Government Spending & Fiscal Policy News

The Daily Signal examines federal and state spending, efforts to cut waste and deficits, and the role of the DOGE initiative, with in-depth reporting, analysis, and conservative commentary on taxpayer dollars and government efficiency.
Filter articles by
  • opinion

    Here’s Why a Judge Can’t Block Trump’s Pause on Spending
    Shortly after taking office, President Donald Trump, quite sensibly, paused some federal spending programs to see whether they are lawful and advance America’s interests, which he had promised voters he would do. That temporary delay, however, set off a firestorm among the liberal states and organizations that, as recent disclosures have revealed, have benefited immensely…
    John G. Malcolm | Paul J. Larkin | GianCarlo Canaparo
    Read More
  • news

    Speaker Johnson Addresses Budget Questions: ‘Take a Deep Sigh of Relief’
    The House Republican leadership is still working on ironing out differences between members surrounding the budget reconciliation process as Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., gave an update Tuesday that he expected progress to be made this week. The budget reconciliation process is an important tool to ensure that President Donald Trump has the funding and support…
    George Caldwell
    Read More
  • news

    Heritage Experts React to Sen. Lindsey Graham’s Budget Resolution
    On Friday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., released the Senate Budget Committee’s budget resolution for fiscal year 2025, which is anticipated to be the source of getting much of the MAGA agenda through Congress.  Heritage Foundation experts analyzed the text and made suggestions. “To those who voted for and support real border security and a stronger…
    Jacob Adams
    Read More
  • news

    Russ Vought Survives Democrats’ Protests, Confirmed to Lead Budget Office
    Russell Vought, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Office of Management and Budget, was confirmed by the Senate Thursday night on party lines by a margin of 53-47, as Democrat senators broke decorum by protesting against his confirmation as their names were called. Almost every Democrat yelled in protest as the vote was called,…
    George Caldwell
    Read More
  • news

    By the Numbers: Sen. Ron Johnson Outlines Balanced Budget Proposal
    Returning to a balanced budget is feasible if the United States would return to pre-COVID-19-era spending levels, said Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., a member of the Senate Budget Committee.  He cited spending levels under President Bill Clinton and has said the rate of increase should be based on population and the rate of inflation, barring…
    Fred Lucas
    Read More
  • opinion

    Trump’s Spending Freeze Will Block Biden’s Leftist Legacy
    Amid all the uproar over President Donald Trump’s spending freeze—now delayed by a judge appointed by President Joe Biden—there’s some critical context missing. On Monday, the Office of Management and Budget sent a memo to federal agencies calling for a temporary pause on spending for grants, loans, and financial assistance. (On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge…
    David Ditch
    Read More
  • news

    Los Angeles Fire Budget Cut, Hundreds of Hydrants Stolen for Scrap Before Fires
    THE CENTER SQUARE—Hundreds of fire hydrants were stolen from the ground for scrap metal in advance of the blazes raging across Los Angeles, highlighting the local government’s challenges in maintaining basic order and infrastructure.  “These fire hydrant thefts are yet another sign of how crime is out of control in Los Angeles County,” said Los Angeles District…
    Kenneth Schrupp
    Read More
  • news

    NEW PATH FORWARD: Conservative Member Charts a Different Course After 2 Failed Must-Pass Spending Bills
    After the second must-pass bill to fund the government failed in the House of Representatives Thursday night, a conservative member who voted against the spending bill called for a new path forward. Republican and Democratic leadership in the House and Senate drafted a compromise bill, known as a continuing resolution, to fund the government through…
    Tyler O’Neil | Bradley Devlin
    Read More
  • news

    ‘Accountability Is Coming’: Iowa’s Ernst Sends Musk’s DOGE $2T Worth of Ways to Gut Government Spending 
    DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—Sen. Joni Ernst sent Department of Government Efficiency cochairmen Tesla CEO Elon Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy a letter Monday with ideas for budget cuts that could save the federal government more than $2 trillion. Trump named Musk and Ramaswamy as cochairmen of DOGE on Nov. 12. In the seven-page letter, Ernst’s…
    Harold Hutchison
    Read More
  • news

