The hottest Budget Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top U.S. Politics Topics

Mamdani Is Inviting a Property Tax Revolt

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 394 implied HN points • 19 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Budget
  1. The mayor proposed a 9.5% property tax increase to help close a roughly $5.4 billion budget shortfall after state leaders refused to raise taxes on the wealthy.
  2. The hike would hit a broad swath of New Yorkers — homeowners across boroughs and renters who could face landlords passing on costs or landlords going under.
  3. Progressive leaders have labeled the plan inequitable, and it risks provoking a voter backlash or tax revolt over rising property bills.

A Political and Legal Lightning Round

The Status Kuo • 12814 implied HN points • 19 Jan 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Budget
  1. The Budget has faced challenges in passing, causing frustration among Republicans
  2. Republicans are pushing to impeach Mayorkas, even though they have not funded border enforcement
  3. Trump is arguing his disqualification from the Colorado ballot in the Supreme Court, with expected and controversial points

The Week Ahead (01.14.24)

The Status Kuo • 11655 implied HN points • 14 Jan 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Budget
  1. Deaths at the border as Texas defies federal authority, leading to tragic consequences
  2. Republicans in turmoil over budget negotiations, facing potential government shutdown
  3. U.S. and U.K. launch military strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, escalating tensions

Overthinking Transportation Funding Reform & Policy: Steelmanning Reauthorization III

Exasperated Infrastructures • 28 implied HN points • 14 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Budget
  1. Federal reauthorization is uncertain and could lead to three outcomes: funding could expire, Congress could pass a huge bloated multi-year bill full of pork that fixes little, or lawmakers could keep extending current funding with short-term continuing resolutions.
  2. Evaluate bills through five lenses—Power, Mode, Complexity, Flexibility, and Geography—to see who gains, what modes are prioritized, how complicated spending is, how flexible funding is, and where money goes.
  3. Federal dollars and politics tend to favor highways and big projects while local needs and things like interstate rail get sidelined, and the whole policy process is slow, messy, and politically driven.
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March 10, 2026

Letters from an American • 32 implied HN points • 11 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Budget
  1. Senators are furious that classified briefings left them with more questions than answers about the Iran campaign, including unclear goals, rising costs, and the real risk of U.S. troops being put in harm's way and the conflict widening.
  2. The government is prioritizing massive war and Pentagon spending while cutting or threatening domestic programs, with troubling examples of wasteful 'use-it-or-lose-it' purchases amid people losing food and health benefits.
  3. A longer view warns that militarization diverts resources from schools, healthcare, and basic needs, and that investing in prosperity at home and abroad is a smarter way to prevent extremism and sustain peace.

The gas can caucus

Lucian Truscott Newsletter • 3714 implied HN points • 10 Jan 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Budget
  1. Funding the government is vital, but political disagreements often lead to stopgap measures.
  2. The U.S. government faces challenges in balancing its budget due to overspending.
  3. The Gas Can Caucus is criticized for short-term budget solutions that may impact long-term priorities.

Congressional Republicans to Defund the Antitrust Division?

BIG by Matt Stoller • 22689 implied HN points • 07 Feb 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Budget
  1. Antitrust Division's budget may be at risk of defunding by Congressional Republicans, impacting its ability to pursue cases against big corporations like Apple and Ticketmaster.
  2. Challenges in Antitrust Division's budget in recent years resulted in limitations on taking action against big tech monopolies like Google and Apple due to lack of resources.
  3. The bipartisan antitrust reform legislation of 2022 aimed to boost Antitrust Division resources for more effective enforcement, but current budget debates, including potential cuts, pose a threat to this progress.

Zohran Mamdani's Budgetary Buffoonery

QTR’s Fringe Finance • 45 implied HN points • 18 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Budget
  1. A nearly 10% property tax increase runs against the mayor's affordability promises and shifts a big bill onto homeowners and landlords.
  2. Property taxes are a blunt tool that often lead owners to pass costs to renters or cut maintenance, which undermines housing affordability.
  3. Relying on repeated large tax hikes risks eroding political support and could drive wealthy residents and businesses away, shrinking the city's tax base.

