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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opinion
Big Pharma’s High Prices Are Its Own Decision—and the Government’s Fault
For years, pharmaceutical executives have insisted that drug prices are out of their hands. Government red tape, research costs, and reimbursement rules are all offered as explanations for why Americans pay more at the pharmacy counter than anyone else in the developed world. It’s a tidy narrative. It’s also only half-true—pharma could easily drop its… -
news
EXCLUSIVE: Labor Secretary Reveals Whether Trump Can Axe H-1B Visas
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said the law doesn’t allow the Trump administration to eliminate H-1B visas. When asked by The Daily Signal if eliminating the program—a proposal popular with the MAGA base—is a possibility, Chavez-DeRemer said “I don’t think that that’s really what’s in the law.” “The law is, H-1B visa… -
news
EXCLUSIVE: How Labor Secretary Is Saving American Jobs From AI Replacement
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is dedicating every possible resource to ensuring American jobs aren’t lost to artificial intelligence, she told The Daily Signal in an exclusive interview. “You’ll see the media talk about, the fearmongering—you’re gonna lose your job—but I can tell you this,” she said, “we are deploying everything we… -
opinion
It’s Time for Congress to End OPT and Put American Workers First
For too long, Washington has allowed a massive, unauthorized foreign guest-worker pipeline to operate outside the law, undercut American students, and expose our nation to significant economic and national-security risks. It’s called Optional Practical Training, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement program created by bureaucratic fiat in 1992 and radically expanded by the Obama administration. And Congress never authorized a… -
news
How Obama, Biden Regulations Slowed Technology Growth in Health Care
Regulations from Obamacare and under the Biden administration not only increased the cost of health care, they also made it more difficult to advance artificial intelligence and other technology in medicine, experts told a House panel Wednesday. The regulations amount to “layers of permission” for health data, said Dr. Ziad Obermeyer, Blue Cross of California… -
news
BREAKING: Divided Fed Makes Money Decision Ahead of Christmas
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell announced the third interest rate cut of the year in a news conference Wednesday. “Today, the Federal Open Market Committee decided to lower our policy interest rate by a quarter percentage point,” Powell said. The rate cut brings the federal funds rate between 3.5% and 3.75%, following similar-sized rate cuts… -
news
18 States Now Allowed to Restrict Food Stamp Usage on Junk Food
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Wednesday that she has granted waivers to six additional states, allowing them to prevent the use of food stamps to purchase certain items, like soft drinks and candy. “President [Donald] Trump has made it clear: we are restoring SNAP to its true purpose – nutrition. Under the MAHA initiative, we are taking bold,… -
news
Trump Administration Has Found 62,000 Children, Some Victims of Sex Trafficking and Forced Labor, Tom Homan Reports
The Trump administration has located 62,000 children who entered the U.S. unaccompanied under the previous administration, according to border czar Tom Homan. “Some of these children were in sex trafficking—we found them. Some were in forced labor, some were being mistreated—I can’t even discuss some of the mistreatment we found out about,” Homan said Sunday on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends Weekend.” “President [Donald] Trump, again, proves why… -
opinion
Democrats Prioritize Welfare Over National Security
Few speak the truth as clearly and succinctly as House Speaker Mike Johnson. Appearing on ABC’s “This Week” this past Sunday, co-host Jonathan Karl challenged the speaker’s calling the recent “No Kings” rallies “Hate America Rallies” and calling them “the modern Democratic Party.” Johnson, R-La., responded that “there is a rise of Marxism in the… -
news
Shutdown Will Disrupt Air Travel, Transportation Chief Warns
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy delivered a stern message at the Capitol on Thursday: The federal government shutdown is already putting a strain on air traffic controllers, and the problem will only get worse until the government reopens. “Next Tuesday is the first paycheck that [air traffic controllers] will not receive for the work that… -
opinion
Commerce’s 50% Rule Is a National Security Victory
In late September, the Trump administration’s Commerce Department delivered a major victory for American national security. In one fell swoop, the department closed thousands of loopholes in the U.S. export control regime, which restricts access to U.S. technology by China and other foreign adversaries. This action, commonly called the “50% rule,” will enable U.S. national… -
opinion
Treasury Secretary Bessent Tells Miranda Devine Why Soros Funds Rogue Prosecutors, Sort Of
If no one supports crime, why do activists fund candidates for office who, once elected, implement policies that enable it? If anyone would know the answer, it should be Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who, earlier in his impressive career, worked closely with George Soros, the notorious funder of the rogue prosecutor movement. Over the past… -
news
Bessent Warns Tariff Refunds Would Hurt Treasury, Vows Trump Has ‘Other Avenues’ if Supreme Court Strikes Down Powers
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent joined NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday where he said he is “confident” the Trump administration will prevail in the Supreme Court regarding President Donald Trump’s ability to institute tariffs. A 7-4 ruling from a federal appeals court in August declared that most of Trump’s tariffs are illegal according to the International… -
news
Transportation Secretary Celebrates Inaugural Ride of New High-Speed Train
President Donald Trump is overhauling the train stations in Washington, D.C., and New York City. The Trump administration is taking over the management of Washington’s Union Station. The move comes amid the administration’s effort to clean up crime in American cities, starting with the nation’s capital. “I think the president has been pretty clear on… -
news
3 Blue States Could Be at Fault in Fatal Florida Car Crash, Transportation Secretary Says
The U.S. Department of Transportation is investigating three blue states’ possible involvement in an Aug. 12 fatal car crash in Florida that killed three. Illegal immigrant truck driver Harjinder Singh stands accused of causing the crash by making an illegal U-turn on the Florida Turnpike 19 miles north of Fort Pierce in St. Lucie County. He… -
news
EXCLUSIVE: Trump to Sign Order Elevating Office of Space Commerce
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order elevating the Office of Space Commerce, The Daily Signal has learned. The order will move the office out of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency focused on the condition of the oceans, atmosphere, weather, and climate. The Office of… -
news
EXCLUSIVE: Commerce Department to ‘Immediately’ Make Census ‘Reflect the Number of Legal Residents’ in US
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—After President Donald Trump called for a new census excluding illegal immigrants, the Department of Commerce told the Daily Signal it will “immediately” change course to “reflect the number of legal residents in the United States.” Trump ordered the Department of Commerce to start work on a new census in which… -
news
EXCLUSIVE: 1,500 Truck Drivers Taken Out of Service for Poor English Following Transportation Department Directive
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Following new guidelines from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to enforce English language proficiency for commercial truck drivers, 1,500 drivers have had their licenses placed out of service by law enforcement, The Daily Signal has learned. “‘America First’ means safety first. Americans are a lot safer on roads alongside truckers who can… -
news
EXCLUSIVE: Trump Transportation Department Reforms Biden ‘Climate Justice’ Program
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—President Donald Trump’s Department of Transportation is moving away from the Biden administration’s climate justice initiative, which made it harder and pricier to build buses. Joe Biden’s transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg, forced grant recipients of a $1.5 billion Federal Transit Administration grant program to build buses in accordance with low or… -
news
Records Reveal How Democrat AGs Collaborated on Anti-Trump Legal Strategy Before Inauguration
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—As early as July of last year, during the heat of a presidential race, a group of Democrat state attorneys general coordinated on challenging the White House on environmental policy. Fast forward to 10 days after Republican Donald Trump was elected to another term as president, and Democrat attorneys general from…