like bitcoin and encryption?
Did California Gov. Gavin Newsom's Luck Finally Run Out?
After getting lucky for his first few years in office, Newsom now faces his first major budgetary crisis. How he responds will show a lot about his leadership skills.
Lawsuit: It's Time To Start Paying Off Those Student Loans Again
The lawsuit claims that the pause has cost taxpayers "$160 billion and counting."
The Debt Ceiling Fight Is a Reminder of America's Dire Fiscal Future
The longer we wait to address our debt, the more painful it will be.
Biden Falsely Bragged About Lowering the Budget Deficit. Now, It Is Predictably Rising Again.
Last year, Biden was trying to take credit for "the largest drop ever" in the federal budget deficit. Now, the deficit is almost three times as large as it was a year ago.
