Center Vision
The spirit of the American worker is the very foundation of our Nation. There is no force more potent — when left to be free, to prosper, and to flourish. From 2017 to 2020, the American workforce experienced one of the greatest and most robust economies in U.S. history. In this period, the skills-gap crisis and seismic shift in work challenged the “college or bust” mentality which propelled policymakers to promote a full range of career and education opportunities and to prepare our workforce for the changing nature of work. The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) will advance policies to promote a full range of career opportunities and prepare our workforce for the industries of the future. As we work to rebuild our economy and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, the AFPI is prioritizing our Nation’s most critical asset, the American worker. AFPI will help restore American workers to their proper place, which is at the center of governance and policy alike. The class of Americans who made our Republic the greatest Nation on Earth deserves to be heard, valued — and in charge.
POLICY PRIORITIES
- Workforce Development Modernization and the Creation of Multiple Pathways to Family-Sustaining Careers
- Destigmatize Vocational Education
- Engage the Private Sector
- Increase Data Transparency
EXPERT INSIGHT: Proposed Overtime Rule Would Hurt Workers, Limit Flexibility
James Sherk and Rachel Oglesby
ISSUE BRIEF: Overregulation HARMS American Manufacturing Workers
Rachel Wallen Oglesby
RESEARCH REPORT: Help Wanted: An Economic Productivity Agenda to Boost Workers
Aaron Hedlund, Rachel Wallen Oglesby, and Matthew Lobel
The State of American Small Businesses Post-Pandemic: Identifying Headwinds and Crafting Market-Based Solutions
Rachael Slobodien and Joshua Orlaski
State of Arkansas’ Workforce
Rachael Slobodien
One-Pager - Learning and Employment Records, a Pathway for Restoring America’s Workforce
Laurie Todd-Smith, Ph.D.
Learning and Employment Records, a Pathway for Restoring America’s Workforce
Laurie Todd-Smith, Ph.D.
Investing in our Most Critical Asset, the American Worker
Linda McMahon
Looking Forward - An America First Workforce Agenda
Center for the American Worker - Center Overview
The Honorable Linda McMahon
Two-Pager - The Case for Alignment of Education and Workforce Systems
The Case for Alignment of Education and Workforce Systems
Laurie Todd-Smith, Ph.D.
Quick Read: The Folly of Free Community College for All
Two-Pager: Reimagining Child Care in America
Dr. Laurie Todd-Smith
The Folly of Free Community College for All
Rachel Craddock
One-Pager - Investing in the American Worker
Linda McMahon
STATEMENT: House Votes to Defund 87,000 New IRS Agents
STATEMENT: PASSAGE OF BIG GOVERNMENT SOCIALIST BILL
Brooke Rollins
The Leadership of the America First Policy Institute Provided the Following Reactions and Insight Into the State of America One Year Into the Biden Administration
How the Conservative ‘Save America Coalition’ Helped Kill Build Back Better
AFPI ANNOUNCES CHAIR OF THE CENTER FOR THE AMERICAN WORKER
EXPERT INSIGHT: Proposed Overtime Rule Would Hurt Workers, Limit Flexibility
James Sherk and Rachel Oglesby
ISSUE BRIEF: Overregulation HARMS American Manufacturing Workers
Rachel Wallen Oglesby
Op-Ed: Biden Pushes Electric Vehicles, Which Kill Union Jobs
Linda McMahon & James Sherk
AFPI’s Public Comments on the New Federal Acquisition Regulation Requiring the Disclosure of Greenhouse Gas Emissions
AFPI’s Public Comments on the Department of Labor’s Independent Contractor Rule
Jessica Hart Steinmann
Op-Ed: This Black Friday, Remember Your Local Small Businesses
Linda McMahon
The Biden Administration’s Regulatory Machine Wants to Stifle the Freedom of the American worker
Linda McMahon
Issue Brief: Childcare to Support the American Worker
Rachael Slobodien
Op-Ed: Biden Has Forgotten America’s Rural Workers
Linda McMahon
STATEMENT: PASSAGE OF BIG GOVERNMENT SOCIALIST BILL
Brooke Rollins
Letter from AFPI Chair Linda McMahon to House Leadership regarding Concerns with the Inflation Reduction Act
Linda McMahon
The Big Government Spending Package Shrinks American Wages and Attacks Small Businesses
Josh Orlaski
What Can Be Done to Help America’s Small Businesses
AFPI 2022 Annual Policy Summit
Linda McMahon joined Neil Cavuto to discuss record inflation and small businesses
Happy First Birthday AFPI!
