Michael F. Cannon Congressional Democrats are refusing to support a resumption of the few federal operations that the current “government shutdown” has paused. Among Democrats’ demands is that Congress rescind the meager Medicaid spending restraints in the recent Republican budget, and thus increase federal Medicaid grants to states. Economists Martin B. Hackmann, Juan S. Rojas, and Nicolas R. Ziebarth offer ...
Colleen Hroncich For seven years, Amber Dawson homeschooled her kids while wishing for a different kind of school. “I just kept saying, ‘If there were a school like this, I would not homeschool,’” she recalls. She frequently dreamed of creating that school herself. Then a friend called her in May 2020 and said, “You’ve been talking about opening a school ...
Jeffrey A. Singer This weekend, we once again go through the ritual of “falling back” after “springing forward” last March as Daylight Saving Time (DST) ends. We also go through the semiannual ritual of listening to politicians in Congress call for an end to circadian whiplash. Yet nothing ever seems to change. But it should. We would be better off ...
Michael F. Cannon I make an appearance on the latest episode of the Fresh Freedom podcast with Rep. Eric Burleson (R‑MO), Chris Jacobs, and Nate Lucas. I thanked those three conservatives for allowing a libertarian on the panel. We discussed how Obamacare is increasing premiums and reducing health insurance quality. We explored what Congress and President Trump should do to ...
Clark Packard and Alfredo Carrillo Obregon On October 28, during the CEO luncheon at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, President Trump delivered a colorful keynote touting his administration’s record on US manufacturing. Steel earned a special shoutout. The president explicitly claimed that his protectionism has revived the industry. Trump: There are some basics in life,, and ...
Scott Lincicome As the Supreme Court gears up to hear oral arguments next week in the challenge to President Trump’s “emergency” tariffs (Trump v. V.O.S. Selections, Inc. & Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump), questions remain over what would happen to the billions of dollars in duties that have been collected from US importers if the Court were to invalidate the ...
Jeffrey Miron In most industries, firms that want to enter face no legal restraints. In health care, however, many new entrants must comply with certificate-of-need laws, which require government approval of “creations, acquisitions, or expansions of healthcare facilities.” Standard economics suggests this will harm patients by limiting supply and raising prices. The claims that such laws maintain quality or reduce ...
Romina Boccia and Tyler Turman The ongoing government shutdown is threatening to stall funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food aid to more than 40 million Americans. According to Politico, at least 25 states have issued notices to beneficiaries that their benefits will cease on November 1. The fact that a program providing food assistance to millions of Americans can be brought to ...
Adam N. Michel Momentum is building in many states to limit and, in some cases, abolish property taxes. For libertarians and fiscal conservatives, this push presents a genuine dilemma. To explore this tension, I invited two leading voices, Vance Ginn and Jared Walczak, to make their cases for and against property taxes on my Substack, Liberty Taxed. Property taxes are ...
Jennifer Huddleston For many people, restrictions on the freedom to share their opinions online and listen to their favorite podcasts without government permission may seem like something out of a dystopian novel or horror movie. Increasingly, however, lawmakers in countries with time-honored traditions of respecting free speech have worked to pass legislation, though well-intentioned, aimed at protecting young people online ...