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Cato Institute
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A public policy research organization dedicated to individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace. https://www.cato.org/
Striking Iran could drag the US into Iran’s internal turmoil with no clear exit and put American troops across the Middle East at risk, warns Cato’s Jon Hoffman.

➡️ https://ow.ly/qpgU50XVRxT
January 13, 2026 at 12:00 AM
When John Moore and Tanner Mansell were unjustly prosecuted for freeing sharks from what they mistakenly believed to be the work of poachers, the Cato Institute took their case to the highest levels of government, culminating in presidential pardons for each of them.

➡️ https://ow.ly/Kr4V50XVQe6
January 12, 2026 at 11:01 PM
President Trump shared a plan from @mfcannon.bsky.social on how to provide Obamacare relief:

🔹 Don’t renew Obamacare subsidies or convert them to cash
🔹 Make permanent the Obamacare relief Trump provided in 2018 and Obama provided in 2014
🔹 Let consumers control the money

https://ow.ly/qOgO50XVQNQ
January 12, 2026 at 9:49 PM
Happy National Pharmacist Day!

“Pharmacists are the most underused clinicians in health care,” says Cato’s Dr. Jeffrey Singer. Allowing pharmacists to work to the full extent of their training can significantly improve patient care and health outcomes.

Learn more: https://ow.ly/9e9e50XVFTk
January 12, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Fed Chair Powell says the DOJ’s criminal investigation stems from the Fed setting the interest rate target against the president’s wishes. “If Powell is correct, it is a serious violation of the Fed’s ability to conduct independent monetary policy,” warns Cato’s Jai Kedia.

https://ow.ly/P9QP50XVCWG
January 12, 2026 at 4:45 PM
As some US lawmakers push “democratic socialism,” Argentine President Javier Milei—having seen socialism’s damage firsthand—shows that private property, individual liberty, and free markets are what create broad prosperity.

➡️ https://ow.ly/v0T550XTwJ8
January 11, 2026 at 4:00 PM
Nicolás Maduro’s arrest raises hard questions about presidential power, congressional authority, and the legal boundaries of military force. Cato’s Brandan P. Buck and Clark Neily analyze the operation’s status under US and international law.

➡️ https://ow.ly/k1C350XUcqm
January 10, 2026 at 9:00 PM
When drugs are legal, private and public mechanisms for quality control limit the risk of accidental overdoses. The lesson from marijuana is therefore not that drugs are harmless but that criminal enforcement makes their harms worse, explains Cato’s Jeffrey Miron.
https://ow.ly/tCBF50XSF2b
January 10, 2026 at 3:00 PM
The Trump administration says it will sell Venezuelan oil at market prices and oversee allocation of the proceeds. “If Venezuela’s oil is sold and the proceeds are treated as money the US government has received, then why wouldn’t it go to the Treasury?” Tad DeHaven asks.

https://ow.ly/4psp50XUcMT
January 9, 2026 at 10:05 PM
A Russian dissident living in exile finds her US bank accounts closed after the Kremlin labels her an extremist. Nicholas Anthony interviews Anna Chekhovich of the Anti-Corruption Foundation about her experience being debanked. Listen to Cato Podcast.

➡️ https://ow.ly/Xs1B50XU9MM
January 9, 2026 at 9:05 PM
“Fighting crime is a worthy endeavor. However, we cannot sacrifice the freedoms that make America great in the process,” says Cato’s Nick Anthony, in reference to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s plan to boost surveillance under the Bank Secrecy Act.

Learn more: https://ow.ly/w6bf50XU9vW
January 9, 2026 at 8:05 PM
In 2014, President Obama exempted US territories from Obamacare’s health insurance regulations because they restrict access to care. One Kentucky lawmaker now aims to extend that freedom to residents of her state, notes Cato’s Michael F. Cannon.

➡️ https://ow.ly/sPhu50XU9lC
January 9, 2026 at 7:05 PM
The US has the most progressive tax system in the developed world, with the rich paying the largest share.If federal spending continues its current path, Adam Michel warns,the US will need European-style tax levels and a broader tax base to match a European-sized government.https://ow.ly/I7Iu50XTzMe
January 9, 2026 at 5:01 PM
SNAP now costs taxpayers $110 billion a year, and rampant fraud exposes the failures of such aid-to-state programs—from EBT skimming by transnational gangs to a $66 million USDA insider fraud scheme.

Learn more: https://ow.ly/Qa4V50XTBkg
January 9, 2026 at 3:01 PM
“Today, the Senate took the rare but necessary step in checking the scope of Executive power and reminding current and future administrations that the Article I branch has not abdicated its constitutional duties,” says Cato’s Katherine Thompson, commenting on the Senate's passage of Res 98. 
January 8, 2026 at 11:15 PM
Debanking can be a frustrating and nerve-racking experience. A sudden notice from the bank announces that you have 30 days to collect your money and find another bank.

A new study by Cato’s Nick Anthony examines the growing phenomenon of debanking.

➡️ https://ow.ly/Awpq50XTJK2
January 8, 2026 at 10:40 PM
“The Trump administration has a choice to make. Do they want Venezuela to take a central—perhaps the central—place in the story of Trump’s second term? If so, there are real dangers,” Cato Institute’s Justin Logan writes.

➡️ https://ow.ly/Gt8O50XTEJ5
January 8, 2026 at 9:05 PM
President Trump announced that the US Navy will build a new class of battleship called the “Trump class.” These ships, or any new battleship, “is a terrible idea,” argues Cato’s Benjamin Giltner.

Dive into the analysis: https://ow.ly/3TMS50XTxcO
January 8, 2026 at 7:00 PM
“Why should the federal government dictate how we should eat?” asks Dr. Jeffrey Singer, a general surgeon and senior fellow at Cato. 

The government should stay out of this and let autonomous adults decide for themselves what and how to eat. 
January 8, 2026 at 6:02 PM
As Cato scholars have documented, there are numerous legal, practical, and fiscal obstacles to fulfilling the president’s tariff-funding promises – not least of which is the fact that you can’t spend the same dollar twice.

Learn more ➡️ https://ow.ly/LnkA50XSIi3
January 8, 2026 at 1:00 PM
Research consistently shows that large institutional investors play a relatively small role in the market for owning single-family homes.

“Infusing private capital into housing markets should be welcomed because it has positive long-term effects,” argues Cato’s Norbert Michel.
January 7, 2026 at 8:44 PM
The federal policies and programs that President Trump claims US tariffs would pay for keep growing.

Cato’s Scott Lincicome and Alfredo Carillo Obregon created a table to track the president’s tariff promises. (Spoiler: the math doesn’t add up.)

https://ow.ly/3vtN50XSI57
January 7, 2026 at 4:02 PM
Collectivism robs individuals of autonomy. People are treated as a means to an end—to produce as the state dictates.

Libertarianism begins from the opposite premise: people own their lives. Learn more from Cato’s Ryan Bourne.

https://ow.ly/pasP50XSHo9
January 6, 2026 at 10:01 PM
The right policy is for the US to legalize all currently prohibited drugs, argues Cato’s Jeffrey Miron.

“This will eliminate underground drug markets, which are the real reason for most adverse consequences typically attributed to drugs.” Learn more: https://ow.ly/Vbv750XSEL8
January 6, 2026 at 9:00 PM
US military strikes in Venezuela raise profound constitutional concerns, says Cato’s Clark Neily. The Constitution assigns to Congress, not the president, the responsibility for declaring war against other countries.
January 6, 2026 at 5:46 PM