A bit dry, but the stakes are high.

"There is no more important effort for law enforcement than to solve crimes and give some measure of closure to victims and families," says Sheriff @MikeJBouchard. New bipartisan legislation in Michigan would help. ↓

Matthew La Corte went to Vienna this week to engage with key stakeholders from across the world on immigration policy. 🌍 Discussions focused on some of the most pressing migration issues today: labor mobility, the future of asylum, and regional cooperation.

Congress still has the chance to deliver a big win on energy by: — Promoting clean-firm generation — Making commonsense updates to NEPA — Speeding up approval for major transmission lines. It's time for ERPA 2.0. www.niskanencenter.org/permitting-r...

🚨🚨The Senate has passed the bipartisan ROAD to Housing Act as part of the NDAA! This is a historic level of bipartisan cooperation to expand Americans' access to housing. @aarmlovi.bsky.social, @awjustus.bsky.social, and @rohanaras.bsky.social unpack what's in the 310-page bill. ⬇️

From @niskanencenter.bsky.social , a potentially powerful tool to ease the nationwide housing shortage. www.niskanencenter.org/home-field-a...

It looks like there's at least one MAHA crusade that every good-government liberal can get behind: Breaking the AMA's stranglehold on how doctors are paid.

The Dept of Veterans’ Affairs piloted capability-based budgeting and proved it works. Agencies don’t need new laws to try this, and the payoff is big: – More transparent reporting – Increased flexibility & agility – Clear accountability www.niskanencenter.org/fragmented-p...

Most federal budgets are fragmented across so many projects and authorities that everyone loses sight of the outcome. Solitaire Carroll’s work at the VA shows it doesn’t have to be this way. www.niskanencenter.org/fragmented-p...

Gun violence costs the U.S. $557 billion a year. Insurance companies shoulder much of that cost — but do little to reduce the risks that drive it. Congress can fix this incentive gap.

Utah is producing a lot of new energy — from solar farms, batteries, and soon nuclear — but much of that power can’t get to the cities and businesses that need it. There's never been a better time to build a more coordinated electricity grid across Western states! www.deseret.com/opinion/2025...

Medicaid work requirements are coming in 2027. And without quick action from CMS, they could trigger the next billion-dollar government IT disaster, similar to healthcare.gov, FASFA, etc.  But a tech meltdown doesn't have to be our story this time. www.niskanencenter.org/dont-let-wor...

"The U.S. stands to lose more than India with the Trump administration's H1-B fee hike."

🏙️ Niskanen staff represented at YIMBYTOWN! @aarmlovi.bsky.social, Andrew Justus, Kaj Gumbs, and Rohan Aras presented on a "Federal Policy Roundup" panel (alongside minority staffer Madeleine Marr of Senate Banking and David Garcia of Up For Growth).

The Paperwork Reduction Act doesn’t work, and everybody knows it. Per Alex Mechanick, it’s time for Congress to make comprehensive changes rather than continuing to pass piecemeal exemptions.

Conrad 30 lets international physicians who train in the U.S. practice in underserved communities. But last year, 330 of the program’s slots were unused. Congress should fix this.

Most state agencies wait until after unemployment claims are filed to ask employers why a worker left. By collecting separation data closer to the time of departure, states could reduce errors and help workers receive their benefits faster.

Our grid isn’t ready for 21st-century demands. Join us on Wednesday to discuss how unlocking HVDC can drive down energy costs and boost U.S. energy security. www.niskanencenter.org/how-congress...

Markets & innovation can power an abundant, clean energy future. To get there, reforms should focus on investing in innovation & infrastructure rather than prescribing narrow procedures. nationalinterest.org/blog/energy-...

Medicare reimburses hospitals more than freestanding clinics for the same routine procedures, so they acquire physician practices where patients could otherwise receive the same care at a lower cost. Newly proposed rules attempt to address this.

Electronic monitoring (EM) allows people who have committed crimes to serve their time without burdening an already stressed prison system. New evidence shows that it can do this while improving public safety. www.niskanencenter.org/can-we-reduc...

A huge thank you to all who made Abundance 2025 happen! Niskanen partnered with leading organizations to bring together elected officials, academics, and policy experts to explore what abundance can look like across parties and across the U.S. www.niskanencenter.org/niskanens-ab...

Per Kenneth Sercy, to reach net-zero, reforms must: – Invest in transmission and R&D. – Encourage fair pricing through carbon taxes and border adjustments. – Promote healthy market competition to spur innovation and drive down prices.

Today, we went to the Hill to discuss a politically viable fix for our strained and aging electric grid: a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) macrogrid. ⚡️

New research: Electronic monitoring (EM) can cut reoffending more effectively than prison at a fraction of the cost.

