Let People Prosper

As I record this, the federal government is in yet another shutdown. Sadly, this isn’t new. Washington has become addicted to chaos in budgeting, marked by shutdowns, continuing resolutions, and bloated omnibus bills. We must be clear that this shutdown is just a symptom. The disease is runaway government spending.The U.S. debt has soared past $37 trillion. We’re running nearly $2 trillion in annual deficits. And Congress hasn’t passed a full budget on time since 1997—that’s almost three decades of fiscal irresponsibility. Instead, lawmakers punt with short-term patches and massive, unread spending packages. That’s fiscal malpractice.VIDEOIn this episode of This Week’s Economy, I’ll be covering who needs to take responsibility and what steps must be taken to prevent future shutdowns, address our nation’s spending problems, and get America back on track. You can catch the full episode on YouTube, Apple Podcast, or Spotify.Visit: VanceGinn.comSubscribe: VanceGinn.Substack.com

What if our approach to vaccines—one of the greatest medical achievements in history—has lost sight of its most important principle: trust?In this week’s Let People Prosper Show, I talk with Dr. Monique Yohanan, a physician, policy leader, and innovator who’s spent more than 20 years at the crossroads of medicine, technology, and public policy. She’s the Chief Medical Officer at Adia Health, where she leads work on AI-powered diagnostic tools, and a Senior Fellow at Independent Women’s Forum, where she’s shaking up the national conversation with her new paper, Rethinking Vaccine Policy: A Case for Humility, Precision, and Parental Partnership.Dr. Yohanan trained at Dartmouth, Brown, Harvard, and Stanford, and has taught at UCSF and Stanford. She’s a nationally recognized voice on evidence-based medicine, having worked on issues from pain management and mental health parity to the opioid crisis and healthcare technology reform.In this conversation, we delve into how public health can rebuild trust by respecting parents, embracing precision, and utilizing technology wisely.Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube, and visit VanceGinn.com and my handle on X for more pro-growth policy content that doesn’t pull punches.

Washington is once again at a standstill. The latest federal shutdown is more than a partisan clash—it’s a reminder of how badly America needs real fiscal discipline. Endless spending battles, continuing resolutions, and bloated budgets have left taxpayers footing the bill for a government that refuses to live within its means. President Trump has warned of “irreversible” changes to the federal workforce during this shutdown, but the deeper problem isn’t staffing levels—it’s a budgeting process that’s broken at its core.Sound economics goes beyond fiscal responsibility. Free trade, open markets, and competition—not tariffs, subsidies, or mandates—are what drive prosperity. From tariffs on movies and medicine to micromanagement of banking and biotech, Washington has drifted far from the principles that once made America the world’s economic leader. It’s time to rein in unnecessary spending, reject protectionism, and return to policies that let people prosper!In this episode of This Week’s Economy, I’ll break down the latest news—from the shutdown to new Trump administration tariffs—and share solutions that can move us forward. In today’s episode of This Week’s Economy, join me for Econ 101 as we explore whether markets ever truly fail. You can catch the full episode on YouTube, Apple Podcast, or Spotify.Visit: VanceGinn.comSubscribe: VanceGinn.Substack.com

What really empowers women—bigger government programs, or the freedom to pursue opportunity on their own terms?On this week’s Let People Prosper Show, I sit down with Patrice Onwuka, Director of the Center for Economic Opportunity at the Independent Women’s Forum. You may know her as a regular Friday co-host on WMAL’s O’Connor & Company, a fellow at The Steamboat Institute and The Philanthropy Roundtable, and a frequent guest on Fox News. Her work has also appeared in USA Today, The Washington Post, Barron’s, and many more.Born in the Caribbean and raised in Boston, Patrice now lives in Maryland with her husband and three kids. With more than a decade of experience in D.C. policy and advocacy, she has made it her mission to combat identity politics and advocate for practical solutions—such as portable benefits, safety net reform, and dismantling barriers that hinder women’s ability to build wealth. Don’t miss our discussion and share it with your network.For more insights, visit vanceginn.com. You can also get even greater value by subscribing to my Substack newsletter at vanceginn.substack.com. Please share with your friends, family, and broader social media network. 

