With some provisions of the 2017 tax cuts set to expire in 2025, legislators are scrambling to make sure their preferred cuts are getting an extension. Add to that Donald Trump’s demand for no taxes on tips and you are left with a very uncertain future for taxation policy. What should we expect? Adam Michel joins to discuss. Adam N. Michel is director of tax policy studies at the Cato Institute, where he focuses on analyzing the economic and budgetary effects of taxation in the United States.

Dominic Pino, a Thomas J. Rhodes Journalism Fellow and host of AIER’s Econception podcast, dives into Donald Trump's much-anticipated second term. He discusses the implications of Trump's new approach to policy and the internal dynamics of his team. The conversation highlights economic contradictions in tariff policies, the complexities of American manufacturing, and the controversial nature of executive orders. Pino also addresses concerns over presidential pardons and the economic challenges that lie ahead.

Healthcare spending is the single largest item in the federal budget and the fastest-growing one, too. It is the main driver of our future debt. Reform isn't just necessary but urgent. Vero is joined today by two of the sharpest minds in healthcare policy to discuss solutions. Michael F. Cannon is the Cato Institute’s director of health policy studies. Washingtonian magazine named Cannon one of Washington, DC’s Most Influential People in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. Cannon was previously a domestic policy analyst for the US Senate Republican Policy Committee, where he advised the Senate leadership on health, education, labor, welfare, and the Second Amendment. Brian Blase, Ph.D., is the President of Paragon Health Institute. Brian was Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy at the White House’s National Economic Council (NEC) from 2017-2019, where he coordinated the development and execution of numerous health policies and advised the President, NEC director, and senior officials.

Michael F. Cannon, director of health policy studies at the Cato Institute, shares insightful perspectives on government involvement in healthcare. He explores the origins of medical licensing, arguing it creates monopolies that elevate costs and limit access. Cannon discusses the historical roots of tax breaks for employer-sponsored insurance, emphasizing how these distort markets. The conversation also highlights the impact of FDA regulations on drug safety, and the potential of market innovations like telehealth to improve care accessibility.

The Department of Government Efficiency is being tasked with reining in the frivolous government spending we have all grown to know as “the norm.” But where should those cuts be made? Alex Nowrasteh and Chris Edwards joined the show to discuss a new report from the Cato Institute that outlines where the waste is and how to cut it. Alex Nowrasteh is the vice president for economic and social policy studies at the Cato Institute.  Chris Edwards occupies the Kilts Family Chair in Fiscal Studies at the Cato Institute and is the editor of Down​siz​ing​Gov​ern​ment​.org.  Read the report.

At the end of 2024, the United States’ national debt has ballooned to $36 trillion, and the budget deficit hovers over $2 trillion. With spending only having the prospect of going up, the U.S. financial situation to be even more dire in 10 years, likely climbing another $22 trillion. Is there any way out of this crisis? Economic economist Joshua Rauh and policy researcher Jack Salmon joined Vero today to discuss. Joshua Rauh is the Ormond Family Professor of Finance at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. He leads the Hoover Institution State and Local Government Initiative. Jack Salmon is the director of Policy Research at Philanthropy Roundtable. In Jack’s current role, he supports the Policy and Government Affairs team with research, commentary and analysis on issues facing the charitable sector and philanthropic freedom.

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are coming to Washington, DC, intending to cut $2 trillion in wasteful federal spending. Together, they will form the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. This ambitious project opens up many questions, and Tom Church and Danny Heil are joining Vero today to discuss. Tom Church is a policy fellow at the Hoover Institution, where he studies health care policy, entitlement reform, income inequality, poverty, and the federal budget. Daniel Heil is a policy fellow at the Hoover Institution whose focus is on the federal budget, tax policy, and federal antipoverty programs.

AIER Director of Research Samuel Gregg joins Qualified Opinions to discuss the fracturing of the conservative and libertarian movements, where free markets and ordered liberty go from here, and his new book, The Next American Economy.

Donald Trump’s win marks the first time a Republican has won the popular vote since George W. Bush in 2004. What does this decisive election mean? How closely related are the political and policy realities? What can we expect under a Trump administration, and will Democrats make significant shifts in their own policy initiatives? Join Veronique de Rugy, Dominic Pino, and Akash Chougule break down the election and what we can expect under the new Trump administration.

Of the cherished liberties of a free society, economic liberty holds a special place. Personal choice, voluntary exchange, and the protection of private property sustain our political and civil liberties. Matt Mitchell joins the show today to discuss economic freedom and a new index from the Fraser Institute that maps economic freedom around the world. Matthew D. Mitchell is a Senior Fellow in the Centre for Economic Freedom at the Fraser Institute. Prior to joining the Fraser Institute, Mitchell was a long-serving senior fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, where he remains an affiliated senior scholar.