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Economics & Trade Policy

Democrats Must Reject Infrastructure Privatization

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer hailed the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan as a generational milestone. Superficially, his glowing endorsement makes sense. Most of the nation’s major infrastructure has not been improved since the 1960s. Consequently, a 2021 report by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) assigned a “C-” to our infrastructure — indicating […]

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Politics and Governance

Learning from History: The Case for Unification of the Democratic Party in the Nomination Race

On Sept. 12, 2019, qualifying Democratic presidential candidates hit the stage in Houston, Texas for the third Democratic debate of the year. The highest polling and highest grossing candidates faced off on hot-button issues such as healthcare, race relations, gun violence, immigration, and trade policy, among others. Running throughout the debate was the question of […]

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Energy & Environmental Policy

Tillerson on the Venezuelan Crisis and the Future of Regional Stability

On Feb. 1, 2018, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson addressed UT students and faculty on U.S. engagement in the Western hemisphere, before embarking on his “diplomatic mission” to Latin American and the Caribbean. He identified economic growth, security and democratic governance as the “three pillars of engagement” for the State Department’s strategy for regional […]

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Global Policy Studies & International Security Immigration Policy LBJ School Politics and Governance

Sudanese-Americans Struggling for Hope in Trump’s America

Photo: Morguefile Like many people waking up last Saturday morning, I was shocked by President Trump’s executive order restricting immigration and banning refugees from entering the United States.  As a Sudanese-American Muslim holding dual citizenship, I am anxious and confused as to how this may affect my family and thousands of others.  Like many immigrants, […]

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Global Policy Studies & International Security LBJ School Politics and Governance University of Texas at Austin

The Policy Student’s Approach for Defending Progress in the Trump Era

Photo: Paul Kuhne Last fall, I decided to quit my full-time job and apply to policy school. After some consideration, I enrolled at the Lyndon Baines Johnson School of Public Affairs as a candidate in Global Policy Studies. I had two reasons for attending LBJ. First, I believe in the values that LBJ espoused and […]