Pro-Worker, Pro-Family Policies Are Pro-Women
Rachael Slobodien
The Wages of Tax Reform Went to America’s Workers — and that’s why Trump’s Tax Cuts Should be Made Permanent
Linda McMahon
An Examination of the First Year of Biden’s Presidency
The President that Stole Christmas
Josh Orlaski
Another Month of Disappointing Jobs Growth Delivers a Lump of Coal to America’s Workers
Linda McMahon joined Fox Business Tonight to discuss the supply chain crisis and rising inflation
Op-Ed: The anti-American agenda of President Biden’s nominees
Linda McMahon
VIDEO: Linda McMahon joined Dana Loesch
Invasive IRS Provision in the Big Government Socialism Bill: Six Problems for American Families
Supporting Working Parents, Not Providing Free Income, Is the Way to Help Families Get Ahead
Op-Ed: House tax bill subsidizes union political campaigns
James Sherk & Vinnie Vernuccio in Washington Examiner
Op-Ed: Reconciliation Bill Makes Small Businesses an Offer They Can’t Refuse
Linda McMahon in Real Clear Policy
Op-Ed: Washington Times: Charting the small business comeback
Linda McMahon in Real Clear Policy
Linda McMahon is originally from New Bern, North Carolina, and serves as Chair of the Board and Chair of the Center for the American Worker for AFPI. McMahon served in President Donald Trump’s Cabinet as Administrator of the Small Business Administration. At SBA, McMahon re-imagined the organization, focusing on rural development and championing women entrepreneurs and military veterans. She oversaw natural disaster recovery efforts and helped improve the way the SBA connected small businesses to capital, counseling, and government contracts. After her service in the Trump Administration, she served as Chair of the America First Action SuperPAC, and America First Policy, LLC. Prior to her career in public service, McMahon was the President and later CEO of WWE, INC., which she and her husband, Vince, grew from a small regional corporation to a multinational public company.
“If you want something done, give it to a busy woman to do it.”
Lucille Ball
Matthew Lobel is from Newport Beach, California, and serves as a Policy Analyst for the Center for the American Worker and the Higher Education Reform Initiative at AFPI. Matthew recently worked at Baker Tilly LLP as a consulting intern, helping their defense contractor clients reorganize their cost structures to maximize contractor reimbursements while maintaining market competitiveness. He also worked as an intern in the Institute for Economic Freedom at the Heritage Foundation, where he published op-eds on the negative repercussions of America’s declining labor force participation rate and the impact of high inflation on younger Americans. Previously, Matthew interned in the office of Senator Rick Scott, the pollster WPA Intelligence, and the Office of United States Representative Michelle Steel. Matthew will received a Bachelor of Science Degree in International Business and a minor in Economics from George Washington University in May. In his free time, Matthew enjoys exploring the Washington, D.C., restaurant scene, skiing, and playing tennis and golf.
“A society that puts equality before freedom will get neither. A society that puts freedom before equality will get a high degree of both.”
Milton Friedman
Rachel Wallen Oglesby is from Bowie, Maryland, and serves as the director of AFPI’s Center for the American Worker. She previously worked as chief of policy and deputy chief of staff for Governor Kristi Noem in South Dakota, overseeing the implementation of the Governor’s pro-freedom agenda across all policy areas and state government agencies. In this role, she led the office’s efforts to secure universal occupational licensing recognition, invest in high-speed broadband across the state, and bring millions of visitors from across the country to explore South Dakota’s beautiful landscapes and hidden gems. She also served as an advisor on Governor Noem’s successful 2022 re-election campaign. Prior to working for Governor Noem, she worked at the U.S. Travel Association as the manager of industry communications. Oglesby holds a master’s degree in public policy from George Mason University and earned her bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Wake Forest University. She currently lives in Arlington, Virginia, with her husband Daniel and is an avid traveler, reader, and enjoyer of good food and drinks.
“The main thing is that greatness is doable. Greatness is many, many individual feats, and each of them is doable.”
Angela Duckworth
Stacey Schieffelin grew up in the cattle industry on her families’ ranches in Florida and currently serves as a Senior Advisor to the Chair of the Board and Senior Advisor to the Center for the American Worker at AFPI. A successful entrepreneur for over 40 years, Schieffelin is considered one of the top six Star Entrepreneurs in the electronic retail TV shopping industry and has a 28-year global record of success through owning and supporting multiple brands on TV networks in 28 countries. Schieffelin has channeled her expansive entrepreneurial career in sourcing, manufacturing, financing, and distribution toward the empowerment of our Nation’s workforce and the spirit of the American Worker. Schieffelin began her career as a prominent international FORD model then quickly grew into a widely recognizable brand and market leader in the $500B beauty industry. As an award-winning business curator, she also serves as a Senior Advisor to Skylab, an innovative tech platform factory, where she strives to bring more transparent options to the technology and communication space that will advance society, uphold constitutional protections, and increase opportunity across the entire economic spectrum. Schieffelin and her husband, David, a Harvard graduate, are the proud parents of daughters Lou and Knox. The family enjoys traveling together, supporting local government, and volunteering with multiple non-profits.
“We have it in our power to begin the world over again.”
Thomas Paine