Cato Institute
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The Cato Institute is a public policy research organization — a think tank — dedicated to the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets and peace. Its scholars and analysts conduct independent, nonpartisan research on a wide range of policy issues.
Founded in 1977, Cato owes its name to Cato’s Letters, a series of essays published in 18th- century England that presented a vision of society free from excessive government power. Those essays inspired the architects of the American Revolution. And the simple, timeless principles of that revolution — individual liberty, limited government, and free markets — turn out to be even more powerful in today’s world of global markets and unprecedented access to information than Jefferson or Madison could have imagined. Social and economic freedom is not just the best policy for a free people, it is the indispensable framework for the future. Source
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| Scope | National |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Country | United States of America |
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Recent Articles
Search ArticlesThe Trump Administration Takes Aim at Import Stockpiling
Generated with ElevenLabs AI technology. When the Trump administration announced broad, high tariffs in early 2025, importers rushed to bring goods into the United States before the duties took effect. The impact of this import “rush” went beyond causing a brief spike in monthly US imports; firms’ stockpiling of imports helped mitigate cost increases for importers and delay price increases for final consumers.
Working-Class Americans Aren’t Sold on Tariffs
Generated with ElevenLabs AI technology. Some political elites hold the longstanding view that pursuing a protectionist trade policy could help bolster the American working class.
Leon Panetta on the Need for a Fiscal Commission: BRAC Worked
Generated with ElevenLabs AI technology. On September 21, the House Budget Committee held a field hearing in Dallas, TX, on the need for a fiscal commission. My ears perked up when former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta started speaking about BRAC, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission, as a model for overcoming politically difficult budget choices: One of the successful commissions dealt with BRAC.
A Bankrupt America Can’t Defend the World
Another fiscal year races to its conclusion. Another year in which Congress failed to pass appropriations bills. Another year in which Congress ran up a huge deficit. Another year in which Congress fueled the approaching red ink tsunami. The total national debt hit $40 trillion, with $32 trillion held by the public. Federal outlays this fiscal year, which concludes on September 30, are expected to run $7.3 trillion, with a deficit of $1.9 trillion.
Drawing Policy Lessons from the Fox-Dominion Libel Case
Generated with ElevenLabs AI technology. How will America’s distinctive body of defamation law shape what we hear about the forthcoming election? Will we all be subjected to another firehose of stolen-election lies because the New York Times v. Sullivan doctrine, as one Supreme Court Justice has claimed, generates “an ironclad subsidy for the publication of falsehoods by means and on a scale previously unimaginable”?
President Trump: Fighting Obamacare Fraud, AWOL on Obamacare Relief
Generated with ElevenLabs AI technology. Obamacare’s history is one of policymakers disregarding the law to achieve greater control over their fellow citizens. So the Trump administration’s recent announcement that it will stop issuing unlawful and often fraudulent Obamacare subsidies is a welcome departure from that history. The administration has also taken worthwhile steps to curb Medicaid fraud. The administration should go further, and not just in Obamacare.
A Diesel Export Ban Might Be Legal, but Is It Wise?
Generated with ElevenLabs AI technology. Diesel fuel exports from the Middle East have been cut in half this year in some of the ever-spreading economic fallout from the wars in Iran and Ukraine. In the United States, the price of diesel at the pump has soared above $6.50 for the first time. A year ago, the price was $3.70. US diesel inventories have plummeted since the start of the Iran war on February 28, and some diesel consumers are pulling up to the pump only to find it empty.
The President’s Ban on Journalists Is Disgraceful and Illegal
Generated with ElevenLabs AI technology. President Trump’s White House has repeatedly attempted to deny journalists access to presidential press conferences. This time, the White House has excluded several journalists because their coverage was allegedly “one-sided” and “negative.” Such efforts by the White House are illegal; they have failed in the past, and they will fail in the future.
No Compulsion in Religion at the Muslim Community Center
Generated with ElevenLabs AI technology. The Muslim Community Center (MCC) of Silver Spring, Maryland, founded in the early 1980s, is not just a place of worship but also a cultural space where, as they describe it, “faith meets community, service, and understanding.” On Saturday, September 19, I had the chance to visit the center for a talk on my recently edited Cato book, No Compulsion in Religion—No Exceptions: Islamic Arguments for Religious Freedom.
Congress Didn’t Exclude Homeschoolers. Treasury Shouldn’t Either.
Generated with ElevenLabs AI technology. Many in the K‑12 education world are anxiously awaiting the proposed regulations on the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (FSTC). The program, enacted in the 2025 “One Big Beautiful Bill,” provides a dollar-for-dollar federal income tax credit, up to $1,700, for donations to approved scholarship-granting organizations. The law requires the Secretary of the Treasury to issue “such regulations or other guidance” deemed necessary for the program.