Do Republicans Want To Control Elections?
Plus: assessing Trump’s first year, the dysfunction of Washington, D.C., and the politics of the Super Bowl. (Recorded live in Washington, D.C.)
Government Spending
Department of Homeland Security
ICE Funding Freeze
Plus: detention center NIMBYism and why you shouldn't walk on the semifrozen Potomac river.
So Much for Abolishing the Department of Education
The Department of Education is getting a bigger budget, less than a year after President Donald Trump ordered the department's closure.
Deploying Troops to U.S. Cities Cost Half a Billion Dollars in 2025
Maintaining a uniformed domestic security force is pricey in terms of life, liberty, and dollars.
Shutdown Showdown
Plus: the Epstein files, the officers who shot Alex Pretti, and more...
Dumping State Income Taxes Could Mean High Sales Taxes—or an Opportunity for Smaller Government
A new report warns that some plans for replacing income tax revenue rely on unrealistic assumptions.
There Are No Good Reasons To Subsidize Sports Stadiums. Governments Keep Doing It Anyway.
“If we stop funding all sports stadiums tomorrow, then the world wouldn't change hardly at all," says one economist.
South Carolina Gave $1.3 Billion to Scout Motors. It's Already $150 Million Over Budget.
The company is backed by Volkswagen but still received considerable funding from state taxpayers.
Why Mamdani's 'Free Child Care' Won't Work
The more the government intervenes in the market, the more New York parents pay for child care.
The Real Reason You Pay for NFL Stadiums
Economist J.C. Bradbury breaks down why taxpayer-funded stadiums are a bad idea, how team owners market them to politicians, and why another stadium building boom may be coming.
Congress Is Aiming To Avoid Another Shutdown by Spending More on Almost Everything
The bill includes $1 million for new elevators at New York City's Metropolitan Opera, among other wasteful earmarks.
The Minnesota Fraud Scandal Is Just the Tip of the Iceberg
Medicaid fraud has been endemic at the state and federal levels for decades. Focusing on a single official or state misses a deeper lesson.
Elon Musk Said Rand Paul Is the One Person in Washington Who 'Gets It'
In an interview with Reason, CNN's Scott Jennings recounts the conversation he had with the tech entrepreneur about his distaste for exorbitant government spending.
CNN's Scott Jennings: The Conservative Movement's Identity Crisis
Scott Jennings discusses life as a conservative at CNN, Trump’s record a year into his second term, and how figures like Candace Owens damage the right.
Rand Paul's Annual Festivus Report Highlights $1.6 Trillion in Wasteful Spending
These wasteful boondoggles add up. So do the programs that many Americans insist are important but refuse to reform.
Will Zohran Mamdani Defund New York City Police?
The new mayor is keeping Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch on the job, but they might have a contentious relationship.
NYC Schools Are Losing Students and Burning Cash. Mamdani Could Make the Situation Worse.
New York schools need more choice and better curricula, but the city's new mayor wants to take choices away.
The Big Lesson of the 2020s? Don't Ignore the Economists.
From COVID-19 lockdowns to Biden's inflation and Trump's tariffs, bad things have happened when economics are sidelined in policymaking.
The Minnesota Welfare Fraud Story Is Really About a Broken Medicaid Bureaucracy
Federal Medicaid policy creates little incentive for states to stop potential fraudsters. Fixing that should be the priority, not demonizing Somali immigrants.
Mamdani's $6 Billion Child Care Expansion Would Be a Handout to Wealthy New Yorkers
The more the government intervenes in the market, the more New York parents pay for child care.
Almost a Year After It Launched, DOGE's Legacy Is Mixed
Has the Department of Government Efficiency delivered on promises to downsize federal employment, cut regulations, and reduce federal spending?
Congress Gives the Military $8 Billion More Than It Asked for
The version of the NDAA passed by the House is larger than the administration’s budget request.
Republican Socialism: Trump Is Taking Federal Stakes in Private Companies
The Trump administration's pivot toward socialism did not come without warning.
Chicago Is the Latest Example of How Public School Spending Doesn't Prioritize Students
Misused pandemic funds, luxury travel, and declining achievement reveal a crisis of priorities—one only school choice can fix.
