Everything Policy analysts are exploring what the Founding Fathers might say about the evolution of our political system. In this brief, we consider modern political parties from the viewpoint of George Washington, leader of America’s armed forces during the Revolutionary War, presiding officer at the Constitutional Convention, and the first President of the United States.

Microchips are an essential component of many electronics, from smartphones and computers to cars to home appliances. Following decades of moving production to foreign markets, most of these chips are produced outside the U.S. In the name of national security and domestic economic growth, recent policies have sought to “reshore” chip production back to America. In this brief, we:

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?