The U.S. Credit Rating Just Dropped. It's Time for Radical Budget Reform.
The lack of oversight and the general absence of a long-term vision is creating inefficiency, waste, and red ink as far as the eye can see.
Senate
Bernie Sanders Introduces a Bill To Raise Minimum Wage to $17 by 2028
The proposal would raise the federal minimum wage by 134 percent.
Elizabeth Warren and Lindsey Graham Will Break the Internet
The senators say they're creating an "independent, bipartisan regulator charged with licensing and policing the nation's biggest tech companies." What could go wrong?
Sen. Chris Murphy Wants the Government To Help You Make Friends
Plus: Ohio drag bill models Tennessee measure declared unconstitutional, setting "Taco Tuesday" free, and more...
We Still Don't Know the Full Extent of the Government's Warrantless Electronic Spying Program
The reauthorization of Section 702 is one of the most important issues facing Congress in the second half of this year.
New Crypto Bill Aims To Circumvent SEC's Regulation-by-Enforcement Strategy
Plus: Steep drop in confidence in higher education, what The Bear can teach us about dynamism and bureaucracy, and more...
The NATO Treaty Does Not Supersede the Constitution
A group of senators is challenging the conventional interpretation of Article 5's an-attack-on-one-is-an-attack-on-all provision.
Senate Democrats Say Modernizing Airline Pilot Training Requirements Will Kill People
If a proposal to let pilots do more of their training on flight simulators passes, supporters will have "blood on your hands," says Sen. Tammy Duckworth.
The Rail Safety Act Is About Union Handouts, Not Safety
The legislation—which was introduced in response to the derailment in East Palestine, Ohio—pushes pet projects and would worsen the status quo.
In Debate Over Railway Safety Bill, J.D. Vance and Donald Trump Are Leaning to the Left
In 2019, the Trump administration blocked a costly and ineffective mandate for two-man railroad crews long sought by unions. Now, the former president wholeheartedly supports it.
Permitting Reforms in Debt Ceiling Bill Will Accomplish Little
The Fiscal Responsibility Act falls well short of solving America's permitting crisis.
Josh Hawley Wants the Debt Ceiling Deal To Include a Massive Tax Hike on Americans
Hawley might call them "tariffs on China," but that's obvious nonsense: Tariffs are paid by Americans.
OpenAI Chief Sam Altman Wants an FDA-Style Agency for Artificial Intelligence
His licensing proposal would slow down A.I. innovation without really reducing A.I. risks.
New Senate Bill Would Turn Online Services Into Narcs
An expanded surveillance state can’t solve problems created by drug prohibition.
This Bill Aims To Reduce Mass Incarceration by Encouraging States To Cut Their Prison Populations
The legislation, whose authors say two-fifths of prisoners are locked up without a "compelling public safety justification," would reward states that take a more discriminating approach.
Patient Privacy at Risk in Senate Bill Aimed at Pharmacy Managers
Prosecutors could end up with a trove of patient-level data regarding highly personal drugs like Viagra, abortion pills, and more.
The Media and Politicians Keep Trying To Censor Things That Turn Out To Be True
The COVID-19 lab leak theory was labeled "misinformation." Now it's the most plausible explanation.
Republicans' and Democrats' Refusal To Reform Social Security and Medicare Is Political Malpractice
In 10 years, the programs' funds will be insolvent. Over the next 30 years, they will run a $116 trillion shortfall.
Senators Ask DEA To Stop Buying Its Way Around Civil Liberties
Plus: Senate Republicans spar over TikTok and free speech, Americans can't agree on how to cut spending, and more...
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.
Senate Finally Revokes the President's Authority To Bomb Iraq
Revoking the 1991 and 2002 authorizations for the use of military force would be a good start, but the 2001 authorization has been used dozens of times to justify conflicts in numerous countries.
After the East Palestine Derailment, Congress Is Trying To Force Unrelated, Costly Regulations on Railroads
A bipartisan bill backed by J.D. Vance and Sherrod Brown would include a two-member crew mandate that unions have long sought—and that wouldn't have prevented the Ohio disaster.
Sen. Pat Toomey on Cryptocurrency and FTX's Collapse
"It's not clear that FTX would have existed, at least at its scale, if we had domestic guidelines for American companies," the former senator tells Reason.
