Socialism

The DSA's Agenda Could Cost More Than $200 Trillion—and You'll Be Picking Up the Tab

The Democratic Socialists of America promise free everything, but its agenda would require confiscation on a scale that would make European welfare states tremble.

Reem Ibrahim | 8.14.2026 1:15 PM

Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL Add Reason to Google

Media Contact & Reprint Requests

(Photo: Mekcar/Jiawangkun/Dreamstime. Illustration: Fatima Ruiz.)

"Imagine taking a day off from work in a future without capitalism," reads the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) website. 

"You have no debt. You don't need health insurance. You don't pay a mortgage or have a landlord, because comfortable housing is a human right. Your retirement is publicly funded. Food, education, energy, medicine, and transportation aren't for-profit businesses; they are common goods and utilities," it continues.

Sounds pretty good, right? Conveniently, the DSA fails to mention how much it would cost to create this socialist utopia. Unsurprisingly, it would be a lot of money.

This week, Adam Michel, director of Tax Policy Studies at the Cato Institute, added up nine of the largest proposals in the DSA platform. Based on his estimates, the proposals would require between $71 trillion and $212 trillion—which represents 18 percent and 53 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), respectively—in additional government spending.

In the U.S., government spending already makes up about 38 percent of GDP, which is relatively high by historical standards but low compared to........

© Reason.com