Weighing Trump’s Federal Gas Tax Holiday Proposal

President Trump’s proposal to suspend the federal gas tax comes at a politically obvious moment. Gas prices have surged amid the Iran war, the Strait of Hormuz remains under Iranian pressure, and ordinary Americans are getting clobbered at the pump. Trump floated the idea after prices rose past $4.50 per gallon, while the federal gas…

Opening the Retirement Investment Floodgates

President Trump’s executive order on retirement benefits is a meaningful shift in how Americans might be allowed to invest their long-term savings. At its core, the order aims to expand the universe of investment options available within retirement accounts, especially those tied to employer-sponsored plans. Traditionally, these plans have been limited to relatively straightforward, regulated…

Budget Airlines and Big Government: The Spirit Bailout Debate

The Trump administration’s consideration of a bailout for Spirit Airlines is one of those rare political moments where everyone gets a little uncomfortable at the same time, but for very different reasons. On paper, it looks like a straightforward economic rescue: a struggling airline, mounting financial pressure, and a government weighing whether to step in…

Tariffs, Pills, and Politics: Will 100% Drug Tariffs Fix Anything or Break Everything?

If there’s one issue that reliably unites Americans across the political spectrum, it’s this: prescription drugs cost too much. Whether you’re paying out of pocket, dealing with insurance headaches, or watching premiums creep higher every year, the system feels expensive, opaque, and—at times—downright unfair. So, when President Trump steps in with a bold proposal like…

When Oil Prices Rise, Do “We” Actually Make Money?

During a recent discussion about rising energy costs, President Trump offered a characteristically blunt assessment of the situation. The United States, he argued, is now the world’s largest oil producer, so when oil prices go up, “we make a lot of money.” On the surface, that sounds logical enough. If you sell something and the…

SCOTUS Draws a Hard Line on Tariffs

The Supreme Court’s recent decision striking down President Trump’s sweeping emergency tariff program wasn’t some vague procedural technicality. It was a direct constitutional confrontation over who has the authority to impose tariffs and how far a president can stretch an emergency statute to achieve economic policy goals. In Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump, the Court…

Congress Finally Takes Housing Seriously

In a Congress that often seems more invested in partisan theater than practical governance, the House’s bipartisan passage of a housing package stands out as something unusual: an acknowledgment of reality. Housing affordability is no longer a regional issue confined to coastal cities or high-growth metro areas. It’s a national pressure point affecting families in…

The EU–Mercosur Trade Deal: Strategic Logic Meets Political Reality

Free trade agreements tend to be debated like theology: one side speaks of “prosperity,” the other of “betrayal,” and both sides cherry-pick numbers. The EU–Mercosur deal deserves a more sober appraisal, because it’s not just a trade pact. It’s an attempt to rewire supply chains, industrial strategy, and geopolitical alignment in a decade when tariffs…