All Hallows’ Eve is upon us! And 2023 has been uncommonly spooky. Disappearances. Hauntings. Bloodletting. So, if you dare look deeper - if you seek to hear more.  Enter the haunted dome of Capitol Hill and come face to face with the real ghouls, monsters, and fiscal horrors that lurk in the shadows. 

TCS National Security Analyst Gabe Murphy joins Steve Ellis with an important update on America's military budget and spending issues. Hit play for the latest on the defense budget, military aid to Ukraine, the F-35 fighter jet, the Marine Corps transformation plan, and the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) rule, that guides the Pentagon's role in addressing climate change.

It turns out that avoiding the self-inflicted fiscal damage of a government shutdown was merely the beginning of a historic and even more highly chaotic period in the US House of Representatives.  Just before noon on Tuesday, October 3rd a rebellion led by Representative Matt Gaetz, a far-right Republican from Florida led to the House voting 216-210 to oust McCarthy. Why? Because on Saturday the Speaker relied on Democratic votes to help pass a bill to avoid a partial government shutdown. That's where TCS president Steve Ellis picks up the story with analysis from TCS VP Autumn Hanna and TCS Senior Policy Analyst Josh Sewell.

We are on the edge of our seats waiting to see if Congress can complete a Hail Mary pass to keep the government running and give lawmakers time to pass the dozen annual spending bills.  The Senate has the ball and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is lined up in the shotgun position, hoping to connect on a last-minute six-week Continuing Resolution. TCS star players Autumn Hanna and Josh Sewell join Steve Ellis on the sidelines with expert analysis and color commentary.    

Oil & Gas Leasing in Nevada is trouble for taxpayers.  Host Steve Ellis and TCS Vice President Autumn Hanna are joined by Russell Kuhlman, Executive Director of the Nevada Wildlife Federation for a discussion about bonding requirements, federal royalty rates, and what constitutes a fair return for taxpayers. 

Lawmakers are back and the September 30 deadline to fund the federal government for fiscal year 2024 — or to pass a continuing resolution for stopgap funding until negotiators can agree on appropriations — looms larger by the minute. Can Speaker Kevin McCarthy unite his fractured conference on spending?  Will there be a government shutdown?  And how much money would it cost taxpayers?  TCS Senior Policy Analyst Josh Sewell joins host Steve Ellis to find the answers.

The recent credit rating downgrade of the United States government by Fitch Ratings might have been met with alarm bells and market tremors.  It was not.  Host Steve Ellis is joined by TCS Senior Policy Analyst, Josh Sewell, and TCS Director of Special Projects, Mike Surrusco,  to shed light, context, and analysis of the underlying issues that continue to simmer.

Ten billion taxpayer dollars per year in subsidies won’t fix farmers’ problems.  Why? Because dollars alone won’t solve any problem. Join host Steve Ellis and TCS Senior Policy Analysts Josh Sewell and Sheila Korth for an exclusive look behind the curtain at the special interests driving the formation of the 118th Congress' Farm Bill.

We’re back with the latest evidence of the increasing costs to taxpayers from climate change.  Join Steve Ellis and Josh Sewell as they shine a spotlight on the fat stacks taxpayers are laying down on Climate in 2023.

Today on the podcast, everything you need to know about biofuels and how the Renewable Fuel Standard has failed consumers, taxpayers, and the climate. Host Steve Ellis is joined by journalist and author Michael Grunwald and TCS Senior Policy Analyst Sheila Korth.