The U.S. government’s debt — that is, ours and our children’s debt as taxpayers — is growing. This growth is largely driven by rising Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid obligations. These are the programs Congress could focus on and work…
When it comes to trade policy, President Donald Trump and his adviser Peter Navarro provide endless examples of incoherent economic thinking. They regularly claim that X is true, and then in the next breath, they assert that not-X is also…
What do the French digital services tax, the employers’ share of payroll taxes, and the corporate income tax all have in common? They are rarely shouldered by those entities and individuals targeted by legislators. In fact, one of the most…
There are no valid free-market arguments for a nationwide, one-size-fits-all federal plan to provide paid leave. But should experimentation with this policy be off-limits to states? The beauty of a federalist system is that states can experiment and innovate with…
This year, the deficit will end up being the fourth highest in U.S. history. It’s gigantic, and it will hit a little over $1 trillion by the end of the fiscal year. It’s also larger than previously projected. And it’s…
When he testified before Congress last week, Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell made an interesting comment: “We don’t have any basis or any evidence for calling this a hot labor market.” He added that “to call something hot, you…
It has always puzzled me that anyone would believe that protecting the U.S. market with tariffs is a good idea. Yes, U.S. consumers might increase their demand for domestic goods because duties on imported foreign goods make them relatively more…
President Donald Trump likes to keep score. Well, here’s a score for him: America, zero, while the rest of the world keeps tallying up free trade points. That’s right: while American consumers have been waiting for well over a year…
When I was pregnant with my first child 16 years ago, I asked my doctor how much it would cost to pay for the birth out-of-pocket. He had no clue. The truth of the matter is that in most cases,…