The $15 Trillion Emergency Spending Loophole

The $15 Trillion Emergency Spending Loophole

Author: Cato Institute October 10, 2025 Duration: 1:00:15

Congress has spent $15 trillion through emergency designations since 1991, which is equivalent to half the entire publicly held debt of the United States. Emergency designations have enabled more than $12.5 trillion in spending since 1991—comparable to the entire amount spent on Medicaid and veterans’ programs combined—and added an estimated $2.5 trillion in associated interest costs.


Join the Cato Institute on Tuesday, October 7, at 2 p.m. EDT for an online discussion with other congressional staffers on how Congress can rein in similar fiscal abuses. We’ll highlight bills that are now before Congress that would curb emergency spending loopholes, and we’ll explore opportunities for lawmakers to lead or join promising reform efforts. A live Q&A will follow.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


Step inside the Cato Institute's renowned Washington, D.C. events without leaving your desk. The Cato Event Podcast brings the lecture hall and briefing room directly to you, featuring unfiltered audio from live policy forums, author discussions, and Capitol Hill briefings. Each episode captures the substance of these gatherings, where scholars, policymakers, and leading thinkers engage in detailed conversations about liberty, governance, and current affairs. You'll hear substantive debates and thoughtful commentary that cut through the noise of daily headlines, offering deeper analysis on the issues shaping legislation and public discourse. This isn't a produced studio show; it's a front-row seat to the kind of candid exchanges that happen when experts gather to challenge conventional wisdom. The Cato Institute, through this podcast, provides a direct conduit to these discussions, emphasizing a perspective rooted in individual freedom, limited government, and free markets. Tune in for a raw, intellectual experience that goes beyond soundbites, perfect for anyone who wants to understand the foundational ideas behind today's political news.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Cato Event Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Felony Review: Tales of True Crime and Corruption in Chicago [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:47
What does life on the front lines of criminal justice actually look like—and what can it teach us about the state of American law today? Please join us for a discussion with Randy Barnett on his new memoir, Felony Review…
Compulsion in Speech: Blasphemy Laws in Pakistan and Beyond [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:40
In the recently published No Compulsion in Religion—No Exceptions: Islamic Arguments for Religious Freedom, Cato senior fellow Mustafa Akyol collaborated with a team of international Muslim scholars to articulate a nonco…
Trump v. Barbara: Birthright Citizenship at the Supreme Court [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:15
Does the Fourteenth Amendment guarantee birthright citizenship to persons born in the United States to parents without permanent immigration status? Please join us for an insightful discussion with a group of scholars wh…
Should the United States Withdraw Troops from Germany? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:28:10
President Trump has repeatedly promised to withdraw US forces from Europe in an ongoing debate over America’s role in NATO. Earlier this month, the Pentagon announced that 5,000 troops will be withdrawn from bases in Ger…
Has the Time Come for Dollarization in the Americas? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:34:18
The Trump administration has elevated the strategic importance of the Western Hemisphere to the United States at a time when countries in the region are turning away from leftist populism. Can dollarization play a key ro…
Social Security in the Red: Implications for Federal Debt [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:10
Social Security is widely portrayed as a self-financed program with a long-term trust fund solvency problem. But for more than a decade, the program has already been financed in part through federal borrowing. The trust…