Biden Escalates Trade War With China
A new national emergency declaration will allow for the creation of an outbound investment screening system targeting Americans' investments in China.
Treasury
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.
Scammers Stole $200 Billion From Two Federal COVID Aid Programs
A new audit says one out of every $6 distributed by the Small Business Administration during the pandemic was stolen.
The Fed Won't Save Us From the Inflation Iceberg
Plus: Was Gerald Ford right to pardon Richard Nixon?
Over $400 Billion in COVID Aid Was Stolen or Wasted
A new Associated Press analysis of government data suggests 10 percent of all COVID aid was lost to fraud or theft. That figure will likely grow.
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.
'Cash Is Independence': Ron DeSantis Slams the Government's Plan for Centrally-Controlled Digital Money
"If you don't trust central authority, then you should see this immediately as something that is very problematic," says the Florida governor.
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.
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.
Blame the Government for the New Banking Crisis? Live With Lyn Alden, Arnold Kling and Zach Weissmueller
Join Reason on YouTube and Facebook Thursday at 1 p.m. Eastern for a discussion of the Silicon Valley Bank meltdown and bailout of depositors with economist Arnold Kling.
Everyone Is Learning the Wrong Lessons From the Silicon Valley Bank Collapse
Plus: Fox News troubles, junk statistics about illicit economies, and more...
Social Security and Medicare Cuts Are Coming, Whether Politicians Do It or Not
As legislators refuse to act, benefits will be cut without any possibility of sheltering those seniors who are poor.
The GOP's Current Plan To Cut Spending Is a Political Failure
Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are still the chief drivers of our future debt. But Republicans aren't touching them.
To Win the Speakership, Kevin McCarthy Had To Promise To Cut Spending. Good.
While some Republicans may have had misguided motivations, a few disrupted McCarthy's campaign in order to enact fiscal restraint. Their colleagues were fine with business as usual.
Democrats May Regret Compromising Taxpayer Privacy To Get Trump
The release of the former president’s tax returns sets a dangerous precedent.
The Annual, Depressing 'Do Your Job Week' in Congress
Plus: The editors extend the discussion on the lack of immigration reform in this week’s bill.
November's $249 Billion Federal Budget Deficit Set a Record. Now, Congress Is Preparing To Spend Even More.
The government spent $501 billion in November but collected just $252 billion in revenue, meaning that about 50 cents of every dollar spent were borrowed.
Governments Scramble To Manage, Regulate, and Throttle Crypto
Most dangerously of all, they're starting to make their own central bank digital currencies.
A GOP-Led Congress May Focus on Owning the Libs. Instead, It Should Focus on Owning Inflation.
If the midterms favor Republicans, their top priority needs to be the fight against inflation—whether or not they feel like they created the problem.
This Election Day, Listen to the Betting Market Instead of Pundit Predictions
Over time, betting has been a better predictor than polls, pundits, statistical models, and everything else.
Activist Groups Demand Feds Require Nutrition Labels on Booze
Plaintiffs want the nanny state to nanny harder.
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.
IRS Sent $1.1 Billion in Child Welfare Payments to the Wrong People
Possibly the federal government's most efficient pandemic spending effort.
Biden's Student Debt Relief Plan Will Worsen Inflation
"Student loan relief would lead some people to spend more," warns Obama economic advisor and Harvard economist Jason Furman
The Tornado Cash Crackdown Is an Attack on Speech and Privacy
For the first time ever, the Treasury Department has sanctioned not a person or a group but a digital tool and all who would use it.
A Wonky Evisceration of Biden's Bad Deficit Math
Interest rates and servicing costs could push us into worrisome territory sooner than we think.
Social Security Is Running Toward Insolvency
Despite a few encouraging analyses, the numbers just don't add up.
One Year Later, No One Has Been Punished for the IRS Leak of Billionaires' Tax Data
The IRS isn’t just a powerful federal agency, it’s a weapon against the public.
A Global Tax Cartel Would Be as Bad as It Sounds
Several studies have found that the vast majority of costs incurred by increased corporate taxes are passed along to workers in the form of lower wages.
Americans Want Change. Private Mints Are the Solution.
Congress should stop preventing the private sector from making its own coins.
Blame Insane Government Spending for Inflation
Some want to solve the problem with subsidies for gas, housing, child care, and more. That only risks greater stagnation.
Biden Has His Eye on Bitcoin
The president's anticipated executive order stopped short of feared regulations but suggests federal unease with uncontrolled development.
Our Insane Government Spending Will Hurt Our Response to Ukraine
We must face the reality that the debt does matter.
Biden's Antitrust Crusade Targets Alcohol
The alcohol sector has seen more than 6,000 new entrants, but the Treasury still thinks it has an antitrust problem.
Don't Blame 'Greedy Corporations' for Inflation. Blame the Government.
"Greed is constant. If it's greed, how do we explain prices falling?"
No, the United States Has Not Always Paid Its Debts
There are five instances of the Treasury defaulting on the debt.
Biden's Nominee for Comptroller Wants To Put an 'End to Banking as We Know It'
The pick lends ammunition to those who have warned of a slippery slope toward socialism.
Democrats' Proposed 'Billionaire Tax' Is Definitely a Wealth Tax, and It May Be Unconstitutional
Imposing a wealth tax may not even be among the enumerated powers of Congress.
Governments Want To Control Crypto So They Can Control Us
The push for central bank digital currencies is an assault on privacy and freedom.
Biden's Plan To Crack Down on Tax Cheating: Snooping on Everyone's Bank Accounts
The president says the IRS needs just two bits of information: all the money that goes into your bank account, and all the money that comes out.
Biden's Total Financial Surveillance
What if every one of your noncash financial transactions was automatically reported to a beefed-up, audit-hungry IRS?
Why Does Janet Yellen Suddenly Sound Like Trump on Trade?
In comments to The New York Times Magazine published this week, the new treasury secretary says free trade has been "so negative" for "a large share of the population." That's just wrong.
Feds Propose Even More Surveillance of Your Banking Habits
By lowering the “travel rule” threshold to $250, the government could access more of our financial data.
The #FinCENFiles Shine a Spotlight on How Banks Are Ordered to Snoop on You
Why does media coverage conclude the problem is that the government hasn’t done a good enough job of spying?
'CARES' Package Part Two Is Coming, to the Tune of at Least $1 Trillion
Plus: Gun groups for black Americans are growing, a promising new study on opening schools, and more...
The Feds Sent More than 1 Million Coronavirus Stimulus Payments to Dead People, GAO Says
As much as $1.4 billion might have been paid to deceased Americans. The IRS says that money must be returned.
The Paycheck Protection Program for Small Businesses Will Run Out of Money Today
The $349 billion loan program is meant to help small companies hit hard by social distancing.
4 Reasons Small Businesses Are Struggling With the Paycheck Protection Program
Unclear terms, unrealistic loan forgiveness, a site unprepared for launch, and a bottomless demand for cash