ArcaMax

The Department of Government Efficiency draws two extreme reactions from budget-focused observers.

On one side, you have cynics rolling their eyes and arguing that the truly consequential problem is not overpriced government boondoggles but rather entitlements like Medicare and Social Security and interest on the national debt.

On the other,...Read more

If President Donald Trump was elected with a specific mandate, it was to lower prices. Poll after poll reveals that inflation is a top worry for Americans. So the administration should be worried that it's ticking back up. Further, the president -- who seems to think he can solve all problems unilaterally with executive branch orders -- will ...Read more

Serious problems should be met with serious solutions. We have serious problems, namely a fast-growing debt and a need to extend some tax cuts in an unforgiving environment where interest rates are high and inflation is rising again. Unfortunately, despite a new mandate, House Republicans have yet to rise to the occasion. Their latest budget ...Read more

America's debt crisis is no longer a distant concern; it's an immediate threat with immediate consequences. Some politicians -- perhaps realizing that it's become more difficult to ignore the problem and avoid repercussions -- are turning to executive action. This includes the Trump administration's embrace of Elon Musk's increasingly active ...Read more

The fate of President Donald Trump's ambitious economic policy plans will be determined by the people he appoints to critical positions. With a debt of over $36 trillion (heading toward $59 trillion in 2035 by some estimates), inflation not resolved, an entitlement crisis looming and the need to extend the president's 2017 tax cuts, we'd ...Read more

At last week's World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, President Donald Trump mixed compelling pro-growth talking points with his signature streak of aggressive protectionism. It's safe to say that these two ideas are officially on a collision course.

On one hand, Trump insists that "America is back and open for business." His promises to...Read more

The Trump tax cuts are set to expire later this year, and that poses a real challenge for policymakers, businesses and taxpayers alike. Americans face a $4 trillion tax hike as key provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act sunset. The stakes are too high to ignore, and it has to be done right.

Failure to make most of the cuts permanent ...Read more

The Federal Reserve's premature victory lap over inflation reveals a worrisome misunderstanding of the predicament we still find ourselves in. Unprecedented government spending and debt, combined with mounting fears that the debt can't (or won't) be repaid, played a misunderstood role in inflation's rise several years ago. As such, fiscal ...Read more

The arrival of a new presidential administration invokes new beginnings and a break from the past. Still, realities from previous administrations remain, such as a fiscal challenge that demands immediate attention. It may weigh on the newcomers even more than they realize today. We can only hope they take it more seriously than their ...Read more

You can say what you want about Elon Musk, but he is able to pinpoint in a single tweet some of the most dysfunctional aspects of our federal government. For instance, he recently noted that "Simplifying the tax code will increase productivity, instead of incentivizing bizarre tax-avoidance behavior."

He's correct. If President-elect Donald ...Read more

It's the most wonderful time of the year, and Santa is done checking his list and deciding who's been naughty and nice. Of course, whenever he stops by the U.S. Capitol, he finds evidence of a lot of naughty fiscal irresponsibility that has given us a budget and government that overflow with inefficiency and waste. So my holiday wish is that, ...Read more

The Department of Government Efficiency has made a promise: It will go after regulations that slow growth, obstruct innovators and cost American households thousands of dollars each year. Here's hoping for success.

The burden of excessive regulation is hard to measure. We know, for instance, that the Code of Federal Regulations is over 188,...Read more

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy want to cut $2 trillion and make the government more efficient. It's a high priority since the United States is barreling toward a fiscal crisis. Yet despite the mounting evidence of unsustainable spending and deficits, lots of people seem to believe that the goals of the Department of Government Efficiency, or ...Read more