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A common complaint about America’s elected officials is that they fail to implement easy, practical solutions to public policy problems. These concerns are part of the explanation for the continued decline in trust in government. In this brief, we explore the logic behind these complaints using a perennial public policy problem: federal budget deficits. Are elected officials ignoring the obvious, or is the situation more complex than it appears?

Each year, thousands of Americans are diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses and run out of approved treatment options. Some of these patients turn to experimental drugs, treatments that have passed early safety testing but have not completed testing for effectiveness. A new federal law, the Right to Try, gives some of these patients access to unapproved treatments.

Housing affordability has become one of the most widely discussed economic challenges in the United States. Over the past decade, home prices have risen faster than incomes. Lawmakers in the 119th Congress are debating new policies to address rising costs and limited housing supply. These debates highlight a core question in American government: What role should the federal government play in solving economic and social challenges?