Budget Watchdog All Federal

Hey Big Spender: Three Trillion-Dollar Numbers, One Fiscal Year

This week, three numbers, one fiscal year. The Congressional Budget Office projects $1.1 trillion in net interest on the national debt in fiscal year 2027. The Pentagon i

Beef Prices: What Executive Action Can and Can't Do

Ground beef hit a record $6.90 a pound in spring 2026 and has stayed there — $6.89 in July. And in August, the Trump administration responded three times in eight days: a

Steam Dream: Redesigning a $22 Billion Carrier for Looks

There is an iron law of building complicated things, and it applies to your kitchen renovation exactly the same way it applies to a nuclear-powered warship: the most expe

Punting on First Down

The House passes a CR with two months left on the clock. A punt is a concession you make when you've run out of downs. The House made this one on first down. With m

How to Cut Half a Trillion Dollars from the Pentagon Budget

The Pentagon's FY2027 budget request comes in at $1.54 trillion — a 45% increase over current spending. TCS teamed up with the Project on Government Oversight (POGO)

250 Years, 85% of the Debt in 25

America turns 250, and the fiscal ledger is sobering: $39.3 trillion in national debt — 85% of it accumulated in just the last 25 years. TCS President Steve Ellis and Dir

Inside the NDAA Markup

The House Armed Services Committee spent all of Thursday, June 4th, marking up the National Defense Authorization Act, and what happened inside that room was anything but

Repair Priorities 2026

America has spent $1.5 trillion on federal surface transportation since the early '90s. Roads and bridges: same condition as 2001. So where did the money go? Steve

100 Cents on the Dollar: National Debt Crosses a Historic Threshold

The U.S. economy grew at a solid 2% annual rate in the first quarter of 2026. So why is Taxpayers for Common Sense sounding the alarm? Because at the same moment, the nat

Drilling Won't Fix Gas Prices. Here's the Math.

Gas prices are above $4 a gallon. Crude oil is past $100 a barrel. And Washington is doing what Washington does — pointing to federal leasing as the fix. But is it? TCS

The President's FY2027 Budget Request

The president has released his fiscal year 2027 budget request — and buried inside the rhetoric about "historic paradigm shifts" and the end of "fiscal futility" is a $1.

Flood Insurance Realities

Taxpayers for Common Sense doesn't just watch Congress — sometimes it sits at the witness table. Last week TCS President Steve Ellis testified before the House Finan

Iran, War Powers, and the Budget

Two weeks into the U.S. military campaign against Iran — launched without congressional authorization — the costs are staggering. Estimates put taxpayer exposure at up to

The Farm Bill Lives

While breaking news about U.S. military action against Iran dominates the headlines, a consequential piece of legislation quietly cleared a major hurdle in Washington. In

Trump Tariff Takedown

In a historic 6-3 ruling the U.S. Supreme Court struck down President Trump's sweeping global tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (

Why Golden Dome is Bad for American Taxpayers

TCS President Steve Ellis and Policy Analyst Gabe Murphy break down President Trump's Golden Dome missile defense program—an ambitious vision to shield the entire Un

Short Shutdown

Congress faces a partial government shutdown at midnight over Department of Homeland Security funding—but the border enforcement operations at the center of the fight wil

Pentagon Plus-Up: Trump's $1.5 Trillion Defense Proposal

Just when you thought Pentagon spending couldn't get more out of control, President Trump proposes a 50% budget increase in one year—rocketing Defense spending from

Inside the $12 Billion Farm Bailout

The Trump administration has announced a $12 billion agricultural bailout package as trade wars squeeze American farmers—a familiar scenario from the first Trump administ

FEMA Reform: Billion-Dollar Disasters and the Push for Taxpayer Protection

With nearly 30 billion-dollar extreme weather events in 2024 alone, disaster costs are spiraling out of control—and Congress is finally taking action. Steve Ellis sits do