The Center for a Free Economy submits these comments in support of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s interim final order concluding that federal law preempts the Illinois Interchange Fee Prohibition Act. The OCC is right to act. Illinois is attempting to impose a state-level price control on the national payments system by prohibiting national banks and federal savings associations from charging or receiving payment card fees on the tax and gratuity portions of

American families are already paying more for groceries, gas, housing, insurance, and everyday goods. The latest inflation report shows the problem is not over, and Washington should stop pretending cheaper money will solve a price problem caused by too much money. Inflation Is Moving the Wrong Way Again CNBC reported that overall inflation rose 0.6 percent in April and 3.8 percent over the last 12 months, the highest annual inflation reading since May 2023. Core prices, whic

Americans keep hearing that Washington is cutting Medicaid. Paragon Health Institute looked at the actual numbers from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), and the claim does not hold up. CBO’s new presentation on federal health subsidies shows federal Medicaid spending rising every year. Medicaid is projected to grow from $708 billion in 2026 to $981 billion in 2036, a 39 percent increase. CBO also projects federal Medicaid spending will total $8.4 trillion from 2026 throu

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz delivered a blunt warning about Medicare fraud in Los Angeles during a recent Fox News interview: “We believe that at least half of the hospices in the entire area around Los Angeles are fraudulent.” On May 13, CMS followed with a major enforcement action, suspending payments to roughly 800 hospices that billed federal taxpayers $1.4 billion last year. Those providers will no longer be paid while off

Washington debates often sound abstract until the results show up in family bank accounts. The final filing-season numbers now show that the Working Families Tax Cuts did exactly what supporters said they would do: return money to working families quickly, directly, and at a scale large enough to strengthen household budgets. According to final tax filing-season data highlighted by U.S. House Ways and Means Republicans, taxpayers received more than $310 billion in refunds thi

School choice keeps gaining ground because parents want options, students need opportunity, and political leaders in both parties are starting to recognize the demand. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has now signaled that New York intends to opt into the federal scholarship tax credit program, a major development for one of the nation’s largest and bluest states. According to the Commonwealth Foundation, Hochul has not yet formally submitted New York’s opt-in form to the IRS, but

Hospital spending is the biggest cost driver in American health care, and Washington keeps protecting the same hospital systems that drive costs higher. Patients need more competition, not more consolidation, facility fees, and payment rules that steer care into expensive hospital settings. New Congressional Budget Office projections show the problem clearly. From 2023 through 2034, fee-for-service Medicare hospital inpatient spending is projected to rise from $145 billion to

Senator Elizabeth Warren wants ordinary taxpayers pushed into an IRS-run tax prep system, but when her own taxes got complicated, she hired a CPA. That choice tells taxpayers plenty about why independent tax help still has value. Fox News reported that Warren did not use Direct File, the IRS-run tax filing system she spent years promoting, when it became available in Massachusetts. Her publicly released tax return showed that she used a private accountant instead. Fox also re

Large “nonprofit” hospital systems have spent years using tax preferences, payment rules, and market power to enrich themselves while patients and taxpayers carry the cost. Congress is finally taking a serious look at how that system works, and the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee is right to put hospital costs under the microscope. A new analysis from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget shows how much money is on the table. The options include reforms that coul