logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2020
53m 10s

411. Is $2 Trillion the Right Medicine f...

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher
About this episode

Congress just passed the biggest aid package in modern history. We ask six former White House economic advisors and one U.S. Senator: Will it actually work? What are its best and worst features? Where does $2 trillion come from, and what are the long-term effects of all that government spending?

Up next
Yesterday
Extra: A Modern Whaler Speaks Up (Update)
Bjørn Andersen has killed hundreds of minke whales. He tells us how he does it, why he does it, and what he thinks would happen if whale-hunting ever stopped. (This bonus episode is a follow-up to our series “Everything You Never Knew About Whaling.”) SOURCES:Bjørn Andersen, Norw ... Show More
26m 47s
Aug 22
What Can Whales Teach Us About Clean Energy, Workplace Harmony, and Living the Good Life? (Update)
In the final episode of our whale series, we learn about fecal plumes, shipping noise, and why Moby-Dick is still worth reading. (Part 3 of "Everything You Never Knew About Whaling.") SOURCES:Michele Baggio, professor of economics at the University of Connecticut.Mary K. Bercaw-E ... Show More
48m 8s
Aug 15
Why Do People Still Hunt Whales? (Update)
For years, whale oil was used as lighting fuel, industrial lubricant, and the main ingredient in (yum!) margarine. Whale meat was also on a few menus. But today, demand for whale products is at a historic low. And yet some countries still have a whaling industry. We find out why. ... Show More
37m 32s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2023
What will it cost Dems to raise the debt ceiling?
The Biden administration and House Republicans are already in a potentially months-long standoff over raising the national debt ceiling.  The Treasury Department started to enact “extraordinary measures” this week in order to keep paying the federal government’s bills after hitti ... Show More
50m 28s
May 2023
AI is on Capitol Hill today
Generative artificial intelligence has gripped the world’s imagination with its potential to disrupt our economy and way of life. The Senate is tackling that today in a hearing which includes the chief executive of OpenAI. Plus, add up everything all of us consumers in this count ... Show More
8m 55s
Oct 2023
The Problem With a $2 Trillion Deficit
Over a year, the federal deficit — the gap between what the U.S. government spends and what it earns — has doubled, to nearly $2 trillion.That figure seems to validate the worries of congressional Republicans about government spending, which have been at the center of the messy f ... Show More
25m 14s
Feb 2022
What the Heck Is Going on With the U.S. Economy?
Should we be celebrating a Biden boom? Lamenting inflation and its consequences? Both?We know how to talk about booms, like the ’90s. We know how to talk about busts, like after the financial crisis. We know how to talk about stagnation. What we don’t know how to talk about is co ... Show More
1 h
Jan 2021
Five Reasons Why Stimulus Checks Aren't the Answer
Both Democrats and Republicans approved a massive omnibus budget that spends nearly a trillion dollars for Covid-19 relief. This includes checks of $600 to any Americans making $75,000/year (or less) regardless of their employment situation. Now, President Trump and other voices ... Show More
14m 25s
Aug 2022
What's The Difference Between The House & The Senate?
The House and the Senate have mostly the same powers: they both propose and vote on bills that may become law. So why does the House have 435 members, and the Senate have 100? Why does legislation have to pass through both sides, and what kinds of power do each have individually? ... Show More
31m 9s
Nov 2022
US midterms: Is the economy the biggest factor in the electorate's mind?
The midterm elections decide the makeup of the US Congress, which has two parts: the House of Representatives and the Senate. Voting is held every two years and when they fall in the middle of the president's four-year term of office. We hear from Kenneth Mayor, Professor Departm ... Show More
26m 58s
May 2023
On the Debt Ceiling, the White House Is Doing What It Said It Wouldn't Do
In 2011, then-Vice President Biden had a front row seat to a bruising debt ceiling standoff between President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner. That fight arguably derailed the Obama presidency and the nascent economic recovery. After that experience, Biden and his tea ... Show More
43m 49s
Dec 2022
US congress passes $1.7tn spending bill
What can one-point-seven-trillion-dollars get you? It can get you a functioning US government, for a start. Congress has just given final approval to the huge spending bill, just hours before the government would have had to shut down for lack of funds. The bill incorporates the ... Show More
50m 29s