    $7M BUDGET HOLE: Teachers Union Halts School for 2 Weeks Over ‘Unreasonable’ Demands
    The Massachusetts Education Association apparently pushed three neighboring teachers unions to go on strike at the same time, sources close to the unions say. Because of the strikes, schools in three districts in Massachusetts have been closed for over two weeks, leaving working parents in the lurch without child care and extending the school year…
    Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell
    Read More
  • opinion

    GO WOKE GO BROKE: The Ultimate DEI Hire Is Out of a Job, Despite Spending More to Win
    It was the worst of times, it was the worst of times. Seriously, it was the worst of times! How could a half-black, half-Asian, comparatively young woman lose so handily to a straight white male?! Hasn’t Donald Trump learned that he’s the recipient of a veritable mountain of privilege? In the name of justice, he…
    Tyler O’Neil
    Read More
  • news

    NASA Spent Millions on ‘Environmental Justice’ and ‘Equity’ Grants Despite Budget Woes
    DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has shelled out millions in awards to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as “environmental justice,” despite recently laying off staff and shuttering space programs due to budgetary shortfalls. NASA has allocated roughly $10 million to pay out dozens of grants and contracts aimed at…
    Robert Schmad
    Read More
  • opinion

    America’s Bipartisan Spending Suicide Pact
    The greatest moral hazard in American life is politics. Many of you probably remember 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney being secretly recorded by a Democratic operative telling donors that “47% of the people who will vote for the president no matter what” because they are “dependent upon government … believe that they are victims…
    David Harsanyi
    Read More
  • news

    BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD: Speaker Johnson’s Next Move in Spending Fight
    It’s back to the drawing board for House Speaker Mike Johnson. On Wednesday, the House failed to pass the continuing resolution spending bill, with the SAVE Act attached, that would have funded the federal government beyond the end of the fiscal year ending Sept. 30 and through March. Wednesday evening’s vote failed 202-220. Three Democrats—Reps….
    Bradley Devlin
    Read More
  • opinion

    Stopgap Spending Bill Disproportionately Hampers Military Funding
    With less than two weeks until the end of the fiscal year, a long-term continuing resolution is currently the best and most realistic option to constrain out-of-control government spending and avoid another lame-duck omnibus appropriations bill. However, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin recently sent a “parade of horribles” letter to Congress outlining the dangers of…
    Jeremy Hayes
    Read More
  • news

    House to Vote on Stopgap Spending Bill With SAVE Act Wednesday
    House Speaker Mike Johnson announced Tuesday morning that the House will move forward with a vote on Wednesday on a continuing resolution to fund the government beyond the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. The continuing resolution would fund the government for six months and avert the looming government shutdown. Johnson has also…
    Bradley Devlin
    Read More
  • opinion

    Reckless $15 Billion Budget Shortfalls Risk VA Benefits. These Low-Hanging Fruits Could Prioritize Veterans’ Well-Being.
    The men and women who’ve defended our nation should not have the veterans benefits they earned threatened by fiscal mismanagement. That’s why Republican lawmakers introduced a supplemental appropriations bill to provide an additional $2.9 billion to cover shortfalls in the Department of Veterans Affairs’ budget for fiscal year 2024.    However, this supplemental spending bill…
    Rachel Greszler
    Read More
  • news

    Speaker Johnson Pulls Spending Bill Vote Amid GOP Opposition
    House Speaker Mike Johnson has deferred the vote on a bill to fund the government through March. The temporary government-funding mechanism, called a continuing resolution, would have included the SAVE Act, an election-integrity measure meant to prevent illegal immigrants from voting in federal elections. Johnson has pulled the bill until next week in hopes of…
    Bradley Devlin
    Read More
  • opinion

    This Calculator Tells You the Size of Inflation’s Bite Into Your Household Budget
    While many economic pundits point to cooling inflation, The Heritage Foundation’s new Personal Inflation Calculator showcases the cumulative effect of inflation on the average American.   Since the Biden-Harris administration took office in January 2021, Americans have felt the pain of rising prices. The federal government’s excessive spending and borrowing habits led to record-high inflation….
    Nicole Huyer | Miles Pollard
    Read More
  • news

    These 2 Freedom Caucus Lawmakers Say They Won’t Support Spending Package Without SAVE Act
    Reps. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., and Chip Roy, R-Texas, said they will only vote for the continuing resolution to fund the federal government beyond the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30 if it includes the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship for voting. “It’s not enough to say it’s illegal,” Roy told…
    Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell
    Read More