19+ hour, 52+ min ago (343+ words) In February, the Institute of Education Sciences (IES)the research arm of the US Department of Education (ED)was reduced to a shell of its former self by the Department of Government Efficiency. Over 80 percent of IES staff were let go, and hundreds of millions of dollars" worth of contracts were terminated. I have argued that this was not the catastrophe the education-research-industrial complex claimed. Instead, it created an opportunity to clear away the detritus that inevitably accumulates around long-standing federal programs and to rebuild IES on a stronger foundation. Of course, there are major differences between IES and the DOW, starting with their budgets: The War Department"s budget is literally more than a thousand times larger. Still, IES can learn from DOW"s acquisition reforms, which highlight principles that are directly relevant to how IES should operate. Much…...

15+ hour, 40+ min ago (245+ words) Student debt often provokes outrage. But the usual complaint is that student debt is too high. Now, nursing associations are angry that nurses" student debt will be too low. A negotiated rulemaking committee convened earlier this month made the decision. Some negotiators argued for classifying advanced nursing programs like the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) as professional programs. Ultimately, the committee opted for a narrower definition of professional degrees that excluded advanced nursing programs. Moreover, the new limits will constrain tuition hikes for nursing going forward. One study found that removing graduate loan limits in 2006 led to rampant tuition inflation thereafter, as colleges found they could raise prices and force taxpayers to foot the bill. Schools will think twice about tuition hikes if they know the federal government won"t automatically write a check to cover the cost. The rhetoric…...

1+ hour, 41+ min ago (307+ words) Rep. Kat Cammack's (R-Fla.) App Store Freedom Act'framed as a pro-competition bill and a child-safety initiative'is neither. As colleagues and I have written, it borrows heavily from the European Union's Digital Markets Act, a sweeping regulatory regime that has slowed innovation and created privacy and security problems across the EU. The legislation would require Apple and Google to open their platforms to other developers and to accommodate them at no cost. That means granting access to core operating system functions and allowing unvetted third-party apps. These mandates would strip platform creators of the very tools they use to ensure safety, privacy, and performance. If passed, the law would give government attorneys and private companies'who have never built a digital platform'control over important platform features. And when things go wrong, it's Apple, Google, and their customers who will suffer the consequences,…...

15+ hour, 17+ min ago (799+ words) Dealing with a credit or stock market crisis is a difficult challenge for the Fed in the best of times. Doing so against the backdrop of the chaotic macroeconomic policy-making of the Trump administration will make those challenges all the more daunting. The post The Federal Reserve's Poisoned Chalice appeared first on American Enterprise Institute - AEI. In early 2006, when Ben Bernanke replaced Alan Greenspan as Federal Reserve Chair, the Economist magazine ran a memorable cover. It had Greenspan and Bernanke in a relay race. However, instead of Greenspan passing Bernanke a regular relay baton, it had him passing Bernanke a stick of dynamite. That cover proved to be prescient. In September 2008, the Lehman bankruptcy occurred, which triggered a world financial market crisis and the 20082009 Great Economic Recession. Before year-end, President Trump is expected to announce a replacement for Fed Chair…...

14+ hour, 1+ min ago (907+ words) All yields increased following President Trump's election and remained higher, on average, following his inauguration. This is particularly clear for the 30-year yields, which appear to be largely unaffected by the recent Fed rate cuts influencing the 10-year yields. The higher the yields, the worse the result for Trump policies. The post Interest Rates and the Trump Administration appeared first on American Enterprise Institute - AEI. Recently, President Trump, apparently in jest, threatened to fire Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent if he didn't get lower interest rates. Although the context of the President's remarks was his ongoing battle with the Federal Reserve to cut short-term interest rates, it is indeed reasonable to view yields on longer-term Treasury bonds as a good indicator of the success of the Administration's overall economic policy. The lower the yield, the better. The long-term Treasury yield directly…...

16+ hour, 24+ min ago (858+ words) Let us remember that amidst hard work and tight budgets, the constants remain: gathering, serving, sharing, thanking. Let the Thanksgiving table be a small rehearsal of the larger civic life we hope for: attentive to duty, devoted to others, rooted in tradition, resolute in hope. The post In an Anxious Age, the Thanksgiving Table Still Holds appeared first on American Enterprise Institute - AEI. This Thanksgiving, Americans are gathering in the midst of tough times; polarization is intense, economic worries are running high, and AI is changing our landscape. If new data from YouGov are any indicator of American life, we are still choosing to pause, sit down, and give thanks anyway. According to a November 2025 poll, a striking 86 percent of US adults plan to celebrate the holiday this year. Even when the backdrop is uncertain, the ritual remains: Half will…...