Government Spending
US public debt levels now exceed the size of the entire economy and are set to double by mid-century. Recent government spending has helped generate the largest surge in inflation in more than four decades. By showing that this surge will continue as long as policymakers fail to recognize its fiscal roots, Mercatus research endeavors to reignite and inform public debates on fiscal sustainability and entitlement reform.
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Latest work in Government Spending
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Why We Shouldn't Expect a Return to the Trump Economy | Creators Syndicate outlets nationwide
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Should Trump Institute a 200% Tariff on John Deere if It Moves South? | Lars Larson Show
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Case for Trump’s Tariffs Doesn’t Persuade | The Wall Street Journal
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Effects of Federal Debt and Deficit on the Election | Relevant Radio’s “The Drew Mariani Show”
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Tariffs Cost and Cost | CBS Radio
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
What Are Trump’s Economic Plans? | NPR
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Real Relationship Between Trump-style Tariffs and Economic Growth | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Elon Musk vs. the Built-in and Never Recovered Government Spending Abuse | CBS Radio
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Welcome Elon Musk's Efficiency Commission (Just Don't Expect Congress To) | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
About the Debate | National Review
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Deficit Spending, Not ‘Price-gouging,’ Is Driving Inflation | The Hill
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
What About the “Freedom” Theme at the DNC? | CBS Radio
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
What to Make of Harris Campaign's Embrace of Freedom | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | TV Appearance TV Appearance
There Will Be a Massive Boost to the Cost of Living and Inflation if Trump’s Elected | CNBC
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Freedom and Opportunity Is a Good Message | National Review
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
Harris and Trump on Trade, Industrial Policy, Spending, Taxes, Entitlements | CBS Radio
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
How Similar Are Harris and Trump's Economic Policies? Let's Take a Look | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
What the Harris Tax Hikes Would Mean | National Review
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Harris Says She’ll Raise Corporate Income-tax Rates | National Review
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Yes, Harris Is Proposing Price Controls | National Review
Latest work in Government Spending
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Why We Shouldn't Expect a Return to the Trump Economy | Creators Syndicate outlets nationwide
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Should Trump Institute a 200% Tariff on John Deere if It Moves South? | Lars Larson Show
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Case for Trump’s Tariffs Doesn’t Persuade | The Wall Street Journal
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Effects of Federal Debt and Deficit on the Election | Relevant Radio’s “The Drew Mariani Show”
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Tariffs Cost and Cost | CBS Radio
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
What Are Trump’s Economic Plans? | NPR
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Real Relationship Between Trump-style Tariffs and Economic Growth | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Elon Musk vs. the Built-in and Never Recovered Government Spending Abuse | CBS Radio
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Welcome Elon Musk's Efficiency Commission (Just Don't Expect Congress To) | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
About the Debate | National Review
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Deficit Spending, Not ‘Price-gouging,’ Is Driving Inflation | The Hill
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
What About the “Freedom” Theme at the DNC? | CBS Radio
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
What to Make of Harris Campaign's Embrace of Freedom | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | TV Appearance TV Appearance
There Will Be a Massive Boost to the Cost of Living and Inflation if Trump’s Elected | CNBC
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Freedom and Opportunity Is a Good Message | National Review
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
Harris and Trump on Trade, Industrial Policy, Spending, Taxes, Entitlements | CBS Radio
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
How Similar Are Harris and Trump's Economic Policies? Let's Take a Look | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
What the Harris Tax Hikes Would Mean | National Review
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Harris Says She’ll Raise Corporate Income-tax Rates | National Review
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Yes, Harris Is Proposing Price Controls | National Review
Latest work in Government Spending
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Fiscal Policy and Inflation Control: Insights from the COVID Economic Response
As the COVID inflation shows, the US government must nurture expectations for fiscal policy—and not rely on monetary policy alone—if it is to maintain control over inflation in the future.
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Research Papers Research Papers
Beyond Dynamic Scoring: Enhancing CBO’s Evaluation of Program Integrity Spending
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Social Security Needs Fixing, Tax Increases on Savings Are Not the Solution
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Research Papers Research Papers
A Fiscal Accounting of COVID Inflation
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Fiscal Dominance: How Worried Should We Be?
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Funding Parental Leave Today with Tomorrow’s Social Security Benefits Won’t Work
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Research Papers Research Papers
Why We Have Federal Deficits: An Updated Analysis
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Keynesian Stimulus: A Virtuous Semicircle?
- | Monetary Policy Monetary Policy
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
The Economic Situation, June 2021
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Understanding CBO’s Medicare for All Cost Estimates
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
The Economic Situation, March 2021
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Recent Trends in US Highway and Bridge Conditions
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Research Papers Research Papers
An Analysis of Connecticut’s Public Employee Retirement Plans
- | Corporate Welfare Corporate Welfare
- | Research Papers Research Papers
An Interstate Compact to End the Economic Development Subsidy Arms Race
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Research Papers Research Papers
Flattening the Debt Curve: Empirical Lessons for Fiscal Consolidation
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
Does Census Hiring Stimulate Jobs Growth?
