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
Grappling With DOGE: Why Cutting Waste and Fixing Entitlements Are Both Essential | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Right Way to Renew TCJA: Smarter Cuts, Fewer Gimmicks | National Review
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
This Administration Cares a Lot About the Wrong Deficit | The Unseen and The Unsaid (Substack)
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
How Would Milton Friedman Do DOGE? | Reason
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
DOGE in DC – What Congress Must Do | CBS Radio’s “Eye on the World with John Batchelor”
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Trump Needs Congress to Deliver on Lower Prices | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Tracking DOGE Efforts To Shrink the Size of the Federal Workforce | The Unseen and The Unsaid (Substack)
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Tax Reciprocity Won’t Make America More Competitive | The Unseen and The Unsaid (Substack)
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
An IRS Audit That Is Long Overdue | The Unseen and The Unsaid (Substack)
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Trump Administration’s High-stakes Inflation Balancing Act | The Unseen and The Unsaid
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Trump Administration's High-stakes Inflation Balancing Act | The Unseen and The Unsaid (Substack)
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Serious Flaws Mean Healey’s Housing Plan Vastly Underestimates Our Needs | Banker & Tradesman
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
150-year-olds Are Not Receiving Social Security Payments | Marketplace Radio
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
DOGE Rebate and the Debt | CBS Radio’s “Eye on the World with John Batchelor”
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Unserious New Republican Budget Plan | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Reciprocity Is a Misguided Response to U.S. Economic Strength | Reason
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Extend Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts To Promote Growth, but Cut Spending Too | Los Angeles Times
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | TV Appearance TV Appearance
The Truth About Wasteful Spending | No Spin News
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Eliminating Property Taxes and Rising Price of Gold | The Drew Mariani Show
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Beware of the Tax Harmonizers | National Review
Latest work in Government Spending
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Grappling With DOGE: Why Cutting Waste and Fixing Entitlements Are Both Essential | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Right Way to Renew TCJA: Smarter Cuts, Fewer Gimmicks | National Review
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
This Administration Cares a Lot About the Wrong Deficit | The Unseen and The Unsaid (Substack)
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
How Would Milton Friedman Do DOGE? | Reason
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
DOGE in DC – What Congress Must Do | CBS Radio’s “Eye on the World with John Batchelor”
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Trump Needs Congress to Deliver on Lower Prices | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Tracking DOGE Efforts To Shrink the Size of the Federal Workforce | The Unseen and The Unsaid (Substack)
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Tax Reciprocity Won’t Make America More Competitive | The Unseen and The Unsaid (Substack)
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
An IRS Audit That Is Long Overdue | The Unseen and The Unsaid (Substack)
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Trump Administration’s High-stakes Inflation Balancing Act | The Unseen and The Unsaid
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Trump Administration's High-stakes Inflation Balancing Act | The Unseen and The Unsaid (Substack)
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Serious Flaws Mean Healey’s Housing Plan Vastly Underestimates Our Needs | Banker & Tradesman
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
150-year-olds Are Not Receiving Social Security Payments | Marketplace Radio
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
DOGE Rebate and the Debt | CBS Radio’s “Eye on the World with John Batchelor”
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Unserious New Republican Budget Plan | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Reciprocity Is a Misguided Response to U.S. Economic Strength | Reason
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Extend Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts To Promote Growth, but Cut Spending Too | Los Angeles Times
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | TV Appearance TV Appearance
The Truth About Wasteful Spending | No Spin News
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Eliminating Property Taxes and Rising Price of Gold | The Drew Mariani Show
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Beware of the Tax Harmonizers | National Review
Latest work in Government Spending
- | 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
- | Corporate Welfare Corporate Welfare
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Corporate Welfare: Beyond the Budgetary Cost
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Books Books
Decoding the Debates: Fugitive Notes on Federal Economic Policy

- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Revisiting the Proposal for a Wealth Tax
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Cutting Red Tape to Cut the Deficit
An Innovative Approach to Balancing the Budget
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Research Papers Research Papers
Higher Education and the School-Work Mismatch in an Evolving Labor Market
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Research Papers Research Papers
The Economics of a Targeted Economic Development Subsidy
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Are Fiscal Rules an Effective Restraint on Government Debt?

- | Monetary Policy Monetary Policy
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Understanding the Federal Reserve

- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Working Papers Working Papers
New Evidence on Debt as an Obstacle to US Economic Growth
- | Monetary Policy Monetary Policy
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
How Reliable Is Modern Monetary Theory as a Guide to Policy?
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Data Visualizations Data Visualizations
CBO Offers Many Options to Reduce the Federal Deficit
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
The End of Policymaking and the Rise of Mandatory Spending
A Fiscal Dilemma
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
The Cost of a 70 Percent Marginal Tax Rate
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Income Inequality in the United States
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Research Papers Research Papers
Averting the Multiemployer Pension Solvency Crisis
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Data Visualizations Data Visualizations
Ex-Im Bank's Lack of Transparency
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Data Visualizations Data Visualizations
Social Security Can’t Afford Paid Family Leave
Funneling general funds through Social Security to pay for family leave benefits would cost $14 billion each year to cover only half of parents
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Data Visualizations Data Visualizations
Ex-Im: Still "Boeing's Bank"
Latest work in Government Spending
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Regulation Costs 30% Extra | CBS Radio’s “Eye on the World with John Batchelor”
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
DOGE Can Work | CBS Radio’s Eye on the World with John Batchelor
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | TV Appearance TV Appearance
Paris Shifted the Worldview of Trump | Fox Business Network's Varney & Co.
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | TV Appearance TV Appearance
Federal Spending and DOGE | Washington Journal on C-SPAN
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | TV Appearance TV Appearance
Trump’s Destructive New Tariffs | CBS News Radio
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
FTC vs. Bigness | Eye on the World with John Batchelor
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
The GOP’s Gigantic Opportunity | Eye on the World with John Batchelor
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Industrial Policy Fail | CBS Radio’s “Eye on the World with John Batchelor”
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Candidates Are Not Committed To Drain the Washington Swamp | Inside Sources with Boyd Matheson
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Drain the Swamp and Boeing at the Export-Import Bank | Eye on the World with John Batchelor
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
2033 and Bust | Eye on the World with John Batchelor
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
Trump's Tariff Proposals | The Drew Mariani Show
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
The Debt-laden Legacy of the Biden-Harris Administration | CBS Radio’s “Eye on the World with John Batchelor”
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | TV Appearance TV Appearance
The Disease of Inflation | InvestigateTV
- | 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
- | Podcast Appearance Podcast Appearance
What Are Trump’s Economic Plans? | NPR
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Tariffs Cost and Cost | CBS Radio
- | 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
Latest work in Government Spending
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
Change the Trajectory of Debt
Testimony before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Subcommittee on Federal Spending Oversight and Emergency Management
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
Restoring and Modernizing Social Security through Sustainable Reform
Testimony before the House Committee on the Budget
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
Competitive Sourcing in Government
Testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Subcommittee on Government Operations
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
Budget Process Reform: Utilizing Performance Information to Produce Better Outcomes
Testimony before the House Committee on the Budget
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
Can Budget Process Reforms Produce Better Budget Outcomes?
Testimony before the Senate Committee on the Budget
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
Restoring Equity and Fairness to the Social Security Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO)
Testimony before the House Committee on Ways and Means, Subcommittee on Social Security
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Public Interest Comments Public Interest Comments
Comment on the Implementation of Country-by-Country Reporting by the Internal Revenue Service
Before the Internal Revenue Service, Department of the Treasury
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
Fundamental Spending Reform: The Solution to the Debt Ceiling Debate
Testimony before the House Committee on Financial Services, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Public Interest Comments Public Interest Comments
Modernizing the SSDI Eligibility Criteria: Trends in Demographics and Labor Markets Affecting Workers in the “Grid”
- | 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
First Principles of Congressional Budgeting
Testimony before the House Committee on the Budget
- | Corporate Welfare Corporate Welfare
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
The Export-Import Bank: Winners and Losers of Government-Granted Privilege
Testimony before the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the US Senate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
Subsidies Are the Problem, Not the Solution, for Innovation in Energy
Testimony before the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Subcommittee on Energy
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
The High and Hidden Cost of Medicaid Expansion for Kansas
Testimony before the Kansas House Standing Committee on Health and Human Services
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Public Interest Comments Public Interest Comments
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Establishment of the Multi-State Plan Program for the Affordable Insurance Exchanges
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Public Interest Comments Public Interest Comments
Establishing a Minimum Wage for Contractors
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
Constitutional Solutions to Our Escalating National Debt: Examining Balanced Budget Amendments
Testimony Before the House Committee on the Judiciary
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
Testimony on the US Export-Import Bank
Testimony Before the House Committee on Financial Services
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
Dreams Deferred: Young Workers and Recent Graduates in the US Economy
Testimony Before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Policy
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Federal Testimonies Federal Testimonies
Addressing the Real 'Retirement Crisis' Through Sustainable Social Security Reform
Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Social Security, Pensions, and Family Policy
Latest work in Government Spending
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
An IRS Audit That Is Long Overdue | The Unseen and The Unsaid (Substack)
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Trump Administration’s High-stakes Inflation Balancing Act | The Unseen and The Unsaid
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Trump Administration's High-stakes Inflation Balancing Act | The Unseen and The Unsaid (Substack)
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Serious Flaws Mean Healey’s Housing Plan Vastly Underestimates Our Needs | Banker & Tradesman
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Unserious New Republican Budget Plan | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Reciprocity Is a Misguided Response to U.S. Economic Strength | Reason
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Extend Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts To Promote Growth, but Cut Spending Too | Los Angeles Times
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Beware of the Tax Harmonizers | National Review
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Five Worst Things About the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau | Reason
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
VATs Aren’t Discriminating Against American Companies – Tariffs Are | National Review
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Upside, Risks and Limits of DOGE | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Temporary Cash Transfers Are a Poor Stimulus Tool | National Review
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
A New Course Is Needed for the Steel Industry | Civitas Institute
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Personnel Is Policy: Hassett Brings Fiscal Responsibility to the White House | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Ideas Collide as Trump Lays Out a Pro-growth, Anti-trade Vision | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Abolish the CFPB | Reason
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
A New Era for Worker Freedom: Why Portable Benefits Matter | National Review
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
One More Reason To Hate Inflation | National Review
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Renewing Trump Tax Cuts Crucial to America’s Economic Strength | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary