Congress Is Still Using 'Emergency Spending' on Non-Emergencies
Since Congress won't cut spending, an independent commission may be the only way to rein in the debt.
Infrastructure
China's Industrial Policy Is Failing. Will American Politicians Take Notice?
Panic over China's rapid economic growth has fueled all manner of big-government proposals. They're looking even more foolish now.
Biden's New 'Prevailing Wage' Rule Will Cost Taxpayers, Benefit Unions, and Hike Inflation
The Labor Department is officially undoing changes made to help combat inflation in the 1980s.
Industrial Policy Isn't About Creating Jobs
It's a short-sighted approach that distracts us from the more important question.
Do D.C. and Rhode Island Really Need $200 Million for Broadband Access?
How not to distribute federal funds
Biden's $42 Billion Broadband Boondoggle
More than 90 percent of Americans already have access to high-speed internet.
Should Drivers Have To Pay More To Register Electric Vehicles?
Texas's $200 annual E.V. fees seem like a lot of money but is largely in line with what owners would likely pay in gas taxes.
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.
Inflation Means We're Spending More Money on Less Highway
A new report from Reason Foundation shows that in 2020, highway quality improved while spending stayed flat. Inflation is now wrecking that progress.
It Took 15 Years for the Feds To Approve a 700-Mile Electric Line
It'll be another five years before it's operational.
Biden's 'Buy American' Rules Are Getting in the Way of Biden's Rural Broadband Push
Industrial policy is never as simple as it seems.
Progressive Politicians Are Regulating Their Own Projects Into Oblivion
Excessive government interference in the market hurts consumers and thwarts policy goals. It also gets in the way of the government itself.
America Needs a Better Kind of Capitalism
Big corporations and entire industries constantly use their connections in Congress to get favors, no matter which party is in power.
The Problem With the 'Abundance Agenda'
True abundance requires a minimal state and free markets.
The Government Is Subsidizing Microchip Firms—While Making It More Expensive To Produce Microchips
Politicians say they want to subsidize various industries, but they sabotage themselves by weighing the policies down with rules that have nothing to do with the plans.
Biden's 'Buy American' Promise Is a Lot More Complicated and Bureaucratic Than It Seems
An escalator in a subway station is considered a "component" but a fire suppression system in the same station is considered a "finished product." Why? Because the bureaucrats say so.
Biden Promises To Stop Waiving His Own Terrible 'Buy American' Mandates
The president's State of the Union address re-upped a tired, old promise to spend more tax dollars on less infrastructure.
Democrats Say They Support Green Energy. Why Do Their Policies Say Otherwise?
If you look closely, you'll find a lot of contradictions.
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.
Biden's 'Buy American' Rules Are Hamstringing Infrastructure Investments
State governments already want relief from the "Buy American" mandates included in the bipartisan infrastructure bill.
Divided Government Is Good. In 2023, Bipartisanship Would Be Better.
From immigration to drug reform, there is plenty of potential for productive compromise.
Environmentalists, Senate Republicans Unite to Kill Joe Manchin's Plan to Streamline Environmental Review
The West Virginia senator had proposed a series of exceedingly modest tweaks designed to speed up the yearslong environmental review process for new energy projects.
Ford's E.V. Charger Mandate Shows How Broken Dealership Laws Are
The current franchise dealership model does not benefit consumers. It also may not benefit dealerships.
What Would It Take for the Democrats To Really Be the Party of Opportunity?
Government should not penalize investment, thwart competition, discourage innovation and work, or obstruct production.
Christian Britschgi: Zoning Restrictions Worsen the Housing Crisis
Associate Editor Christian Britschgi breaks down how zoning restrictions distort the housing market.
How To Waste $1 Trillion
Why should we believe that this boondoggle will produce better results than hundreds of other corporate welfare programs?
California's Drought Is an Infrastructure Problem
California should build infrastructure, not shame water users.
Biden Says the Deficit Is Falling. Actually, It's Rising.
Under Biden, Trump, and Obama, government federal spending almost doubled.
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."
Biden's Protectionist Regulations Undermine His Own Infrastructure Plans
The White House is making it harder for people to request waivers from cost-increasing Buy America requirements in the $1.2 trillion infrastructure law.
The Biden Administration Is Ignoring How Its Policies Will Worsen Inflation. Again.
In the 1980s, the Reagan administration made changes to the Davis-Bacon Act to help control inflation. The Labor Department is planning to undo them.
Biden Praises Ukrainian 'Iron Will', Refuses To Use Ukrainian Iron in Infrastructure Projects
The president touted his support of cost-increasing 'Buy America' requirements for American infrastructure projects.
Why Can't We Build Anything?
The issue has never been a lack of funds for infrastructure; it's that the money frequently ends up getting spent on something else via a highly politicized decision-making process.
Who Will Pay for the Roads?
Taxpayers will pay the tab for spruced-up bridges and rebuilt freeways, doubling down on a worrying trend.
There Are Many Problems With Democrats' Plan for a Federal Gas Tax Holiday
A federal gasoline tax holiday would undermine the user fee system for funding highways and could worsen inflation.
Biden's Solar Panel Tariffs Make It Costlier To Meet Biden's Climate Goals
Nothing new under the sun as Biden decides to extend Trump's solar panel tariffs for four more years.
Pennsylvania's Fuel Tax Is Supposed To Fund Bridge Repair. Billions Went to Cops Instead.
Pennsylvania has one of the nation's highest gas taxes, but those user fees haven't helped fix the state's poor roads and bridges.
How Biden's Agenda Is Causing Inflation
Too Many (Government) Dollars Are Chasing Too Few Goods.
Biden To Spend $7.5 Billion on Chargers That Electric Car Owners Likely Won't Use
It's unwise to try to force consumer spending habits in defiance of the market.
Legislators Hid a Sneaky Crypto Reporting Provision in the Infrastructure Bill
It's even worse than the widely-skewered broker provision.
Biden's Regulatory Wish List Will Make Infrastructure Projects More Expensive
The 90-year-old Davis-Bacon Act artificially makes federal projects more expensive, and Biden seems to want to strengthen it.
Democrats' 'Build Back Better' Bill Is a Federal Power Grab. Americans Will Pay the Price.
The legislation will have a negative impact on the labor supply and send high prices soaring even higher.
The $1 Trillion Infrastructure Bill Spends a Lot More Money on the Same Old Highway Programs
Virginia spends around $35,000 per mile of state-controlled road. In New Jersey, it's $1.1 million. Both states are about to get a lot more federal funding.
Your Next Car May Refuse To Start if It Thinks You've Had a Drink
Get ready to pay for new nanny-state technology and for bypassing the unwelcome intervention.