I learned about Abundance from Steve in the first place, so I may have thought this was more obvious than it is - it's not an ideology, it's to do with the material circumstances of ideology www.niskanencenter.org/abundance-va...

Choose your variety of abundance. It's like having your colors done, but actually useful. www.niskanencenter.org/abundance-va...

New: Niskanen Housing's writeup of the Senate Banking megabill 👇 Chair Scott & Ranking Member Warren assembled the biggest bipartisan federal housing package in living memory, with proposals from the whole committee—a real first step to buttress growing state & local action on the housing crisis

The Senate Banking Committee has advanced the ROAD to Housing Act—a rare, unanimous, bipartisan package tackling America’s housing shortage. 🏘️ @aarmlovi.bsky.social, @awjustus.bsky.social, and @rohanaras.bsky.social break down what’s in this 310-page bill ⬇️

NEW PAPER: The emerging “Abundance movement” isn’t left, right, or center—it’s a cross-cutting idea. Here are six different camps emerging across the political spectrum. 👇

The US had had 300,000 fewer overseas visitors this year than the comparable period of last year. That is: lost tourism services exports, lost business deals, lost research partnerships… just—loss. Data from Cecilia Esterline, @niskanencenter.bsky.social —> www.niskanencenter.org/immigrationd...

Big new paper from Steve Teles @niskanencenter.bsky.social today niskanencenter.org/abundance-va.... Steve outlines six types of “abundance” thinking he predicts will shape US politics. As in the Progressive Era, broad principles will attach to distinct cultural and political economic projects.

I have had SO many questions about the Abundance™️ debates & at times felt aligned, at times opposed, confused, excited… and SO lost for a clear definition. This new piece from @niskanencenter.bsky.social’s Steve Teles on “Abundance Varieties” is SO clarifying! www.niskanencenter.org/abundance-va...

Some D.C. neighborhoods wait while calls stack up. Others see patrol cars cruise by when demand is low. Richard Hahn's argues that smarter police deployment = fairness + faster response. www.niskanencenter.org/right-cops-r...

There’s no feedback loop to adjust laws that don’t work the way lawmakers intended them to. That makes it impossible to improve outcomes for the public.

With D.C. crime in the national spotlight, Richard Hahn argues that smarter deployment of police can cut response times, boost safety, and deliver better outcomes citywide. www.niskanencenter.org/right-cops-r...

When productivity can’t keep up, costs rise. That’s cost disease—and it explains much of the pressure families feel today. Encouraging to see leaders beginning to take this challenge seriously. www.wsj.com/economy/jake...

In my new piece with @niskanencenter.bsky.social, I explore how govt structures shape the systems they deliver. If we want govt to work better for the people it serves, we need to intentionally align organizational design with the outcomes we care about. www.niskanencenter.org/conways-law-...

Iowa’s UI program has been a national standout: remaining solvent while paying out generous benefits and building a substantive trust fund. But new reforms slash its revenue base in half—risking insolvency when workers need it most. www.niskanencenter.org/iowas-recent...

"What does it mean when we take the people who are supposed to be tracking terrorism and global organized crime and have them track Western Union transactions?"

💡 A kidney from a deceased donor lasts 7–10 years. 💡 A kidney from a living donor lasts 15–20 years. The End Kidney Deaths Act would encourage more living donors — and shrink the transplant waitlist. www.niskanencenter.org/saving-lives...

On average, 13 Americans die every day while waiting for an organ transplant. This is a policy failure.

Thousands of federal agents—from the FBI to the IRS—have been pulled from fighting crime, terrorism, and child exploitation to focus on immigration enforcement. www.niskanencenter.org/the-impact-o...

Hundreds of FBI agents have been reassigned to work on deportations and other immigration investigations, but they've been told to hide this shift.

The narrative that AI is taking recent grads' jobs is dominating the headlines. But does the data back it up? Not really.

The Trump administration has diverted 6,700+ federal employees away from: —white-collar crime — national security — drug and firearms trafficking — tax compliance It has reassigned them to work on deportations and other immigration-related investigations.

It's time to drop symbolic politics and ask, "How does this policy impact the average American?"

Pleased to join Cardiff Garcia on @innovateeconomy.bsky.social's show, on the new ROAD to Housing megabill that passed Senate Banking 24-0 It's a promising 1st step, led by Chair Scott & Sen Warren with ideas from every member—and their 1st housing markup in almost 20 years eig.org/newbazaar/is...

Want people to support housing density? Make cities broadly appealing, with clean streets, better transit, rigorous schools, and a healthy business climate. @cselmendorf.bsky.social @profschleich.bsky.social hypertext.niskanencenter.org/p/yimbyism-s...

Authoritarian governance in Central America has a poor economic track record. The Trump administration should prep now in case more migrants start coming from El Salvador.