Gigi Sohn Withdraws FCC Nomination Due to Politics, Policy, and Police Pressure
While Sohn’s record raises ethics and judgment questions, some attacks against her lacked merit.
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.
Biden Renominates Gigi Sohn, Net Neutrality Advocate, to the FCC
Net neutrality is an unnecessary and failed policy.
Lawmakers Use Kid Safety as Excuse To Violate Adults' Rights
Plus: New York "hate speech" law is likely unconstitutional, FTC Commissioner quits because of chair Lina Khan's antics, and more...
Happy Trails: Sen. Dianne Feinstein Won't Run for Reelection
The longest-serving California senator was a hardline drug warrior, a surveillance hawk, and no friend of freedom.
Democrats Say They Support Green Energy. Why Do Their Policies Say Otherwise?
If you look closely, you'll find a lot of contradictions.
After Repeatedly Opposing Marijuana Banking Reform, Cory Booker Says It Is Urgently Needed
The senator bemoans the "cannabis crisis" he helped maintain by blocking the SAFE Banking Act.
If Republicans Want To Cut Spending, They Should Start With the Pentagon
Sen. Rand Paul says Republicans "have to give up the sacred cow" of military spending in order to make a deal that will address the debt ceiling and balance the budget.
Rep. Adam Schiff Seeks Dianne Feinstein's Senate Seat
They both share in their authoritarian desires to censor online speech and violate citizen privacy.
Ticketmaster's Taylor Swift Glitch Doesn't Require a Congressional Hearing
The site crashed because Swift is very popular, not because antitrust enforcement is too weak.
Donald Trump and J.D. Vance Say No Cuts for Social Security. That's Impossible.
Social Security benefits will be cut automatically in less than a decade unless Congress shores up the program before it hits insolvency. Ignoring that is not a solution.
Goodbye, Ben Sasse
The outgoing Nebraska senator thinks America's true divide is between pluralists and zealots.
Yet Another Senator Bungles the First Amendment To Justify Censorship
This week, a clip of Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin claiming that speech that espouses "hate" and "violence" is not protected by the First Amendment made the rounds on Twitter, sparking sharp backlash.
Rand Paul Complains That Democrats Squandered Their Opportunity To Enact Marijuana Reforms
The prospects in the next session, when Republicans will control the House, are iffy.
'The Principles Should Endure': Sen. Pat Toomey on Fusionism, Tariffs, and What's To Blame for FTX's Collapse
After two terms in the Senate as a champion for free markets and limited government, Pennsylvania's Republican senator is heading into retirement.
The Senate's Passage of the $1.7 Trillion Omnibus Spending Bill Is a Bipartisan Failure
A rushed process once again created a bad result.
The Failure To Enact Marijuana Banking and Crack Sentencing Reforms Is a Window on Congressional Dysfunction
Although both bills have broad bipartisan support, they never got a vote in the Senate and were excluded from the omnibus spending bill.
GOP Lawmaker Blocks IVF Protection Bill
Plus: Diminishing differences in regional attitudes, IRS begins monitoring small transactions, and more…
Congress Yet Again Fails To Pass Crack Cocaine Sentencing Reforms
A compromise to cram crack sentencing reform into the year-end omnibus spending bill fell apart at the last minute.
Georgia Secretary of State: Democrats 'Double Down on False Claims' About Elections
Brad Raffensperger compares President Joe Biden and Sen. Raphael Warnock to Donald Trump.
Chuck Schumer Scrambles To Save the Marijuana Banking Bill He Blocked Last Year
The Senate majority leader is suddenly keen to pass legislation that he portrayed as a threat to broader reform.
Elizabeth Warren's Crypto Bill Targets Financial Freedom, Not Fraud
Senator Warren wants to extend the financial surveillance state cooked up by drug warriors and anti-terrorism fearmongers to cryptocurrencies.
Bernie Sanders Abandons Plan To Force Vote on Yemen War
Faced with White House opposition, Sanders withdrew a resolution that would've challenged U.S. involvement in the Yemeni Civil War.
Senate Investigation Finds Federal Prisons Fail to Prevent or Investigate Rapes
Long delays and management failures "allowed serious, repeated sexual abuse in at least four facilities to go undetected."