Economic Policy News
The Daily Signal provides economic policy news with reporting, analysis, and commentary on markets, growth, and fiscal responsibility.
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news
The Major Entitlement Overhaul That Could Be Part of Trump’s Budget
President Donald Trump’s budget proposal, to be rolled out Tuesday, likely will include Medicaid reform. But with several approaches having been floated, definitive answers will have to wait until the White House releases the fiscal plan. During his Senate confirmation hearings in January, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price said he would look at… -
opinion
Dodd-Frank Has Crippled Our Economic Recovery. This Bill Would Unleash Real Growth Again.
Have you noticed that free checking accounts are now nearly nonexistent, and locally owned stores are increasing the $5 minimum charge on debit cards? These are not the result of some financial conspiracy. They are a direct result of Dodd-Frank regulations. After the financial crash of 2008, President Barack Obama decided to increase the role… -
news
Why Conservatives Are Unhappy With the Final Spending Bill
The House of Representatives, with 103 Republicans voting no, passed a $1.1 trillion spending package Wednesday to keep the government running through September. Conservative lawmakers who opposed the omnibus spending bill in the 309-118 vote said they’re disappointed the final plan doesn’t reflect that Republicans hold the levers of power in Washington. Republicans hold 238… -
opinion
Massive Spending Bill Fails to Meet Conservative Priorities
Early Monday morning, congressional negotiators released text of a massive omnibus appropriations bill that would fund the government through Sept. 30. The bill is expected to pass later this week with bipartisan support and avoid a government shutdown. While the bill does make progress on issues like additional defense funding and increasing border security, it… -
news
Spending Deal Near After Congress Gives Itself a Few More Days to Craft Package
Hours before the federal government’s spending authority expired Friday at midnight, the Senate advanced a one-week continuing resolution by voice vote, putting spending on autopilot and avoiding a looming government shutdown. The Senate action followed a 382-30 House vote to pass the one-week extension. Without the measure, the government would have run out of money… -
opinion
Your Household Share of Federal Spending Keeps on Rising. Here’s the Solution.
It’s sometimes hard to fully visualize a massive sum of money. Take $3.854 trillion for instance—the amount the federal government spent in 2016. That’s a lot of money, but America is a large country. It may be easier to picture if we knew how much spending each household would be responsible for if households all… -
opinion
Congress Should Resist Cotton Cronyism in Upcoming Spending Measures
This week, Congress returns to Washington to address government funding. Unfortunately, two costly corporate welfare programs could be expanded. In the 2014 farm bill, Congress created two massive programs whose projected costs to taxpayers have nearly doubled. Originally projected to cost $18 billion over five years, the programs are now projected to cost a shocking… -
opinion
Even With Republicans in Charge, Upcoming Budget Battle Looks Grim
And so it begins. The GOP surrender in the budget battle. Despite all the campaign promises to “rein in government” and “get the country’s fiscal house in order,” the groundwork is already being laid by Republican lawmakers to explain why they just aren’t going to be able to put the brakes on spending after all…. -
opinion
Seattle Ordinance Limiting Landlord Rights Undermines Economic Liberty and Should Be Rescinded
Should a landlord be required to rent an apartment to the first “qualified” person to appear on his or her doorstep? The city of Seattle seems to think so. Its imposition of this obligation, however, is being challenged by the free market-oriented Pacific Legal Foundation, a watchdog organization that litigates nationwide for limited government, property… -
opinion
Why US Economic Growth May Be Stronger Than We Think
Could the U.S. economy be growing more than the official growth figures let on? In a recent National Bureau of Economic Research working paper, “Why is Growth Better in the United States Than in Other Industrial Countries,” Martin S. Feldstein, former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, suggests that government statisticians have been underestimating… -
news
How States Are Trying to Force Federal Government to Control Spending
Georgia state Rep. Paulette Rakestraw helped lead her state to be the first to join a formal interstate compact to push the federal government to balance the budget since she doesn’t believe the federal government will fix its own fiscal mess. “The problem in Washington is the structure, you can replace everyone there and it’s… -
opinion
How Free Trade and Economic Freedom Help the Poor
Today, many people argue that trade disproportionately hurts poor Americans. They say free trade creates a wage gap between low- and high-income earners, and constructs barriers that make it increasingly difficult for the less fortunate to climb the economic ladder. But recent data from The Heritage Foundation shows that this simply is not true. The… -
news
What’s at Stake in the Coming 4-Day Spending Fight
When Congress returns from its Easter recess April 24, lawmakers will have only four legislative days left to decide on a spending plan that prevents a government shutdown. With such a narrow window, the House and Senate will have little choice but to pass a huge, omnibus spending bill and again put off a return… -
opinion
Economic Freedom the Biggest Loser in Ecuador’s Election
Last Sunday, economic freedom and sound governance took a hit in Ecuador. Lenín Moreno, the nation’s former vice president and socialist candidate, won by a narrow margin amid widespread charges of electoral fraud. The outcome all but secures a fourth consecutive term for outgoing President Rafael Correa’s socialist Alianza Pais party. Ecuadorian law prevented Correa… -
opinion
Latest CBO Projections Emphasize Immediate Need for a Conservative Budget
America must kick its addiction to spending before it becomes an insurmountable crisis. On Thursday, the Congressional Budget Office released its “2017 Long-Term Budget Outlook,” which lays out budget and economic projections for the next 30 years. The report shows that time to fix the nation’s skyrocketing debt levels is running out and Congress must… -
opinion
The Truth About the Economic Impact of North Carolina’s ‘Bathroom Bill’
When then-North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory signed H.B. 2, the Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act (commonly known as the “bathroom bill”), into law on March 23, 2016, critics argued that corporate backlash against the measure would cost North Carolina dearly. Now, more than a year later, the Associated Press has provided an updated estimate… -
opinion
A New, Easy Way to Track Your Representative on Spending
Americans who are concerned about unsustainable and reckless government spending have faced a fundamental problem: It’s hard to track what their representatives are doing to either curb, or increase, spending. But thanks to a new tracking tool, those days may be coming to a close. The Coalition to Reduce Spending has just released a tool… -
opinion
Trump’s ‘Skinny’ Budget Paves Way for a Leaner Government
President Donald Trump’s long-awaited skinny budget is finally here. This slim budget reprioritizes defense spending and reverses eight years of Obama-era shifts in spending from a core constitutional priority toward the president’s domestic pet projects. Federal agencies, beware: The era of fiscal profligacy may be coming to an end, and quickly. Trump’s first budget plays… -
opinion
New Poll Shows Americans Think Defense Spending Too Low, Military Too Weak
In 1990, with the fall of the Soviet Union and following eight years of military buildup under President Ronald Reagan, the American people seemed to agree: The United States was spending enough on the military. Fast forward to 2017, and it’s obvious that sentiment has gone the way of the dinosaurs. A Gallup poll released…