Trump Slammed Biden's $52 Billion CHIPS Act. Then He Used It To Buy a Federal Stake in Intel.
Biden said "companies are investing in America again." Instead, America is investing in companies—and getting little in return.
Why DOGE Mattered
It didn't meaningfully cut spending or reduce the size of government, but the DOGE project proved that politicians shouldn't be scared of doing those things.
Taxpayers Still Paying for Hurricane Sandy Relief Mismanagement 13 Years Later, New Report Finds
A recent Transportation Department audit of Hurricane Sandy relief funds found $95 million in questionable costs and $2.9 billion in unspent money.
Psychoactive Hemp Products Will Be Federally Prohibited in a Year Unless Congress Intervenes
A spending bill approved as part of the package that ended the federal shutdown aims to close a loophole that gave birth to $28 billion industry.
America Is in a Golden Age. Are We Headed Toward a Roman Ending?
"Once you have an ever-expanding system of entitlements that you can't afford, that's often the beginning of the decline and fall," says historian Johan Norberg.
A Senate-Approved Bill Would Ban the Hemp-Derived THC Products That Congress Legalized in 2018
The appropriations bill, which the House is considering, would wipe out an industry that offers alternatives to cannabis consumers in states that still prohibit recreational marijuana use.
Tariff Stimulus Checks Are an Unserious Idea
Trump is living in a fiscal fantasy land.
Reopening?
Plus: CCP lies about CPI, promising Trumpbucks from tariffs, and more...
NYC Proposes a Pantry To Give Away Free Pet Food. That Won't Solve the City's Animal Shelter Crisis.
The surge in shelter surrenders is driven by housing instability, soaring vet costs, and a post-pandemic pet boom, not the cost of kibble.
'Emergency' Has Become Washington's Favorite Loophole. It's Cost Taxpayers $15 Trillion.
Over the last decade, roughly one in every 10 dollars of budget authority has worn an emergency tag.
Keep the Federal Government Closed
Americans need to go cold turkey from Uncle Sugar.
Don't Panic Over Federal Cuts for Homeless Programs
The federal cuts amount to little more than a rounding error in most state or big city budgets.
America's $30 Trillion Publicly Held Debt Is 42 Times Larger Than It Was in 1980
Democrats defend every entitlement and dream up new benefits. Republicans demand more defense spending and still more tax cuts.
SNAP Stops
Plus: Predictions for Mamdani's mayorship, ICE leadership changes, and more...
The Government Shutdown Isn't Stopping Trump From Amassing 'Emergency' Powers
As of mid-2025, there were roughly 50 simultaneous national emergencies in force.
ICE Spent Over $71 Million on Guns, Armor, and Chemical Munitions in 2025 So Far
The total is over 600 percent more than what the agency spent from January to October 2024.
Does Argentina's Bailout Prove Libertarians Wrong?
Plus: the “No Kings” protests, Trump pays troop salaries during government shutdown, and the continued bombing of drug boats in Venezuela
The Federal Workforce Will Be a Little Smaller After the Government Shutdown Ends
We’ll take less government however we can get it.
Glenn Jacobs on Donald Trump, the Administrative State, and Ron Paul's Legacy
"It's the administrative state and the bureaucrats who are actually populating the rules. They're the ones running most of the government," Tennessee wrestler-turned-mayor Glenn Jacobs tells Reason.
The Trump Administration Begins 'Substantial' Layoffs of Federal Workers
Civil servants are normally temporarily furloughed during shutdowns. The White House insists the current funding lapse empowers them to permanently fire workers.
After All Those DOGE Cuts, Federal Spending Still Increased by $300 Billion
For the fiscal year that ended on September 30, the federal government spent more than $7 trillion and ran a $1.8 trillion deficit.
What the Democrats Are Doing Right Now Won't Lower Health Care Costs—but Here's What Actually Would
Four ideas that are better than extending Obamacare subsidies and a government shutdown.
Rep. Chip Roy on Spending, Immigration, and the American Dream
"I think members of Congress believe that they get more popularity in votes by spending money. I actually disagree with that," the Texas Republican tells Reason.