The conservative movement is growing. In the days since the assassination of Charlie Kirk, many have stepped forward to advance traditional values and conservative ideals. There is much to elevate in this renewed movement.But it must remain anchored in the pro-growth principles that have fueled conservative victories throughout American history. Conservatives have long resisted government spending and control. Yet today, too many conservatives support tariffs, industrial policy, and special favors for select businesses. These are forms of economic socialism—central planning that shifts power from the people to politicians.What we need instead is a principled, practical defense of free markets—and the courage to press leaders to embrace it, even when it’s politically inconvenient. That’s why I’ve put together a list of basic economic principles.In today’s episode of This Week’s Economy, join me for Econ 101 as we explore whether markets ever truly fail. You can catch the full episode on YouTube, Apple Podcast, or Spotify.Visit: VanceGinn.comSubscribe: VanceGinn.Substack.com

Today’s guest is David Ditch, Senior Analyst in Fiscal Policy at the Economic Policy Innovation Center (EPIC). With over a decade of experience examining the federal budget, David has worked at the Senate Budget Committee and at The Heritage Foundation, where he helped launch the Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget. His work has been published in outlets like FoxNews.com, the Los Angeles Times, and the Chicago Tribune.David’s reputation is clear: he cuts through Washington spin with data-driven analysis, showing how Congress, bureaucrats, and special interests have fueled a debt crisis that threatens the future. In our conversation, we dive into the national debt as a failure of elites, the false fights over discretionary vs. mandatory spending, and what Washington could learn from low-tax, low-spend states. We also cover the gimmicks that dominate appropriations and the challenge of making fiscal responsibility popular again.For more insights, visit vanceginn.com. You can also get even greater value by subscribing to my Substack newsletter at vanceginn.substack.com. Please share with your friends, family, and broader social media network. 

In the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, many are asking what comes next. Free speech feels under attack. Policy debates feel more heated than ever. But now is not the time to retreat—it’s the time to fight for truth. We need clarity about which policies work and which don’t, and we must pursue those that let people prosper.Part of that fight is advancing pro-growth policies that get government out of the way. The latest economic data paint a troubling picture: inflation is running hot, the national debt is soaring, the labor market is weakening, and a third of U.S. states are slipping into recession. Now more than ever, we need policies that can steady the ship and put America back on the path to prosperity.In this episode of This Week’s Economy, I’ll break down what all this data means—and what solutions can move us forward. You can catch the full episode on YouTube, Apple Podcast, or Spotify.Visit: VanceGinn.comSubscribe: VanceGinn.Substack.com

What happens when innovation runs headfirst into big government?On this week’s Let People Prosper Show, I’m joined by Jake Morabito, Senior Director at the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), where he leads both the Communications and Technology Task Force and the Energy, Environment, and Agriculture Task Force. Jake is working directly with state lawmakers to make sure freedom—not federal micromanagement—drives the future of innovation.From AI and broadband expansion to smart cities and age verification, Jake has been at the center of some of the most pressing debates in technology policy. His background—from Capitol Hill with Rep. Darrell Issa to his work with Software.org—gives him a unique perspective on how lawmakers handle innovation and how often they get it wrong. Together, we explore how states can lead in AI without replicating California’s regulatory overreach, how to bridge the digital divide without fostering dependency, and how free-market principles can guide a more prosperous digital future.For more insights, visit vanceginn.com. You can also get even greater value by subscribing to my Substack newsletter at vanceginn.substack.com. Please share with your friends, family, and broader social media network.

Across the U.S., students are heading back to school. But here’s the reality: despite record levels of public education funding, student performance is flat—or more likely declining—in many places.Nearly twenty states have adopted near-universal Education Savings Accounts, giving families more freedom. Yet in many others, progress lags. Even where legislation has recently passed, like in Texas, the programs often fall short of true, universal choice in terms of all students, all options, and all dollars.The time for a school choice revolution is now! In this episode of This Week’s Economy, I break down why education needs choice, competition, and innovation—and how those principles can transform not just the lives of individual students, but families, communities, and the future of our nation.You can catch the full episode on YouTube, Apple Podcast, or Spotify.Visit: VanceGinn.comSubscribe: VanceGinn.Substack.com

Today’s guest is Kurt Couchman, Senior Fellow in Fiscal Policy at Americans for Prosperity—and a trusted fiscal ally since our days in Washington, back when he was at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Kurt’s cutting-edge thinking on balanced-budget amendments, statutory fiscal targets, and bipartisan reform has made him one of the most respected voices in the fight against runaway spending.His new book, Fiscal Democracy in America: How a Balanced Budget Amendment Can Restore Sound Governance, is out now—and it’s essential reading if you care about fiscal responsibility, government accountability, and long-term economic growth.For more insights, visit vanceginn.com. You can also get even greater value by subscribing to my Substack newsletter at vanceginn.substack.com. Please share with your friends, family, and broader social media network.