Budget Watchdog All Federal
The podcast dedicated to making sense of the budget, spending, and tax issues facing the nation. We cut through the partisan rhetoric and talking points to bring you the facts about what's being talked about, bandied about, and pushed in Washington. Budget Watchdog All Federal is brought to you by Taxpayers for Common Sense.
Episodes
97 episodes
20 Years After Katrina: Are We Still Paying Premium Prices for Poor Planning?
Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, we're still making the same costly mistakes. Despite spending over $122 billion on flood control since the 1920s, average annual flood damages had tripled even before Katrina hit. ...
•
Episode 97
•
18:10
Up in Smoke: The Methane Waste Crisis Costing Taxpayers Billions
The EPA's delay of methane waste standards will cost taxpayers $170 million as billions of cubic feet of natural gas escape into the atmosphere instead of reaching markets. Host Steve Ellis explores this fiscal and health crisis with TCS Vice P...
•
Episode 96
•
23:39
Rule by Tariff: When Trade Policy Meets Wishful Thinking Economics
In this episode, TCS President Steve Ellis and Director of Research Josh Sewell tackle the Trump administration's tariff bonanza and explain why counting tariff chickens before they hatch is a recipe for fiscal disaster. They break down how tar...
•
Episode 95
•
19:32
Who Pays When Disaster Strikes, Now?
The Trump administration is proposing fundamental changes to federal disaster response, shifting from FEMA's current model toward block grants that give states more control. The goal: reduce federal bureaucracy and empower local decision-making...
•
Episode 94
•
31:56
Warrior's Right to Repair - When Military Equipment Breaks, Who Gets to Fix It?
What happens when a CT scanner breaks down in Afghanistan and soldiers can't repair it themselves? Or when the Navy has to fly contractors out to sea just to fix basic equipment? This episode dives into the Pentagon's "right to repair" problem ...
•
Episode 93
•
17:48
Feeding the World Without Frying the Planet with Michael Grunwald
New York Times bestselling author Michael Grunwald joins host Steve Ellis to discuss his forthcoming book "We Are Eating the Earth: the Race to Fix Our Food System and Save Our Climate,"...
•
Episode 92
•
46:59
One Big Beautiful Bill, Many Ugly Problems
Senate Republicans are scrambling to craft their version of President Trump's massive budget reconciliation package before a self-imposed July 4th deadline – and they're making the House's already bloated bill even worse. The Senate Armed Servi...
•
Episode 91
•
18:46
Are Tariffs Offsetting the New Tax Cut? What the CBO Report Really Says
The Congressional Budget Office just dropped a bombshell: Trump's tariff policies could reduce deficits by $2.8 trillion over 10 years. Sounds great for fiscal hawks, right? Wrong. Steve Ellis and Josh Sewell break down why this "deficit reduct...
•
Episode 90
•
26:57
Base Instincts - The Case for Military Base Closures
In this episode of Budget Watchdog All Federal, host Steve Ellis sits down with TCS Policy Analyst Gabe Murphy to discuss their comprehensive new report, "
•
Episode 89
•
34:36
Big Beautiful Bill: Trump's $5 Trillion Gamble
In this episode of Budget Watchdog All Federal, host Steve Ellis and Director of Research Josh Sewell break down President Trump's massive reconciliation package that passed the House by the razor-thin margin of 215-214. The "one big beautiful ...
•
Episode 88
•
25:47
Slashing and Shifting: Inside President Trump's FY2026 Budget Proposal
In this episode of Budget Watchdog All Federal, Steve Ellis and Josh Sewell analyze President Trump's newly released "skinny budget" for fiscal year 2026, which proposes $163 billion in cuts primarily to domestic programs while increasing fundi...
•
Episode 87
•
21:44
Warrior Ethos vs. Taxpayer Reality: The Pentagon's Waste Paradox
In this eye-opening episode of Budget Watchdog All Federal, host Steve Ellis sits down with TCS Policy Analyst Gabe Murphy to dissect President Trump's recent executive order on "
•
Episode 86
•
14:35
Fiscal Smoke and Mirrors
In this episode of Budget Watchdog All Federal, host Steve Ellis and TCS Director of Research and Policy Josh Sewell expose the deceptive budgeting tactics being employed in Washington and how this accounting gimmick allows lawmakers to pretend...
•
Episode 85
•
13:28
Tariffs and Tax Cuts: The Hidden Cost of 'Liberation Day'
In this timely episode of Budget Watchdog All Federal, host Steve Ellis and TCS Director of Research and Policy Josh Sewell dive into President Trump's newly declared "Liberation Day" and the economic implications of his sweeping tariff plan. A...
•
Episode 84
•
29:43
Beyond the CR: How Congress Ceded Power
In this revealing episode of Budget Watchdog All Federal, Steve Ellis, Josh Sewell, and Gabe Murphy dissect the March 2025 continuing resolution that's anything but "continuing." They expose how HR 1968 gives unprecedented flexibility to the Pe...
•
Episode 83
•
21:17
Farms First Again?
As America engages in another trade war, Budget Watchdog All Federal shares firsthand insights from the nation's largest farmer-focused agricultural convention, the Commodity Classic. TCS Director of Research and Policy Josh Sewell dives into S...
•
Episode 82
•
31:41
DOGE Needs to Hunt for Real Budget Savings
In this illuminating discussion, Budget Watchdog host Steve Ellis and TCS Director of Research and Policy Josh Sewell examine why the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) approach to federal budget cuts is misguided and potentially counte...
•
Episode 81
•
24:57
Reconciliation Roulette: Congress's High-Stakes Budget Game
In this timely episode, TCS President Steve Ellis and Director of Research Josh Sewell dive deep into the complexities of budget reconciliation as Congress grapples with competing strategies in early 2025. They explore the stark differences bet...
•
Episode 80
•
21:35
What Happened with the CR
A just-in-time CR extending current funding levels until March 14, 2025, narrowly averted a government shutdown. So what's in it? Steve Ellis and Jos...
•
Episode 79
•
27:55
Reality Check: Can Elon Musk's Team Really Cut $2 Trillion in a Year?
Get the reality check on America's daunting fiscal challenges and why both parties must face hard truths about spending, taxes, and debt. TCS President Steve Ellis ...
•
Episode 78
•
29:40
Lame Duck, Big Bucks: Congress's Last-Minute Spending Sprint
With critical deadlines looming and major legislation hanging in the balance, TCS President Steve Ellis and Director of Policy Josh Sewell dive into what's at stake during Congress's lame duck session. They break down the pressing December 20th...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 76
•
25:21
Pumping Profits or Storing Carbon? Oversight Gaps in Carbon Capture Subsidies
Taxpayers for Common Sense explores the 45Q tax credit for carbon capture and storage, its expansion, and concerns ...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 75
•
19:28
Helene's High Cost
TCS Director of Research & Policy Josh Sewell joins Steve Ellis to help answer the multi-billion dollar question: Who Pays When Disaster Strikes?
•
Season 1
•
Episode 74
•
25:13