David Ditch

United States

Senior Policy Analyst at Heritage Foundation

Policy analyst covering the federal fisc with @epicforamerica; opinions are mine. Fan of struggling causes (limited government & Buffalo Bills).

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Articles

Foreign Aid Rescissions: An Excellent First Step

3 days ago | epicforamerica.org | David Ditch

President Trump has sent Congress a $9.4 billion rescissions request. This provides Congress with the ability to cut previously authorized spending through an expedited process. The request seeks to withdraw over $8 billion allocated to foreign policy agencies such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
EPIC Charge & Response: Medicaid Reform

2 weeks ago | epicforamerica.org | David Ditch

Medicaid has been a focal point of the ongoing reconciliation process. These are some of the most common arguments put forward by opponents of Medicaid reform, along with responses that can help inform the public about why change is necessary. CHARGE: Medicaid savings represent “deep cuts” or a “slashing” of spending. RESPONSE: Medicaid spending is growing so rapidly that even if Congress saves $625 billion over the next 10 fiscal years, Medicaid would still grow by at least 3% per year.
Medicaid Should Not Cover Gender Transitions

3 weeks ago | epicforamerica.org | David Ditch

The Medicaid program, a federal-state partnership, was created in 1965 to fund needed medical care for vulnerable low-income populations such as children, pregnant women, and the disabled. Washington has left that goal in the dust. There is no stronger evidence of Medicaid’s drift than states using the program to fund gender transitions, including cross-sex hormone injections and genital surgeries.
SALT Change Could Leave a Bad Taste

3 weeks ago | epicforamerica.org | David Ditch

The House Ways & Means Committee has produced “The One, Big, Beautiful Bill” (OBBB) tax legislation as part of the reconciliation process. It primarily extends the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), which was highly pro-growth. In addition to moving TCJA forward, the OBBB makes further modifications to the tax code. The most heavily debated of these relates to the maximum household deduction for state and local taxes (SALT).
Understanding President Trump’s FY 2026 Discretionary Funding Request

1 month ago | epicforamerica.org | David Ditch

The Trump administration has produced its discretionary funding request for fiscal year (FY) 2026, giving guidance to Congress for the annual appropriations process. While this “skinny budget” is smaller than the full budget, it will help inform negotiations on “topline” (total) levels for overall spending and major accounts.
House Education & Workforce Committee Delivers Student Loan Reforms

1 month ago | epicforamerica.org | David Ditch

The House Education and Workforce Committee has produced a set of recommendations that represent the largest student loan reform in history. Written as part of the reconciliation process, it could deliver more than $351 billion in savings. In addition to providing much-needed deficit reduction, the policies would also change higher education in ways that make it fairer and address bad incentives that have warped the system for decades.
Welfare for States: Refuting “Bring Home the Bacon” Myths

1 month ago | epicforamerica.org | David Ditch

Despite growing debt and unsustainable deficits, the federal government sends over $1 trillion per year to state and local governments. The dozens of federal aid programs are both unnecessary and unaffordable. Unfortunately, many legislators struggle to support reductions to subsidies that might affect their state or district, even if they agree with the policy change in principle.
If You Hate Taxes, Fight Spending

1 month ago | epicforamerica.org | David Ditch |Amelia Kuntzman |Sarah Wagoner

While many things have changed since America announced its independence in 1776, one has remained constant: Americans hate paying taxes. This has acted as a partial brake on the growth of the size and scope of government. The type of heavy across-the-board levies needed to fuel European-style welfare states are politically out-of-bounds in the U.S.However, the joy that officials get from spending other people’s money is the same all over the world.
Is it True the Rich Don't Pull Their Weight When it Comes to Paying Taxes?

1 month ago | epicforamerica.org | Amelia Kuntzman |Sarah Wagoner |Matthew Dickerson |David Ditch

Tax Day: the United States federal government collects trillions of hard-earned dollars and Americans walk away feeling that the system is rigged. According to a Pew Research survey, 61% of Americans say they feel that some rich people do not pay their fair share in taxes. Do lower income brackets take a hit while the rich get off easy? The 2021 tax data from the Congressional Budget Office appears to tell a different story.
Interest on the Debt Surging Past National Defense

1 month ago | epicforamerica.org | David Ditch |Matthew Dickerson

For most of America’s history, national defense was the largest part of the federal budget. This is no longer the case as “autopilot” spending now consumes a majority of tax dollars and an unsustainably growing share of the economy. More disturbingly, a single aspect of autopilot spending – interest on the national debt –exceeded defense spending in fiscal year 2024.