The PPP Was a COVID-Era Disaster. Trump Wants To Promote the Guy Who Ran It.
After overseeing the pandemic-era Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which was a bloated, wasteful mess, Michael Faulkender is failing up.
Stimulus
'Vast Majority' of Pandemic Employee Retention Credit Claims Are Likely Scams, Says IRS
Just the latest development in the continuing saga of COVID stimulus fraud.
COVID Stimulus Money Lined the Pockets of Scammers and Fueled Inflation
Money supposedly spent to help Americans may actually have done a lot of damage.
Say No to This: America's Fiscal Norms Are in Decline
Despite their informal nature, those norms have historically constrained U.S. fiscal policy. But they're eroding.
The 'Vibescession' Will Continue Until Interest Rates Fall
A new economic paper explains why interest rates are the missing piece to understanding why people are unhappy about a seemingly strong economy.
Full Extent of COVID Fraud Will 'Never Be Known With Certainty'
A new GAO report details federal prosecutors' attempts to put the horse back in the barn.
House Republicans Vote Ilhan Omar to Foreign Affairs Committee Just To Kick Her Off the Next Day
Plus: Judge strikes down Super Bowl censorship law, report details how much inflation was driven by stimulus spending, and more...
COVID Stimulus Spending Played 'Sizable Role' in Inflation
Fiscal stimulus during the pandemic contributed to an increase in inflation of about 2.6 percentage points.
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.
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.
Don't Bet on Inflation Going Away Soon
"The history of developed countries since 1970 is very discouraging about the prospects of bringing down 8 percent inflation," says Larry Summers.
Netflix Teams Up With the Obamas To Produce Big Government Propaganda
The G Word, a new documentary, only occasionally covers serious issues. But it opts not to do honest reporting.
Drugs, Debt, and Masculinity
Plus: The editors wade into the conversation surrounding the modern dilemmas men face.
Millions of PPP Loans Were Flagged as Potentially Fraudulent. Many Were Never Investigated.
A new report takes an illustrative look inside the Small Business Administration, which was clearly overwhelmed by the obligation to push unprecedented piles of money out the door quickly.
Here's Why Biden Is Wrong About the Deficit
His administration has expanded deficits by $400 billion more than expected, even before we count recent spending.
Rising Grocery Prices Pushed Annual Inflation to 8.3 Percent in August
Even as gas prices continued to tumble, rising prices for food and housing pushed inflation higher in August and proved that prices aren't cooling off yet.
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...
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.
Is High Inflation the New Normal?
With inflation running above 7 percent, we are experiencing the strongest price pressures in nearly 40 years.
Biden's Dishonest Attempt To Pin Inflation on Putin
The White House's latest attempt to scapegoat rising prices ignores everything that happened before the past three weeks.
The Federal Government's Pandemic Jobs Program Was a Resounding Failure
Most of the $800 billion Paycheck Protection Program went to business owners, not preserving jobs, according to a new study.
This Texas Town Rejected Stimulus Money to Avoid Vaccine Mandates
"Obviously we could have used the money, but at what cost?,” says Sheila Hemphill, an activist and lobbyist from Brady, Texas
COVID Proves Andrew Yang's UBI Won't Work
Can the government really cut everyone a check without bankrupting the country and killing labor force participation?
Temporary Government Checks Produce Better Poverty Numbers…Temporarily
Plus: Mistrial motion granted for Backpage defendants, court halts vaccine mandate for New York workers, and more...
The Stealthy Economic Radicalism of Biden's Boring Presidency
Even the president's most entrenched political opposition cannot seem to find much to engage or enrage.
Senate Republicans Released a $928 Billion Infrastructure Plan. Biden Says It Still Doesn't Spend Enough.
For the president, the spending is the point.
Biden's $1.9 Trillion 'Rescue Plan' Isn't Saving the Economy. It's Holding It Back.
The economic aid package paid people not to work. So it's no surprise that many aren't working.
A Keynesian Warmonger Gets What He Deserves in the Otherwise Awful Without Remorse
A terrible, Tom Clancy-inspired action movie that ends in a lame speech touting war as economic stimulus.
It Looks Like Lots of People Used Their Federal Stimulus Payments To Buy Weed
As stimulus checks started landing in Americans' bank accounts, demand for medical marijuana went through the roof.
Say No to More COVID-19 Relief Spending
The scale of the current relief efforts means that many Americans received more income during this pandemic than they did before it.
Biden's 'Rescue Plan' Will Sic the IRS on Anyone Who Earns $600 in the Gig Economy
What does this have to do with the pandemic? Nothing.
Biden's Coronavirus Relief Plan Will Probably Cost a Lot More Than $1.9 Trillion
The pandemic relief bill isn't just a one-time splurge. It's the start of a new era of federal spending.
More Checks Are Coming After Congress Passes $1.9 Trillion COVID-19 Bill That Has Little To Do With COVID-19
Some provisions provide direct aid. Others, not so much.
What Have We Done?
On the largest spending bill in U.S. history and the one year anniversary of life under coronavirus.
Elite Media Run Press Releases for Biden's COVID Bill
Plus: Virginia's vote for the ERA is too late, South Carolina moves to relax birth control prescription requirements, and more...
The 'COVID Relief Bill' Is Mostly an Expensive Bundle of Politically Motivated Giveaways
The Senate is preparing to pass a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill that has very little to do with the pandemic, and we all know it. Congress should admit as much.
In the Name of Pandemic Relief, Biden Would Expand Obamacare Subsidies to Households Making $350,000 a Year
The health law made insurance more expensive, so Democrats are pushing to make subsidies bigger.
How Congress Could Send Bigger Stimulus Checks, Fund School Reopening, and Save $1 Trillion
Rep. Peter Meijer has a plan to provide bigger stimulus checks to needy Americans while cutting extraneous elements from the Biden relief bill.
From 9/11 to COVID, Every Emergency Means Bigger Government
We have to stop governing by emergency.
Biden's Coronavirus Relief Package Has Almost Nothing to Do With the Coronavirus
The president keeps insisting on the urgency of $1.9 trillion in spending. But much of it would be spent on non-urgent policies unrelated to the pandemic.
CBO Says Raising Minimum Wage to $15 an Hour Would Kill Jobs, Because Obviously It Would
A higher federal minimum would reduce employment and increase the deficit, according to a new nonpartisan government analysis.
Joe Biden Wants His Stimulus To Help 'People Who are Hurting,' Like Families Making $120,000 a Year
Biden's recovery plan is a poorly targeted effort that would make the economy worse off in the long run.
Biden, Republican Senators Quibble Over Whether To Spend Billions or Trillions
The president has proposed spending $1.9 trillion on another pandemic relief bill. Moderate GOP senators are countering with a $600 billion plan of their own.
Biden's $1.9 Trillion COVID Relief Package Includes More Stimulus Checks, State Government Bailout, $15 Federal Minimum Wage
On the brighter side, Biden wants 100 million vaccinations in 100 days and will push for immediate school reopenings.
Republicans Got What They Deserved. America Will Now Have To Pay the Price.
When one party controls both Congress and the White House, the result is never a reduction in the size or cost of government.
What Did We Learn in 2020?
Pandemics are like margin calls, exposing in a moment the pre-existing weakness of various positions and institutions.
