Economy News
The Daily Signal reports on economy news with analysis and commentary on growth, recession risks, employment, and financial trends.
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- News
Billions in Tax Dollars Pay for Empty Federal Buildings
FIRST ON DAILY SIGNAL—Selling off unused or underused federal property could save taxpayers $3 billion in deferred maintenance costs, and more than $100 million in operation costs each year, according to one government report. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, chairwoman of the Senate DOGE Caucus, introduced legislation to expedite the sales of these properties. “Why should taxpayers be stuck with billion-dollar bills for bureaucrats…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
From Capital Markets to Free Enterprise
Institutions sometimes outgrow their names not because they erred, but because they succeeded. The Heritage Foundation’s Capital Markets Initiative has reached that point, prompting its transition to the Free Enterprise Initiative, a change that is candid rather than cosmetic. Our work expanded beyond its original remit, so its label must follow that reality. American prosperity…Allen Mendenhall -
- News
‘Substantial Refunds’ Coming to Taxpayers Soon, Senior Treasury Official Says
Taxpayers can expect “substantial refunds” due to tax cuts in President Donald Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” Treasury Secretary Counselor Joseph Lavorgna said. The bill’s provisions included no taxes on overtime pay, no taxes on tips, and reduced Social Security taxes. “We think there could be substantial refunds coming,” Lavorgna, counselor to Treasury Secretary Scott…Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell -
- Opinion
Education Budget Reversal Ignores Decades of Failure
Rep. Rosa DeLauro criticized House Republicans last fall for passing a downsized education budget, accusing them of attempting to “eliminate public education” and “decimate support for children in K-12 schools.” The charge was overdramatized and incorrect. Federal education funding accounts for roughly 10% of total K-12 spending nationwide. Despite decades of increasing federal investment, student…Madison Marino Doan -
- Opinion
Can President Remove Fed Official for Pre-Office Conduct? Court Weighs In.
Last week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Trump v. Cook. This case came to the court on an expedited basis because in August of last year, President Donald Trump posted on social media a letter addressed to Lisa Cook, telling her, “Pursuant to my authority under Article II of the Constitution of the…Zack Smith -
- News
Vance Believes American Economy Is About to Boom, Champions American Worker in Toledo Speech
On Thursday, Vice President JD Vance appeared at Midwest Terminals in Toledo, Ohio, where he touted the successes of the Trump administration. Vance’s speech centered around “the great American comeback” in the wake of the Biden administration. Prosperity Under Trump The vice president believes the American economy is about to boom. “I think that we…Rebecca Downs -
- News
EXCLUSIVE: Linda McMahon Explains Why Department Paused Involuntary Student Loan Collection
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—The Department of Education paused involuntary collection of defaulted student loans, but Secretary of Education Linda McMahon told The Daily Signal the process will restart “sooner rather than later.” McMahon said the department delayed the plan to garnish wages from defaulted borrowers in order to create time to make people aware…Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell -
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Senators Urge Admin to Reinstate Abortion Pill Regulations
The Senate committee overseeing health policy debated abortion pill regulation in a hearing on Wednesday, where some Republicans urged the administration to crack down on easy access to the drug mifepristone. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., who chairs the Senate Committee on Health, Labor, Education and Pensions, criticized a policy instituted under former President Joe Biden…George Caldwell -
- News
Congress Erupts Over Fed Chair Investigation
Congress erupted after the Department of Justice announced a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell over the $2.5 billion renovation of the Federal Reserve. Part of the investigation involves previous statements made to the Senate Banking Committee in June, in which Powell was accused of misrepresenting facts regarding government spending on the Federal…Pedro Rodriguez -
- News
Bluey and Bannon Reveal How Congress Can Balance the Budget
