This episode of Budget Watchdog All Federal dives into the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2026, examining critical taxpayer protection measures at stake. Host Steve Ellis and policy analyst Gabe Murphy discuss the Pentagon's proposed budget increases, controversial acquisition reform proposals like the FORGED and SPEED Acts, and key amendments, including Pentagon audit accountability measures and right-to-repair provisions. They also cover unfunded priority lists, the costly Golden Dome missile defense program, and recent developments in defense spending that could impact taxpayers for years to come.

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. TCS Director of Research Josh Sewell joins host Steve Ellis to examine how moral hazard, poor planning, and recent policy changes are wasting taxpayer dollars while leaving communities more vulnerable than ever to increasingly frequent and severe disasters.

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 President Autumn Hanna, Center for Methane Emission Solutions' Isaac Brown, and Evangelical Environmental Network's Rev. Dr. Jessica Moerman. From lost royalty revenues to public health impacts, discover why methane waste prevention isn't just environmental policy—it's smart fiscal stewardship.

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 tariffs work (spoiler: American companies pay them), why predicting tariff revenue is about as reliable as a chocolate teapot, and explore lawmakers' creative schemes to spend money that may never materialize. From Senator Josh Hawley's stimulus-style rebate checks to a proposed agricultural fund that essentially uses tariff money to compensate farmers for tariff damage (yes, really), the hosts reveal Washington's latest adventures in wishful thinking economics. Plus: why businesses hate uncertainty almost as much as they hate filling out tax forms, and how "rule by tariff" is making economic forecasters reach for the antacids.

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. But new analysis raises important questions about whether states have the financial capacity to handle major disasters alone.

An Urban Institute study found that only 5 out of 31 disaster-affected states had sufficient reserves to cover what they would lose under proposed changes. Meanwhile, implementation challenges are emerging: delayed disaster declarations, staffing reductions at FEMA, and coordination issues between federal and state agencies.

TCS President Steve Ellis and Director of Research & Policy Josh Sewell examine both sides of this debate. While federal disaster response clearly needs reform to improve efficiency and accountability, they explore whether current changes are achieving those goals or creating new problems that could cost taxpayers more in the long run.

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 - where service members are blocked from fixing their own gear, costing taxpayers billions and putting missions at risk.

Host Steve Ellis talks with Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette from the Project on Government Oversight and TCS policy analyst Gabe Murphy about the bipartisan Warrior's Right to Repair Act. From F-35 fighter jets to broken generators in South Korea, discover how contractor monopolies are keeping our military from maintaining their own equipment - and why 74% of Americans support giving our troops the tools and training to fix what they own.

Can Congress finally break the cycle of costly contractor dependency? Find out why this common-sense reform has everyone from Elizabeth Warren to Republicans rallying behind our service members' right to repair.

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," coming out July 1st. The episode reveals how agricultural lobbying has created a web of costly policies that benefit agribusiness while exacerbating climate problems. From the biofuels boondoggle that eats up a Texas-sized chunk of farmland to the "faith-based conservation" programs burning through billions in taxpayer dollars, discover why so many "green" agriculture solutions are climate disasters in disguise.

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 Services Committee wants to throw an additional $6 billion at Pentagon spending, bringing the total national security increase to $156 billion, including more money for the over-budget Sentinel ICBM program and the unfeasible "Golden Dome" missile defense system.

Meanwhile, other provisions would roll back hard-won oil and gas reforms, slashing royalty rates from 16.67% back to 12.5% and reinstating a non-competitive leasing loophole that lets companies grab federal land for just $75. With most Senate committees skipping markup hearings to meet the artificial deadline, this reconciliation package is shaping up to be one of the most expensive and least transparent in recent memory.

TCS Vice President Autumn Hanna, Policy Analyst Gabe Murphy, and Director of Research Josh Sewell break down the wasteful spending, parliamentary hurdles, and political realities facing this "one big beautiful bill.