R Street Institute’s work is rooted in the belief that free markets and limited, effective government are essential to individual liberty and the public good. But ideas alone aren’t enough—we build trust across divides and foster the honest exchange of perspectives needed to strengthen democracy. By leading with relationships and focusing on sound public policy research, RSI helps create the space where real solutions emerge and the American experiment continues to thrive.

Dear Friends and Supporters,

The political and policy landscape continues to evolve in ways that will shape our shared future—and perhaps even redefine what it means to be a think tank. At RSI, we see this as an opportunity to lead with optimism and focus. Our culture—our source of stability and strength—remains solid as we use our talents and resources to make a meaningful impact.

This year, we leaned into our guiding principles of credible optimism, cultural bravery, and civic responsibility. Together, these pillars strengthened our institution and deepened our ability to build trust, even in divisive times.

This next chapter is about more than policy—it’s about the health of our democracy. As the nation celebrates its 250th birthday this year, RSI remains committed to the founding values that launched the American experiment: equality, popular sovereignty, federalism, civic virtue, and limited, effective government. These classically liberal ideals continue to guide our mission and inspire our work to strengthen the republic for generations to come.

—Eli & Erica

Eli Lehrer, President

Erica Schoder, Executive Director

We know that no research organization is entirely free from outside influence, which is why we invest deeply in systems to safeguard our integrity. From transparent governance to clear standards for partnerships, hiring, and fundraising, the way we work ensures that ideas—not interests—drive our work. By grounding our research in classical liberal principles and protecting our freedom to follow evidence wherever it leads, RSI builds trust, fosters innovation, and delivers real solutions that strengthen both policy and public confidence. Some examples of how we uphold our credibility include:

Policy Research Agenda

Maintaining a rigorous research-agenda process to ensure our policy scholars are driving R Street’s research and are free to take an objective, problem-solving approach to complicated economic and societal challenges.

Policy Impact Strategy

Pursuing a subsequent public policy impact strategy process to ensure our work remains mission-aligned and our program teams are the key decision makers around impact.

Transparent Coalition Approval

Managing a transparent coalition approval and bill endorsement process to help us cultivate meaningful, strong alliances across the political spectrum with a diverse group of policymakers and partners.

Hiring Process

Adhering to a thoughtful and systematized hiring process to ensure fair and equitable hiring practices that enable us to attract candidates from diverse backgrounds with deep expertise.

Expanded Leadership

This year, RSI strengthened its leadership capacity by expanding the Executive Team to include Rebecca Kendall, Jeff Vanderslice, and Ryan Crow. This growth marks a major step toward a whole-of-organization approach to strategy, relationship development, and fundraising. By broadening executive expertise across business, policy, and strategic operations—and creating an Executive Track to cultivate future leaders—RSI is building sustainable leadership, deepening organizational resilience, and ensuring that our mission and values continue to guide our growth for years to come.

Rebecca Kendall
Vice President, Strategy

“This year we recognized that RSI’s role extends beyond informing policy to improving the policymaking ecosystem. That’s an important shift, and I’m excited to put it into action next year.”

Rebecca Kendall

Jeff Vanderslice
Vice President, Policy Partnerships & Government Affairs

“I’m immensely proud of RSI’s significant level of engagement and relevance in key policy discussions over the past year, all while staying true to our mission of promoting free markets and limited, effective government. We’ll continue providing principled leadership in 2026 and beyond with valuable public policy research, analysis, and recommendations that will be advanced through enhanced engagement and collaborations.”

Jeff Vanderslice

Ryan Crow
Vice President, Organizational Performance & Advancement

“This year showed what’s possible when collaboration and evidence come together. Our teams are more connected, our decisions more grounded in evidence, and we’re poised to deliver even greater policy impact in 2026.”

Ryan Crow

We often focus on areas that other groups tend to neglect, combining deeply researched, market-oriented policy solutions with proactive outreach. Our scholars don’t just publish policy studies, they also contribute commentary to major media outlets, host events, submit regulatory comments, provide testimony, and engage in both one-on-one meetings as well as broad-based coalitions. By combining evidence with collaboration, RSI turns research into real-world impact.

