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Scott Walker emerging on the right as top government reform voice

Scott Walker, the onetime national Republican favorite ousted from the Wisconsin governor's mansion last year, has found another new political platform: He will be the figurehead for a new group that seeks promote government reform from the right.

The 18-month-old Institute for Reforming Government announced Monday that Walker will be its national honorary chairman as the group "seeks to simplify government at every level by offering policy solutions to thought leaders in American government in the areas of tax reform, government inefficiency, and burdensome regulations."


Since losing his bid for a third term last fall, the 52-year-old Walker has put together a portfolio of positions designed to keep him relevant in conservative governing circles. He is finance chairman of the National Republican Redistricting Trust, which will coordinate the party's redistricting strategy after the 2020 census, and national chairman of the Center for State-led National Debt Solutions, which is seeking to convene a constitutional convention with the aim of adding an amendment requiring a balanced federal budget.


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The Window to Safely Managing the Education Freedom Tax Credit is Closing Fast
Empty wooden tables and chairs in a library with shelves of books
Photo by Tuyen Vo on Unsplash

The Window to Safely Managing the Education Freedom Tax Credit is Closing Fast

There is a major change in how students, schools, and educational programs can be funded, taking effect on January 1, 2027, with a small window of time to ensure the program is well managed. We have to move fast.

The Education Freedom Tax Credit (EFTC) creates a new federal tax credit for taxpayers who make qualified contributions to approved nonprofit Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs). SGOs, in turn, use that money to award scholarships for tutoring, tuition, or other qualified education expenses for students, regardless of whether they attend public, private, or charter schools. The money is contributed directly to SGOs by taxpayers, who can receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit on their 2027 tax filing, up to $1,700 for individuals and $3,400 for married taxpayers filing jointly.

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A person wearing a t-shirt that says, "Black Voters Still Matter."

A member of the audience wearing a 'Black Voters Still Matter' t-shirt from Georgia NAACP as Georgia Democratic Senate candidate U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) speaks during a Get Out the Vote rally December 3, 2022 in Hephzibah, Georgia.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Black Voters Don’t Need Another Election-Year Lecture. They Need Government That Works All Year

Democracy cannot just be something Black Americans are asked to save every election. It has to be something we can see working in our lives between elections. Every election season, here it comes again. We are told how important this election is. We are told democracy is on the line. We are told to register, organize, bring somebody to the polls, and make sure our voices are heard. Candidates come into Black communities, sit down with Black leaders, show up at churches and community events, and remind us just how powerful our vote can be.

I believe in voting. I believe in democracy. I believe deeply in civic participation.

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​Construction on the proposed White House ballroom.

Construction on the proposed White House ballroom is seen from the Washington Monument on May 17, 2026 in Washington, DC. President Trump has initiated numerous construction projects on federal government properties in Washington, including demolition of the White House East Wing to build a ballroom and re-painting the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting pool blue.

Graeme Sloan/Getty Images

Democracy Must Prevail: Reset Community Meetings Process

Once a month, on the evening of the first Wednesday, I sit on an elevated platform behind a horseshoe-shaped desk in my role as a member of my community’s historic preservation commission in Urbana, Illinois.

On the lower level and at floor level, is a conference table and behind that a room filled with chairs that may all be full – but are more frequently close to empty.

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