The hottest Federal Budget Substack posts right now

Twenty-four senators requested $636 million in earmarks for colleges they attended, amounting to more than 20% of university earmarks proposed for 2026.
Republicans requested about 74% of that money, and a few senators pushed especially large awards for specific projects like medical research and new buildings.
Alma‑mater earmarks are larger on average than other university requests, and lawmakers from both parties have defended these pet projects during budget fights, drawing criticism that taxpayers are being used to favor old schools.

Delaying refunds on the Supreme Court-invalidated tariffs adds about $700 million in interest every month — roughly $23 million per day — and could total around $25 billion if litigation is dragged out to the end of the president’s term.
About $175 billion in tariff payments is tied up in bonds, so slow refunds hurt importers by freezing capital they could use to run their businesses.
The Justice Department asked for a 90-plus day pause in the remand process (which the appeals court rejected), and continuing to fight refunds would waste government resources and force taxpayers to pay needless interest.

NIH grant success rates follow predictably from inflation-adjusted appropriations, the number of applications, and the pool of already-committed outyear funds, and a model that includes those factors matches historical success rates well.
Funding more years up front (multiyear funding) ties up larger shares of each year’s appropriation and therefore reduces how many new and competing grants can be awarded; the recent increase in multiyear funding could mean roughly 1,000 (≈10%) fewer new/competing grants in FY2026 unless appropriations are increased.
The push for much greater multiyear funding fits with broader proposals to reshape NIH funding (for example, block grants to states) and has coincided with major leadership turnover, raising concerns the changes may be driven by policy aims rather than scientific priorities.

Federal spending per person hit about $20,474 in 2025, roughly 98 times the inflation‑adjusted per‑person spending in 1916, and now amounts to nearly a whole four‑person household's pre‑tax income.
Spending has trended steadily upward for a century with big spikes during crises like World War II, the 2008 mortgage crisis, and COVID, and it hasn’t returned to prior lows after those shocks.
Most recent growth is driven by Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, rising interest costs, and large deficits that require heavy borrowing, so taxpayers face higher obligations and need more transparency and accountability.

There are many types of taxes in the U.S., which can make the system very confusing. The government collects money through taxes like income tax, sales tax, and property tax to fund its activities.
A proposed way of understanding taxes is to link them directly to the services the government provides. For example, taxes could cover the cost of maintaining order and protecting citizens.
One suggested tax is a poll tax, which would be paid by everyone, regardless of income. This tax could help fund voting processes and personal protection, though it might be seen as unfair for low-income households.

Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

Elon Musk's influence over government is unusual, as he now runs an advisory group that has access to sensitive federal information, raising concerns about accountability.
Musk's interest in video games reflects a larger trend of how gaming and streaming create addictive experiences, blending personal achievement with social interaction.
DOGE, the group Musk leads, is actively cutting government contracts, particularly focused on diversity and inclusion initiatives, which sparks both support and criticism from his followers.

In September 2024, the Department of Defense spent over $79 billion, marking its highest spending since 2008. This was a huge jump in expenses compared to past months.
A lot of the money went to familiar things like ammunition and aircraft, but there were some surprising purchases too, like millions spent on lobster, steaks, and even musical instruments.
Despite spending most of the budget within the U.S., the Pentagon also gave nearly $2 billion to foreign companies, showing a global aspect to military spending.

The U.S. federal budget has big structural problems, like an aging population and increasing debt, making it hard to balance spending and revenue.
Most of the budget goes to a few major areas like Social Security and healthcare, which are expected to grow, so simply cutting discretionary spending won't solve the deficit issue.
Fixing these budget problems requires more than just efficiency cuts; it needs serious changes in laws and policies that are hard to achieve without widespread agreement.

The US government is expected to have a $3.5 trillion deficit in 2025, which is the largest peacetime deficit ever. This means spending is much higher than the money coming in.
There is little chance that Congress will cut spending significantly. Most government spending is on essential programs like Social Security and defense, which people don't want to lose.
As the debt grows, it might lead to higher interest rates and economic problems for consumers and businesses, but it seems unlikely that people will support major budget cuts until they feel the impacts more directly.

The U.S. government needs to cut $2 trillion from its budget to avoid financial disaster. This is important for maintaining democracy and economic health.
To save this money, we can eliminate wasteful agencies, cut unnecessary spending, and reduce low-priority programs. It’s crucial to make these cuts soon to prevent further debt growth.
The proposed savings can be grouped into three main areas: cutting unnecessary bureaucracies, downsizing defense spending, and reducing entitlement programs. Each area has specific targets for savings.