LIVE DATA
// ARTICLES & ANALYSIS

All Reports

Independent analysis of federal spending, congressional voting, economic data, regulatory activity, and budget policy. Sourced from public government data.

CPI YoY
Unemployment
10-Yr Treasury
Budget & Deficit

Debt Passed $39 Trillion. The Next Risk Is the Cost of Rolling It Over.

Treasury data shows debt above $39 trillion, a 3.327% average interest rate on interest-bearing debt, and record bill auction sizes that keep rollover risk elevated.

April 10, 2026 8 min read 7 sources
Read Analysis →
Budget & Deficit

FY2026 Deficit Midyear Check: Borrowing Slows, Interest Stays High

First-half FY2026 borrowing ran below last year's pace, but total debt remained near $39T and net interest outlays stayed close to $1T on official data.

April 9, 2026 7 min read 5 sources
Read Analysis →
Regulatory Watch

The IEEPA Collapse: How the Supreme Court's 6-3 Ruling Rewired the Legal Framework Governing $166 Billion in U.S. Tariffs

A 6-3 SCOTUS ruling voided IEEPA tariffs, requiring $166B in refunds from 330,000+ businesses. The administration pivoted to Section 122 — a narrower statute with a hard 150-day clock. Here's what changed and what's next.

April 3, 2026 8 min read 5 sources
Read Analysis →
Economic Data

The Trade Whipsaw: How Tariff Front-Running Inflated 2025's Record Deficits — and What the Reversal Reveals

The U.S. trade deficit swung $81B in a year. GDP near-stalled at 0.7% in Q4 2025. Consumer sentiment sits at 56.6. Here's what the official numbers actually reveal when examined in sequence.

April 1, 2026 8 min read 6 sources
Read Analysis →
Federal Spending

Where the $7 Trillion Goes: A Full Breakdown of What Each Federal Agency Actually Cost Taxpayers in FY2025

The Treasury's own Statement of Net Cost reveals which agencies account for the overwhelming share of federal expenditure — and how $970 billion in interest now dwarfs the entire visible discretionary government.

March 30, 2026 7 min read 5 sources
Read Analysis →
Budget & Deficit

The $970 Billion Interest Bill: How a Shrinking Workforce and Exploding Debt Costs Are Rewriting the Federal Budget

Federal interest costs hit $970 billion in FY2025—up 10% in one year—while labor force participation fell to 62.0%. The data reveals a widening gap between the tax base and federal debt service.

March 29, 2026 5 min read 8 sources
Read Analysis →
Regulatory Watch

76 Nations, Two Investigations: How USTR Is Rewriting the Rules of U.S. Trade Enforcement

USTR opened simultaneous Section 301 investigations targeting manufacturing overcapacity in 16 economies and forced labor failures in 60 — the broadest simultaneous deployment of U.S. trade law in modern history.

March 28, 2026 8 min read 4 sources
Read Analysis →
Economic Data

Consumer Confidence Is at a 3-Year Low. GDP Growth Has Stalled. What the Data Says About the Disconnect.

Michigan sentiment fell to 56.4 in January 2026 — a 21% drop from a year ago — while GDP growth stalled at 0.7% in Q4 2025. Five FRED data series document the divergence between macro stability and consumer-side stress.

March 27, 2026 10 min read 8 sources
Read Analysis →
Federal Spending

Record Treasury Auctions, 3.32% Average Rates: The Mechanics of Borrowing $39 Trillion

The U.S. Treasury set a record $110 billion 4-week bill auction in October 2025 while average debt interest rates climbed to 3.32% — more than double 2021 levels. With debt at $39T and 122.5% of GDP, record auction volumes are the permanent operating condition of U.S. fiscal policy.

March 26, 2026 5 min read 7 sources
Read Analysis →
Budget & Deficit

The $1.83 Trillion Deficit: How Mandatory Spending and Interest Payments Are Crowding Out the Federal Budget

The federal government ran a $1.83 trillion deficit in FY2025 — 5.77% of GDP — with mandatory programs and $970B in interest now consuming 86 cents of every revenue dollar. Discretionary spending is being mathematically compressed.

March 24, 2026 5 min read 6 sources
Read Analysis →
Federal Spending

The $39 Trillion Mark: U.S. National Debt Crosses a New Threshold at $6.73 Billion Per Day

The national debt crossed $39 trillion on March 19, 2026, having added $1.14 trillion in just 169 days of FY2026. At $6.73 billion added every day, the annualized borrowing pace has reached $2.46 trillion — with $3.5 billion in daily interest cost.

March 23, 2026 5 min read 5 sources
Read Analysis →
Regulatory Watch

230,000 and Counting: What Initial Jobless Claims Reveal About the Federal Workforce Reduction

Federal initial jobless claims surged to 230,000 in late January 2026 — the largest non-weather spike since early 2024 — as federal workforce reductions reached peak pace. The BLS numbers don't theorize. They count.

