Latest
Statement
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September 14, 2026
AFPI Announces Departure of Dr. Jay Menees for Florida Department of Education
The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) announces that Dr. Jay Menees will be departing his role as Senior Policy Analyst for Higher Education and Economy & Trade Policy to join the Florida Department of Education as Vice Chancellor of Research and Policy.
Commentary
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September 10, 2026
Accreditation Reform Is Exactly What Higher Education Needs
America's higher education system has lost the confidence of the American people. Today’s graduates leave campus too often unprepared to find the work needed to pay off the considerable debt they accumulated. Taxpayers now directly underwrite almost $2 trillion in debt despite providing subsidies and payments to universities totaling hundreds of billions each year. The cost to attend a university now equals the price of between one and three modest-sized new cars for each year.
Expert Insights
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September 8, 2026
Make Colleges Pay their “Fair Share”: Congress Should Close the Endowment Tax Loophole
Most traditional U.S. colleges and universities, including nearly all public and most private institutions, operate under “nonprofit” or tax-exempt structures.[1] This designation does not mean that these institutions generate no revenue—colleges and universities receive substantial income from tuition, fees, research grants, philanthropy, and investment earnings. Nonprofit status instead refers primarily to the absence of private shareholders who receive distributions from institutional operations.
Toolkit
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September 8, 2026
Three Strategies for Advancing Workforce Education & Training
For decades, the public education system offered one value proposition: do well here, get a college degree, and enjoy a meaningful career and a middle-class life—or don’t. Workforce education and training programs were deprioritized and viewed as the lower track toward, at best, a job with static prospects.
Statement
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September 4, 2026
Treasury Department Holds Educational Institutions Accountable
The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) applauds Secretary Scott Bessent for the Treasury Department’s newly proposed rules clarifying that educational institutions that discriminate based on race in their offerings may lose their tax-exempt status.
Experts on Post Secondary Education
Erika Donalds
Chair, Education Opportunity
Jay Menees, Ph.D.
Senior Fellow, Higher Education and Economy & Trade Policy
Christopher Schorr, Ph.D.
Director, Higher Education Policy
Michael Shires, Ph.D.
Vice Chair of Education Opportunity Policy, Higher Education Policy, and Senior Policy Officer
Jovan Tripkovic
Analyst, Higher Education Policy
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A New Era for College Sports: The Saving College Sports Proposal Outshines the SCORE and SAFE Acts
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How Mississippi Beat the Odds: Gov. Tate Reeves on Literacy Reform and the School Choice Revolution
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Supporting the Emerging Civil Rights State
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Secretary McMahon, AFPI, TPUSA, & Partners Launch New Civics Coalition
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America First Unfiltered: Criminals Deported, AI in Classrooms, & DEI Dismantled
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America First Unfiltered: Trump Protects Social Security, Lowers Drug Costs & Deports Criminals
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AFPI Welcomes Erika Donalds as Chair of the Center for Education Opportunity and Chair of the AFPI-Florida State Chapter
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Riley Gaines Joins America First’s Athletes Coalition as Vice Chair
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Foreign Influence in the Academy: How U.S. Adversaries are Reshaping Elite Universities
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Combating Fentanyl in Schools
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Combating Fentanyl - The America First Action Plan
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