The Trump administration has announced a $12 billion agricultural bailout package as trade wars squeeze American farmers—a familiar scenario from the first Trump administration. TCS Director of Research and Policy Josh Sewell joins host Steve Ellis to break down the "Farmers to Family Bridge Aid" package, examining who receives payments, what's actually in the relief, and whether a one-time check provides real certainty.

With nearly 30 billion-dollar extreme weather events in 2024 alone, disaster costs are spiraling out of control—and Congress is finally taking action. Steve Ellis sits down with TCS Director of Research Josh Sewell and Policy Analyst Tyler Work to examine the FEMA Act of 2025, bipartisan legislation that could modernize America's approach to disaster preparedness and response. They explore what the bill gets right—from elevating FEMA back to cabinet-level status to expanding mitigation funding—and where critical gaps remain. The conversation covers transparency reforms, the need for smarter rebuilding standards, the importance of front-end investment over back-end bailouts, and why federal disaster programs must stop subsidizing development in high-risk zones. At stake: whether reform delivers real resilience or just repeats costly mistakes.

Nearly half a billion dollars spent, families separated over the holidays, small businesses operating short-staffed, and violent crime was already declining. TCS Policy Analyst Gabe Murphy breaks down the mounting taxpayer costs of National Guard deployments to Los Angeles, DC, Chicago, Portland, and Memphis, explaining why these expensive missions are a solution in search of a problem. From the unprecedented legal battles over the Posse Comitatus Act to the economic ripple effects on Guard members' civilian employers, this episode reveals what taxpayers are really paying for when federal troops patrol American cities. With deployments extended through at least February and no end in sight, the price keeps climbing while troops miss training, lose time with loved ones, and stand guard against an emergency that doesn't exist.