March 22, 2026 5 min read 5 sources
Read Analysis →
Congressional Votes

Four Votes, Zero Results: How the Senate's DHS Deadlock Entered Week Six

The Senate has failed four cloture votes on H.R. 7147 — each falling roughly 9 votes short of the 60-vote threshold. After 34 days, 366 TSA officers resigned and a recess deadline looms March 30.

March 20, 2026 5 min read 5 sources
Read Analysis →
Budget & Deficit

FY2026 Deficit Hits $1 Trillion in Five Months — On Pace for $1.9T Full-Year Gap

The federal government ran a $1 trillion deficit in the first five months of FY2026, CBO reports, with $308 billion borrowed in February alone. CBO projects a $1.9 trillion full-year gap as revenues rise but mandatory spending continues to outpace receipts.

March 18, 2026 5 min read 4 sources
Read Analysis →
Regulatory Watch

88% Workforce Cut, 17 Enforcement Cases Dropped: GAO Report Documents CFPB's 2025 Restructuring

A GAO audit covering February through August 2025 found the CFPB issued stop-work orders, cut 88% of its workforce, dismissed 17 enforcement cases, and rescinded 70 guidance documents — while declining to cooperate with the audit.

March 17, 2026 6 min read 4 sources
Read Analysis →
Congressional Votes

CBO Final Score: OBBBA Adds $3.4 Trillion to Deficit — $1 Trillion More Than Early Estimates

The CBO's post-enactment analysis of Public Law 119-21 raises the deficit impact to $3.4 trillion — a full trillion above early estimates. We document both chambers' one-vote margins and the updated fiscal cost.

March 15, 2026 8 min read 6 sources
Read Analysis →
Federal Spending

Where Does the $7 Trillion Go? A Department-by-Department Breakdown of FY2025 Federal Spending

In FY2025, the federal government spent $7.0 trillion — but three agencies alone consumed nearly two-thirds. GTP maps every dollar by department, from HHS's $1.9T dominance to the rising $1T+ interest bill.

March 14, 2026 5 min read 5 sources
Read Analysis →
Budget & Deficit

Federal Interest Payments Top $1 Trillion for First Time in U.S. History

In FY2025, federal net interest on the national debt crossed $1 trillion for the first time — now the second-largest budget line item, ahead of defense spending, with CBO projecting $2.1 trillion annually by 2036.

March 13, 2026 9 min read 6 sources
Read Analysis →
Federal Spending

CBO Projects $1.9 Trillion Deficit for FY2026 As 10-Year Shortfall Hits $24.4 Trillion

The Congressional Budget Office's February 2026 baseline reveals an accelerating fiscal trajectory — annual deficits roughly double by 2036 as federal debt tracks toward a peacetime record as a share of the economy.

March 10, 2026 8 min read 3 sources
Read Analysis →
Congressional Votes

215-214: How the One Big Beautiful Bill Became Law on a Knife's-Edge Vote

H.R. 1 passed the House by a single vote and cleared the Senate only when the Vice President broke a 50–50 deadlock. CBO projects the law adds $2.4 trillion to the national deficit through 2034.

March 10, 2026 9 min read 3 sources
Read Analysis →
Economic Data

GDP Growth Slows to 1.4% in Q4 2025, Capping a Year of Economic Whiplash

Real GDP expanded just 1.4% annualized in Q4 2025, down sharply from 4.4% in Q3. With core PCE inflation at 3.0% and unemployment rising to 4.4%, BEA data presents a mixed picture heading into 2026.

March 11, 2026 10 min read 5 sources
Read Analysis →
Economic Data

GDP Growth Fell to 0.7% in Q4 2025 — The Sharpest Single-Quarter Deceleration in Two Years

Real GDP growth collapsed from 4.4% in Q3 to 0.7% in Q4 2025 — an 84% quarterly deceleration. Federal data shows unemployment at 4.4%, CPI near zero, and the personal saving rate at a multi-year low.

March 21, 2026 5 min read 6 sources
Read Analysis →
Federal Spending
Coming Soon

A breakdown of every major federal spending category, from Social Security to defense, with year-over-year comparisons.

Publishing soon · 7 AM PST daily
Coming Soon
Congressional Votes
Coming Soon

An accountability review of key roll call votes in the current session, cross-referenced with campaign finance data.

Publishing soon · 7 AM PST daily
Coming Soon
Economic Data
Coming Soon

A data-driven analysis of Federal Reserve policy signals using FRED economic indicators.

Publishing soon · 7 AM PST daily
Coming Soon
//

No articles published yet in this category.

Check back soon — publishing daily at 7am PST.

Federal Deficit
FY Annual Figure
Source: FRED / FYFSD
Unemployment Rate
Latest Monthly Reading
Source: FRED / UNRATE · BLS
CPI Inflation YoY
Year-Over-Year Change
Source: FRED / CPIAUCSL · BLS
Stay Informed
The Watchdog
Weekly

Every Sunday — key spending data, vote breakdowns, and the stories politicians hope you miss.