The U.S. Government's Bad Credit Means Higher Costs for Us All
Federal officials ignore repeated warnings, and we all pay the price.
Debt
Ron DeSantis' Unconvincing Economic Reset
Though an improvement over his obsession with wokeness and culture wars, DeSantis can't seem to ditch the populist demagoguery.
Is the Budget Process Broken, or Is Congress Just Refusing To Do Its Job?
Since Congress designed and implemented the last budget process in 1974, only on four occasions have all of the appropriations bills for discretionary spending been passed on time.
Democrats Propose Eliminating Student Loan Interest
The plan's supporters say it won't push costs onto taxpayers.
Under Multiple Budget Scenarios, the Government's Numbers Still Don't Add Up
Balanced federal budgets aren’t even considered as a possibility.
Progressives and Populist Republicans Are Coming for Your Credit Card Rewards
New legislation would intervene in the credit card market to help businesses like Target and Walmart, who don't like the fees they have to pay to accept credit card payments.
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.
Federal Judge to Biden Administration: Stop Telling Social Media Sites To Limit Free Speech
Plus: Teaching A.I. about the Fourth of July, and more...
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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...
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.
The Two Faces of Ron DeSantis
Sometimes he calls for freedom, and sometimes he preaches something darker.
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.
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?
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, Yellen Won't Rule Out Declaring Debt Ceiling Unconstitutional
Plus: Kansas voting restrictions struck down, the legacy of the "vast wasteland" speech, and more…
This California Bill Would Mandate Punishment of Marijuana Debtors Without a Hearing
To address an "unpaid debt bubble," the proposed law would dictate contract terms and require regulators to intervene in commercial disputes.
The Clock Is Ticking: U.S. Could Default on Debt Payments by June 1
It's time for President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to strike a deal that will avoid a default and cut spending.
Joe Biden Wants 4 More Years 'To Finish the Job.' What Job?
Plus: A listener question scrutinizing current attitudes toward executive power
Don't Believe the Media Fearmongering About Spending Cuts
In 2019, discretionary spending was $1.338 trillion—or some $320 billion less than what Republicans want that side of the budget to be.
The House GOP Debt Ceiling Plan Would Restore Spending Caps. Good.
The most important part of the Limit, Grow, Save Act is the limits.
The Biden Administration Reduced the Debt-to-GDP Ratio in the Worst Possible Way
The main driver behind the reduction is inflation—inflation that politicians created with their irresponsible spending.
Heaton Fixes the Student Debt Crisis
How to—and how not to—help solve the college debt problem.
The Federal Reserve Was Supposed To Ease Economic Instability. Instead, It's Made It Worse.
A responsible political class would significantly reform the organization. Instead, they will likely continue to give it more power.
Social Security Will Be Insolvent by 2033
New data from the program's trustees show that insolvency will hit a year sooner than previously expected, giving policy makers just a decade before automatic benefit cuts occur.
Poll: Most Americans Don't Think a College Degree Is Worth the Cost
56 percent agreed that "people often graduate without specific job skills and with a large amount of debt to pay off."
To Balance the Budget, Republicans Must Cut Military Spending, Trim Entitlements, or Raise Taxes
If Republicans refuse to gore their three sacred cows, a new CBO report shows that balancing the budget is literally impossible.
Congress Hasn't Passed a Budget on Time in 27 Years
Congress' end-of-year rush to fund the federal government has become the norm.
Biden's New Budget Would Hike Taxes and Wage Class Warfare
The higher taxes on small businesses and entrepreneurs could slow growth. Less opportunity means more tribalism and division.
Joe Manchin Is Once Again Telling Republicans and Democrats What They Don't Want To Hear
But it's exactly what they need to start talking about.
No, the HEROES Act Doesn't Let Biden Forgive Student Loans
"If it was an emergency, why wait three years to provide the forgiveness? Why present it in a political framework, as fulfilling a campaign promise?" said one higher education expert.
Did Biden Just Commit America to Another Forever War in Ukraine?
Plus: the editors field a listener question on intellectual property.
Want Less Corruption? Try Having Smaller Government.
People can never be made incorruptible. We can, however, design governmental systems filled with checks and balances that limit the temptations.
U.S. Will Add $18.8 Trillion in New Debt by 2033
Plus: Age verification for social media, a bill to ban cannabis "gatherings," and more...
The Fight Over the Debt Ceiling Is Just Beginning
Legislators will increasingly argue over how to spend a diminishing discretionary budget while overall spending simultaneously explodes.
Mike Pompeo Says He 'Grew Up Libertarian'
These days, he may run for president. His politics have changed.