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.