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
No More State and Local Government Bailouts
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Debt and Growth: A Decade of Studies
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Public Sector Pensions and the COVID-19 Shock
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
The Cost of COVID-19: A Rough Estimate of the 2020 US GDP Impact
Latest work in Government Spending
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Should Trump Institute a 200% Tariff on John Deere if It Moves South? | Lars Larson Show
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Effects of Federal Debt and Deficit on the Election | Relevant Radio’s “The Drew Mariani Show”
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Tariffs Cost and Cost | CBS Radio
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
What Are Trump’s Economic Plans? | NPR
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Elon Musk vs. the Built-in and Never Recovered Government Spending Abuse | CBS Radio
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
What About the “Freedom” Theme at the DNC? | CBS Radio
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | TV Appearance TV Appearance
There Will Be a Massive Boost to the Cost of Living and Inflation if Trump’s Elected | CNBC
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
Harris and Trump on Trade, Industrial Policy, Spending, Taxes, Entitlements | CBS Radio
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | TV Appearance TV Appearance
The Economic Platform of the Dem Ticket | Bloomberg Market’s “The Close
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
The Tariff Paradox: Americans Love Free Trade More Than They Realize | CBS Radio
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
JD Vance Imagining a Progressive Tax Code To Encourage the Childless to Parenthood | CBS Radio
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Populism Works When You Eliminate the Crony Subsidies, Hand-outs Bailouts and Props | CBS Radio
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Would a Harris Economy Be Any Better Than a Biden Economy? | Lars Larson Show
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
"Make America Affordable Again" is Actually Fiscally Insane | Inside Sources with Boyd Matheson
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
What To Know of Jean-Luc Melenchon? | CBS Radio
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | TV Appearance TV Appearance
French Left-wing’s Big Comeback Not ‘Meaningful’ Because the Party Can’t Work Together | Fox Business Network
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Caution Against Premature Rate Cuts Amidst Optimistic Expectations | iHeartRadio
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | TV Appearance TV Appearance
People Are Too Optimistic About the Prospect of Many Rate Cuts | CNBC
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
The Deficit and the Debt Ignored by All Parties in DC | CBS Radio
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
Improving Immigration by Strengthening American Values | Let People Prosper
Latest work in Government Spending
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Public Interest Comments Public Interest Comments
Response to Request for Information on Supporting Flexible Work and Independent Contractors through Universal Savings Accounts
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
Child Savings Accounts Are Not the Best Way to Help Low-Income Families Save
US Senate Committee on Finance | Child Savings Accounts and Other Tax-Advantaged Accounts Benefiting American Children
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
The Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset
Statement of Charles P. Blahous Before the Social Security Subcommittee of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
Improving CBO Projections
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
Investing in the Future: Safeguarding Municipal Bonds from Climate Risk
Written Statement of Eric M. Leeper to the Committee on the Budget of the United States Senate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
"Bidenomics" Is Not the Solution to Helping Low Income Americans
US Senate Committee on the Budget | Reducing Inequality, Fueling Growth: How Public Investment Promotes Prosperity for All
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
Spending Growth, Not Tax Policy, Is the Main Driver of Federal Debt
US Senate Committee on the Budget | The Rich Get Richer, Deficits Get Bigger: How Tax Cuts for the Wealthy and Corporations Drive the National Debt
- | Corporate Welfare Corporate Welfare
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
An Interstate Compact to End Company-Specific Subsidies
Testimony before the Illinois General Assembly, House Revenue and Finance Committee
- | Corporate Welfare Corporate Welfare
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Ending Nondisclosure Agreements Would Reduce Subsidy Waste
Testimony before the Illinois General Assembly, House Revenue and Finance Committee
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Public Interest Comments Public Interest Comments
Project No. 3-20 Proposed Changes May Obscure Government Fiscal Health
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Public Interest Comments Public Interest Comments
Poor Americans Will Suffer from a Paid Leave Mandate
- | Corporate Welfare Corporate Welfare
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
Congress Should Reflect on Past Financial Relief Before Providing More
Testimony before the US Senate, Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Public Interest Comments Public Interest Comments
Comments on the Ex-Im Bank's Proposed Additionality Criteria
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Public Interest Comments Public Interest Comments
Comments on the Ex-Im Bank's Current Economic Impact Procedures
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Public Interest Comments Public Interest Comments
Comments on the Ex-Im Bank's Proposed Additionality Criteria
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Pennsylvania's Fiscal Health: Current Status and Recommendations for Improvement
Testimony before the York County, Pennsylvania Legislative Delegation
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
How to Make the BLS Better
Testimony before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
Curbing Wasteful Year-End Federal Government Spending: Reforming "Use It or Lose It" Rules
Testimony before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
The Need for Constitutional Budget Reform
Testimony before the House Committee on the Judiciary
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Public Interest Comments Public Interest Comments
Response to Presidential Memorandum on Fiduciary Duty Rule
Latest work in Government Spending
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Why We Shouldn't Expect a Return to the Trump Economy | Creators Syndicate outlets nationwide
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Case for Trump’s Tariffs Doesn’t Persuade | The Wall Street Journal
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Real Relationship Between Trump-style Tariffs and Economic Growth | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Welcome Elon Musk's Efficiency Commission (Just Don't Expect Congress To) | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
About the Debate | National Review
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Deficit Spending, Not ‘Price-gouging,’ Is Driving Inflation | The Hill
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
What to Make of Harris Campaign's Embrace of Freedom | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Freedom and Opportunity Is a Good Message | National Review
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
How Similar Are Harris and Trump's Economic Policies? Let's Take a Look | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
What the Harris Tax Hikes Would Mean | National Review
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Harris Says She’ll Raise Corporate Income-tax Rates | National Review
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Yes, Harris Is Proposing Price Controls | National Review
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Entitlements vs. Workers | National Review
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Americans Don’t Like the Higher Prices That Tariffs Bring | National Review
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Social Security Can't Afford Tax Cut to Benefits | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
JD Vance and the Bipartisan Itch to Tax Behavior | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
President Trump’s Terrible Social Security Idea | National Review
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The President May Remove an SEC Chair | FinRegRag
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Broader Case for Not Penalizing Childless Adults | National Review
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary