Brendan Duke

Pinning this: I’m happy to debate and mix it up with people on here, but I will gleefully block anyone who doesn’t address me like they would a normal person in a room. Every personal insult fills me with glee that I get to block a keyboard coward.

Very insightful point from @genebsperling here--"we must extend tax cuts" applies to tax cuts for estates worth tens of millions of dollars and profits of wealthy business owners, but not tax credits that make health care more affordable.

My new essay in ⁦@washingtonpost⁩ How Trump/Republican principle of extending “current policy” tax cuts is iron clad for the uber-well-off - not for working America. Workers will face a crushing $335 billion tax hike on health care. washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/…

New @The_Budget_Lab tariff analysis incorporating policy through July 22, including the new "reciprocal" tariff rates on Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines, which go into effect August 1. In brief... 1/10

Some professional news: After 11 years of columnizing at WaPo, I'm taking the buyout. This is my last column. It is my advice to any other lucky pundits who land a perch like this—11 principles I've aspired to, even if I haven't always achieved them: wapo.st/3TU2fGw

what really grinds my gears are dogs in grocery stores, restaurants, and coffee shops. it's disgusting. everyone knows it's not allowed, but there's complete impunity, with staff either not wanting the hassle of enforcing the posted rules or even giving the dogs treats

Interesting related point: The D.C. CFO says that all the tax breaks that @MayorBowser had negotiated with the Commanders (some of which Mendelson is reversing) would have cost D.C. $1.5 billion over 30 years and weren't financially necessary for the team.

A common Trump Admin TP for why it will achieve sustained 3% GDP is that it's going to enact massive federal deregulation. I don't think that massive federal deregulation would get you there, but even if you did...no evidence they have achieved massive federal deregulation.

I always thought this *was* the intention of Medicare Advantage but it’s a good report and insane that Republicans are slashing Medicaid benefits for the most vulnerable while leaving these scams untouched.

Democrats need to avoid boxing themselves in with a Biden-style tax pledge if they want to repair the damage of Trump's tariffs. slowboring.com/p/repairing-th…

Low-income families will face higher food and health costs, lost coverage, and deeper poverty under the new GOP tax and spending law — which costs more than extending all expiring tax cuts, even after slashing #Medicaid and #SNAP.

He's cooking here.

When it comes to one of the most basic necessities for people – housing – both political parties have failed to deliver. It’s a problem of our own making, but it’s one we can get ourselves out of. I’m on the Senate floor to explain how we do it. Tune in.

We laugh, but with the Republicans kicking people off Medicaid and making the ACA more expensive, more people are going to be making decisions like this to keep their health coverage.

*WHITE HOUSE DENIES THAT DOJ INFORMED TRUMP THAT HE IS ON EPSTEIN LIST

I was aware that Paul Douglas, who co invented the Douglas-Cobb production function was a Senator — I did _not_ know that he enlisted in the Marines at age 50 in WW2, requested combat duty, and won two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star

I sometimes get asked to talk to econ students about econ/politics intersection and usually open by asking if they know Cobb-Douglas (everyone does), if they know Douglas was a Senator (maybe 1-2 do), and that MLK Jr called him "the greatest of all the Senators" (none do)

Hey good news, they're finally spending money at CFPB!

The occam’s razor explanation of the 2024 election is that there was no big ideological realignment, and instead Gen Z and Hispanic Americans just voted their pocket books, thinking Trump would make prices look like they did when he was president.