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By repealing the Finding, the EPA disclaims power it has never legitimately possessed and puts it back where it belongs under our system of checks and balances: the halls of Congress.
OPM Policy/Career Rule is Published with AFP Support
Overstating the benefits of tax increases may worsen the fiscal outlook by encouraging lawmakers to avoid the necessary structural reforms that will put the budget on a sustainable path. The debate over tax policy must be grounded in reality.
By passing legislation that ensures legislatures have the ability to approve or disapprove of major rules prior to them going into effect, these legislatures will also be affording the regulated community the confidence that the rule at issue will not easily be changed absent a future act of the legislature—which is a slower process that those subject to regulations would be more able to track and adapt to without the need of costly legal experts.
The regulatory developments of 2025 underscore how overregulation and unchecked agency authority tend to raise costs, slow growth, and limit opportunity, while strong procedural guardrails and regulatory reforms can deliver better outcomes. As regulatory debates continue through 2026, policymakers and advocates should focus on reforms that promote accountability, streamline permitting, expand competition, lower costs, and enable innovation.
Members of Congress need an annual schedule with a regular cadence. Shared expectations support policy development, coalition building, and healthy competition on a wide range of priorities.
This series aims to illustrate how Congress can become the empowered, yet bounded, legislature that America needs.
This series is intended to be useful for both those deeply engaged in policy and anyone interested in how foundational principles translate into real‑world reforms. We also see this as an invitation to engage, ask questions, and better understand how incremental reforms connect to long-standing American ideals.
On December 4, 2025, the Trump administration released its much-anticipated National Security Strategy. This Congressionally-mandated document is the authoritative statement of how an administration wants the policy community and foreign governments to understand its intentions. This most recent edition, however, represented a stark departure from previous strategies, drawing a polarized reception across media outlets, think tanks, and the foreign policy community. It is not difficult to see why.