February 17, 2026

Letters from an American • 29 implied HN points • 18 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Budget
  1. The administration’s turn toward white Christian nationalism and protectionist trade policies is pushing traditional allies to deepen their own defense and trade ties without the U.S., leaving America more isolated on the world stage.
  2. The U.S. economy shows signs of strain: job growth collapsed in 2025, manufacturing and commercial real estate face big losses, immigration rules are causing labor shortages, and deficits are ballooning after recent tax cuts and increased military spending.
  3. The government is expanding military and enforcement actions while rolling back or reshaping regulations in ways that benefit allies and family interests, and moves to influence media and federal agencies raise alarms about concentrated power and potential abuses.

Shutdown Winnings: Billions in Earmarks for Coke-Driven Moby Dick Theatre, Horse Therapy, “Gay Utopia,” and More

OpenTheBooks Substack • 228 implied HN points • 24 Nov 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Budget
  1. Lawmakers kept slipping earmarks into spending bills during the shutdown, with the signed stopgap containing 862 earmarks worth $2.4 billion and roughly $10.7 billion more under consideration.
  2. A large share of the funding goes to local or quirky projects far from core federal duties — things like restoring a giant elephant statue, supporting dance festivals, horse therapy, and youth squash programs.
  3. Earmarks were paused for a decade and are credited with big savings, but their return has rapidly increased spending while transparency and oversight remain weak, prompting concerns about fiscal discipline.

Waiting at the Center of the Terrible 20s

CDR Salamander • 884 implied HN points • 01 Feb 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Budget
  1. The 2020s are shaping up to be challenging due to economic, political, and budgetary issues.
  2. There's a significant national debt expected in 2025, with tax cuts expiring and other financial challenges.
  3. The US needs to prepare for the implications of the People's Republic of China's rise amidst these economic and political challenges.

SITREP - 12/26/23

THREE SEVEN MAFIA • 919 implied HN points • 26 Dec 23
💰 Finance Budget
  1. Stripe Capital is causing issues by not processing payments, leading to a need to migrate elsewhere.
  2. The author experienced financial troubles, including fraudulent charges and a drained checking account.
  3. Despite challenges, the author plans to continue creating content and maintaining a positive outlook.

City Hall revs up for annual budget deputation derby

City Hall Watcher • 216 implied HN points • 19 Jan 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Budget
  1. City Hall is engaged in a week of budget battles with tensions rising over federal funding for refugees in the shelter system.
  2. Over 100 budget deputations took place with concerns raised about staff salaries and potential cost savings.
  3. Community groups have expressed various concerns to the Budget Committee, including issues with policing and homelessness.

Chartbook 266 Israel's downgrade

Chartbook • 844 implied HN points • 15 Feb 24
🌍 World Politics Budget
  1. Moody's downgraded Israel's ratings due to ongoing conflict with Hamas, weakening its institutions and fiscal strength - a first in Israeli history.
  2. Despite the financial toll of the war with Gaza, Israel's debt-to-GDP ratio remains stable, thanks to local currency borrowing and market confidence.
  3. The aid promised by the US to Israel amidst the conflict serves more as a political statement than a financial necessity, relieving pressure on Israel's domestic priorities.

Biden’s FY2024 budget request

Speaking Security • 216 implied HN points • 10 Mar 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Budget
  1. Biden's FY2024 budget request includes $1.7 trillion in base discretionary spending.
  2. Two-thirds of Biden's proposed spending is for military, law enforcement, or prisons.
  3. The budget request outlines funding for Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs, and more.

Why TSA-style security doesn't work for schools

School Shooting Data Analysis and Reports • 39 implied HN points • 30 Apr 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Budget
  1. Having teachers perform security screenings at schools can be ineffective due to lack of training and time constraints.
  2. Failure in school security protocols can lead to dangerous situations such as students sneaking weapons past metal detectors.
  3. Implementing TSA-style security at schools is impractical due to the scale of students, cost, and physical infrastructure required.

Next week: debating a $17 billion budget. This week: debating printing costs

City Hall Watcher • 78 implied HN points • 09 Feb 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Budget
  1. Toronto City Hall is facing a significant budget battle next week over a $17 billion budget.
  2. Council spent time debating printing costs, travel expenses, bus lanes, and shelters in their recent meetings.
  3. The Toronto Community Housing Board is tackling the issue of overhoused households, aiming to reallocate space for those on the waitlist.