President of The Daily Signal Rob Bluey called on Republicans in Congress to massively reduce the national deficit, telling host Steve Bannon during a Tuesday appearance on “War Room,” “Think about how much more progress we can make and the economic juice we can give this White House if we were able to also reduce…Bradley Devlin -
- News
Vance Announces New Plan to Combat Nationwide Welfare Fraud
Vice President JD Vance announced that the Trump administration has created a new assistant attorney general position to crack down on fraud nationwide. The new official will have “nationwide jurisdiction over the issue of fraud,” Vance said at Thursday’s White House press briefing. “Unfortunately, the American people have been defrauded in a very nationwide way,”…Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell -
- News
House Republicans Navigate Slim Majority, Affordability Concerns at Retreat
House Republicans enter 2026 with the challenge of securing conservative legislative wins despite narrow margins. On Tuesday, House Republicans formulated a plan for the second year of the 119th Congress in a retreat with President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C. The meeting was overshadowed by the death of 65-year-old Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif. “Congress is…George Caldwell -
- Opinion
HOT Tax Would Let Liberals Pay More, Sparing Everyone Else
Former U.S. Sen. Willard Mitt Romney, R-Utah, is neither the first nor the last billionaire to say that he wants to pay higher taxes, ergo, other Americans should suffer tax hikes, too. Romney recently wrote, “It’s time for rich people like me to pay more.” He advocated higher taxes on—among other things—payrolls, real estate, carried…Deroy Murdock -
- News
Republicans Erased Record Number of Biden Regulations in 2025. Here Are the Worst Ones.
DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—Congressional Republicans capped off 2025 with one notable accomplishment: overturning a record number of regulations enacted under former President Joe Biden. Republicans undid 22 regulations issued in the final months of Biden’s presidency that restrict fossil fuel production, phase out the sale of gas-powered cars and limit access to credit in the…Adam Pack -
- Opinion
SEC to Investigate Role of Alleged Activist Insiders in Corporate Voting
The left-wing environmental, social, and governance movement, which only a few years ago was deeply embedded in corporate America, is now facing an assault on one of its greatest sources of leverage and control—the corporate proxy vote. Proxy voting is the process by which asset managers vote on corporate actions on behalf of the end…Kevin Stocklin -
- Opinion
EJ Antoni on Affordability: ‘Keep Your Foot Down on the Throttle, Mr. President’
The new buzzword today seems to be affordability. Suddenly, the entire media has woken up to the fact that Americans are in a cost-of-living crisis, something that has been true for several years now. Of course, the mainstream media had no interest in discussing the issue when Joe Biden was in office, but now they view it as…EJ Antoni -
- Analysis
This One Issue Is Driving Gen Z to the Right
PHOENIX—All eyes were on Gen Z this weekend as more than 10,000 students gathered at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest, where speakers and panels discussed the issues motivating Gen Z heading into a pivotal election year. After making impressive inroads with young voters in the 2024 presidential election, the conservative movement is vigorously debating how to address…Virginia Grace McKinnon -
- Opinion
Gas Prices Are the Lowest in Years. So Why Does Filling Up a Tank Break the Bank?
There’s a good chance that if you’re filling up your car today, you’re paying the lowest price in four years. According to December AAA data, the national average gas price is about $2.90 per gallon—marking the first time it has fallen below $3 since 2021. Despite this decline, a Fox News poll found that 54%…Rep. Craig Goldman -
- Opinion
Minnesota Fraud Exposes the Baked-In Flaws of Welfare
The U.S. welfare system is broken, and the Minnesota scandal is a blaring warning to that reality. The failure of political leaders on many fronts bears some of the blame. But the main culprit is the massive federal welfare system that annually passes hundreds of billions of dollars down to states to dole out, with the philosophy that the…Rachel Sheffield -
- News
What the Fed Chair Candidates’ Backgrounds Reveal About If They’ll Cut Interest Rates
President Donald Trump recently told The Wall Street Journal he is favoring selecting either National Economic Council head Kevin Hassett or former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh for the next chair of the Federal Reserve. Trump has said he expects the next Fed chair to cut interest rates. How have the candidates under consideration approached interest rate cuts in…Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell