Free Republic

Key takeawaysNearly 2 in 5 (37%) Americans say they couldn’t afford an emergency expense over $400The median emergency savings for Americans is $60021% of people have no emergency savings at allMore than 3 in 5 (62%) Americans say that having dedicated emergency savings is a priority for them; yet 57% say high inflation and price increases have held them back from contributing this year1 in 4 (25%) people dipped into emergency savings to cover basic living expenses in the past yearPaying down debt is a higher priority than saving for an emergency for 57% of Americans34% believe they could handle...

Sen. Ron Johnson rejected President Trump’s proposal to shell out $2,000 “tariff dividend” checks to Americans before the 2026 midterm elections, arguing that money should be used to reduce the federal deficit. Johnson (R-Wis.) praised the idea during an interview with Fox Business Network’s “Mornings With Maria” Monday, but insisted getting the country’s fiscal house back in order was more important. The payments would require approval from the Republican-controlled Congress, with Johnson and other GOPers indicating the proposal is dead on arrival.

Democrats have slammed President Trump's privately funded ballroom constructionThe White House pushed back on reports claiming President Donald Trump will likely name the upcoming White House ballroom after himself, saying any name designation for the event space will come directly from the president. "Any announcement made on the name of the ballroom will come directly from President Trump himself, and not through anonymous and unnamed sources," White House spokesman Davis Ingle told Fox News Digital Friday. Reports spread like wildfire Friday afternoon that Trump planned to name the ballroom after himself, with ABC News publishing a report that administration officials...

Dollar-pegged stablecoins touted as digital payment ‘revolution’ but could easily be de-pegged and devalued to offload national debt….

This 6th-generation aircraft, now designated the F-47, will be the first stealthy aircraft designed by Boeing and is intended to move far beyond the F-35, into territory where, literally, “no man has gone before.” It will be bereft of any vertical control surfaces and will, according to one person close to the program who spoke to National Security Journal, “Be based on concepts of stealth that go beyond just the shaping of an aircraft fuselage and the techniques we know as the keys to low RCS today,” he said. “I cannot be specific about these newer technologies, which have not...

GOP leaders historically argued spending cuts, not tax increases, should address national debt"... In the meantime, Republicans should take with a grain of salt increased revenue and ask themselves whether the goal is to balance a bloated budget with increased taxes or instead limit the size and scope of government. This important question once differentiated conservatives from liberals — I hope the current fad for import taxes doesn’t entice all conservatives to forget the goal of a small, constitutional federal government."

Five aviation companies are under contract to develop armed, unmanned aircraft and control systems for use on the Navy’s fleet of 11 aircraft carriers, USNI News has learned.General Atomics, Boeing, Anduril and Northrop Grumman are on contract for the conceptual design of the so-called collaborative combat aircraft, or CCA, according to a Navy presentation reviewed by USNI News. Lockheed Martin is under contract to build the common control system.The Navy wants “uncrewed, modular, interoperable, interchangeable and versatile platforms” that it can field from an aircraft carrier, reads the slide from Naval Air Systems Command’s program executive office for unmanned aviation...

Donald Trump has signed an executive order to rename the Department of Defense as the Department of War.

FOX Business host Larry Kudlow reflects on the president's economic, border and social successes on 'Kudlow.' 2:50, not long. Shorter link: rb.gy/ving4l

Our education system feeds them a fantasy version of socialism that makes all things better, a trend that must stop if America is to survive. Once seen as a taboo word in American politics, socialism has experienced a notable resurgence, especially among young voters. Polls show that more than half of millennials and Gen Zers now view socialism favorably. Politicians like Senator Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have transformed what was once a fringe ideology into a highly popular political movement. Even more troubling, they’ve achieved this not through real policy solutions but by promoting a utopian fantasy rooted...

The upcoming U.S. Army 250th anniversary festival is projected to cost between $25 million and $45 million, according to Heather J. Hagan, U.S. Army Public Affairs spokeswoman.

“He can’t be as honest and candid as he was with me when he didn’t have Donald Trump as his boss,” Massie said. “He’s got his job is to sell this bill, and he’s trying to put lipstick on a pig, and Rand Paul and I are pointing out it’s a pig.”

This morning, officials were out in force talking about the historic benefits of President Donald J. Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, which will deliver unprecedented tax relief, generational welfare reform, and historic spending cuts.Here’s what you missed:Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought: “It is $1.4 trillion in reduced deficits and debt. That’s why this is such a paramount, fiscally responsible bill.” (Watch)Director Vought: “The conservatives that have historically used the debt limit to sound the alarm have been pushing for the very reforms that are in this bill, so we believe that it’s important to do it with...

Friday on FNC’s “Jesse Watters Primetime,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) dismissed the possibility of the so-called “big, beautiful” spending bill stalling out on Capitol Hill because of Tesla CEO and former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head Elon Musk’s critique. “All right, Speaker,” host Jesse Watters said. “Is Elon going to derail the big, beautiful bill?” “Absolutely not,” Johnson replied. “Look, we are feeling the same energy that the President is. He’s leading. He’s delivering on his promises, and we all are. The big, beautiful bill is basically all those campaign speeches reduced to legislation. That’s what it is,...

Benny Johnson @bennyjohnson 🚨BREAKING: President Trump’s D.C. military parade for the Army’s 250th will feature missiles, rocket launchers, F-22 flyovers, and 7,000 troops. 8:45 AM · Jun 7, 2025

The bromance between Elon Musk and President Donald Trump seems to be over. And now Musk is flirting with the idea of new party that could represent "the 80% in the middle," he posted on X. But who would join Musk-led party? And, can a third party actually succeed? Republicans, Democrats and Independents like Musk as much — or as little — as they like Trump. In April, before the feud between the president and the world’s richest person began, approval ratings for Trump and Musk were very similar, according to multiple polls. For instance, an April poll by the...

Musk and Gor disliked each other since before Trump reclaimed power on Jan. 20 — with the Tesla and SpaceX CEO describing Gor as “sleazy” during the transition and questioning his staffing picks. But the world’s richest man had the president’s ear and friendship through last week. Simmering behind the scenes was a grudge nursed by Gor over a March 6 Cabinet meeting, during which Musk “humiliated” him by slamming the pace of staffing the administration, said the sources, each of whom have interacted closely with Gor. “He was bragging to other people that he was going to get one...

Elon Musk posted a poll on X on Thursday asking followers whether they support the idea of a new political party to take on the Republicans and Democrats. Why it matters: The richest man in the world is publicly feuding with the most powerful man in America, whom he spent record-setting sums to elect. We're about to find out what Musk is prepared to do about it. Driving the news: Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday that he was "disappointed in Elon" for coming out against his "Big Beautiful Bill." Trump speculated it was because the bill...

@RepThomasMassie Massie plan: Throw the big beautiful bill in the trash. Start over… skinny! Extend 2017 tax cuts End Green New Deal cold turkey No bloat for military industrial complex No SALT No pork Realistic border funding Serious Medicaid reform $1 spending cuts for $1 new tax cuts

Let’s face it, no one expected Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” to be perfect. But for Elon Musk to adopt the intransigent position that the work of government should stop in its tracks in pursuit of perfection is a manifest nonsense. Especially when considering OMB chief Russ Vought’s explanation of how the bill helps reduce the deficit. Musk has a habit of failing to see the wood for the trees. He’s been a long-standing backer of China, which my website has reported on for years. He supported DeSantis, not Trump, in the primary. He recently tried to depose Brexit leader Nigel...