In this episode of Budget Watchdog All Federal, Steve Ellis and Josh Sewell analyze President Trump's newly released "skinny budget" for fiscal year 2026, which proposes $163 billion in cuts primarily to domestic programs while increasing funding for defense, homeland security, and border security. Get the TCS take on how these dramatic spending shifts might impact vulnerable populations, and whether these changes would meaningfully address the nation's growing debt.

In this eye-opening episode of Budget Watchdog All Federal, host Steve Ellis sits down with TCS Policy Analyst Gabe Murphy to dissect President Trump's recent executive order on "Modernizing Defense Acquisitions." Despite promising language about cutting Pentagon waste, Murphy reveals how this order actually undermines transparency and accountability. The conversation exposes the stunning contrast between rhetoric and reality: while the Pentagon struggles to identify even $80 million in waste from its $850 billion budget, the administration simultaneously pushes for a trillion-dollar defense budget. Ellis and Murphy break down the alarming expansion of "commercial solutions" designation, problematic weapons systems like the F-35 fighter and Sentinel ICBM, and the parallel assault on acquisition regulations. This essential episode offers taxpayers a clear-eyed view of how the Pentagon's wasteful spending persists despite promises of reform.

In this episode of Budget Watchdog All Federal, host Steve Ellis and TCS Director of Research and Policy Josh Sewell expose the deceptive budgeting tactics being employed in Washington and how this accounting gimmick allows lawmakers to pretend that extending expiring tax cuts costs nothing while actually adding trillions to the national debt.

In this timely episode of Budget Watchdog All Federal, host Steve Ellis and TCS Director of Research and Policy Josh Sewell dive into President Trump's newly declared "Liberation Day" and the economic implications of his sweeping tariff plan. As the national debt exceeds $36 trillion, this episode provides essential context on how these fiscal maneuvers could further burden American taxpayers for generations to come.

In this revealing episode of Budget Watchdog All Federal, Steve Ellis, Josh Sewell, and Gabe Murphy dissect the March 2025 continuing resolution that's anything but "continuing." They expose how HR 1968 gives unprecedented flexibility to the Pentagon with a $6 billion boost and expanded transfer authority while cutting $13 billion from domestic programs. The team explains how this unusual full-year CR weakens congressional oversight by blocking challenges to presidential emergency declarations and tariff policies. Discover why this legislation represents a concerning shift in the separation of powers and what it means for taxpayers when Congress relinquishes its constitutional authority over spending. Is this CR really about keeping the government running, or is it a power grab that undermines democratic accountability?

As America engages in another trade war, Budget Watchdog All Federal shares firsthand insights from the nation's largest farmer-focused agricultural convention, the Commodity Classic. TCS Director of Research and Policy Josh Sewell dives into Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins' pledge to "Make Agriculture Great Again" amid the current administration's unpredictable policy environment. Josh breaks down the recently approved $30.8 billion in agricultural disaster spending and the eye-opening statistics from TCS's updated report on crop insurance subsidies, which shows farmers receiving $54 billion more in payouts than premiums paid over the last decade.

In this illuminating discussion, Budget Watchdog host Steve Ellis and TCS Director of Research and Policy Josh Sewell examine why the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) approach to federal budget cuts is misguided and potentially counterproductive.

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In this timely episode, TCS President Steve Ellis and Director of Research Josh Sewell dive deep into the complexities of budget reconciliation as Congress grapples with competing strategies in early 2025. They explore the stark differences between the House's "one big beautiful bill" approach and the Senate's two-bill strategy, breaking down how reconciliation works, its limitations under the Byrd Rule, and the massive fiscal implications of proposed spending increases and tax cut extensions. The conversation highlights the cognitive dissonance between simultaneous pushes for defense spending cuts and increases while examining how the process could add trillions to America's already staggering $36 trillion national debt.