Major 2025 Developments

RSI’s federal government affairs team has played an important role in shaping congressional debate in the 119th Congress, informing lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, and elevating pragmatic policy solutions across a wide range of issue areas. Through testimony, statements for the record, coalition letters, and research, RSI served as a credible and trusted resource for committees, bipartisan staff coalitions, and executive branch agencies. RSI’s work was often and repeatedly cited by members of Congress and was relied upon by congressional support agencies and executive offices during policy debates.

Beyond the sheer number of meetings, RSI’s impact is evident through the clear uptake of our ideas. We were quoted in press releases, cited in memos, our research was included in budget reconciliation packages and Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolutions, and agency and congressional staff requested that our experts brief them on a regular basis.

AI Moratorium

RSI’s technology and innovation program has been at the center of the debate about federal preemption of state and local AI-specific laws, including the AI moratorium. Our scholars have fought tirelessly to advance federal preemption efforts, from originating the idea of an AI moratorium to testifying on the issue before Congress four times in 2025. We continue to be actively involved in both congressional and executive efforts to preempt state and local laws that could stifle AI innovation.

One Big Beautiful Bill

While RSI didn’t take a position on the entirety of the OBBB, our research and education efforts influenced certain critical outcomes. For example, the expansion of the Child Tax Credit aligned with RSI research, and the restoration of FCC spectrum auction authority reflects a policy reform RSI has consistently supported. Similarly, RSI analysis of IRA subsidies helped guide which subsidies to pare back.

Major 2025 Developments

State team members are permanently stationed in state capitals across the country where they actively elevate RSI’s policy positions. They do so by sharing RSI’s policy studies with key stakeholders, educating lawmakers, testifying before legislative committees, developing broad coalitions to advance and defeat bills, facilitating the introduction of unique pieces of legislation and writing for local newspapers. While many talk about change, RSI serves as an agent of actual policy change, and has a demonstrated track record of successfully effectuating it in state legislatures.

Integrated Harm Reduction in the States

In Georgia and Virginia, the state team discovered unmistakable gaps in the law, where RSI’s research and outreach could have an impact. In both states, the official code did not explicitly legalize drug-checking tools, other than fentanyl test strips, which left vulnerable communities at serious risk of inadvertently ingesting dangerous adulterants. Working closely with Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, (Georgia) and Sen. Christopher Head and Del. Mark Sickles (Virginia), the RSI state team helped address this problem with new legislation that was signed into law in 2025. Beyond this, the state team was engaged in supporting a host of other bills—seeing many reach governors’ desks across the nation.

Technology and Innovation

Some of the biggest wins in government affairs do not grab headlines, but they are important nonetheless. Defeating bad proposals can be just as important as enacting good policy. RSI’s state team has been actively engaged in doing just this in numerous states. Noticing a troubling provision tucked in a state’s budget that would have undermined technological innovation and development, RSI worked to have it removed – which is no small feat.

California Wildfire

Following a spate of devastating wildfires and property and casualty insurance regulation failures in California, RSI’s state team elevated these issues through timely commentary and media outreach—even being featured on Fox Business. This work in California gained national attention when Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) invited RSI to testify before the U.S. House Judiciary committee on the matter.

Real Insights brings together diverse thinkers, authors, and leaders for deep conversations on culture, democracy, and public policy. Created by RSI’s executive director Erica Schoder, this series sparks curiosity and constructive debate rather than mere agreement. Published monthly, Real Insights explores how ideas intersect with real-world governance, pluralism, and civic responsibility. Whether through video interviews, written dialogues or podcast episodes, the series invites readers and listeners into spaces where disagreement is not the enemy, but the engine of healthy democratic innovation and principled problem-solving.

As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, the R Street Institute is seizing this milestone to engage Americans in a deeper civic conversation. Our America 250 initiative invites reflection on the founding ideals—equality, popular sovereignty, federalism, civic virtue, limited effective government—and asks how they apply in today’s changing world. Through events, commentary, multimedia, and partnerships, we’re not just commemorating the past, but reanimating those principles for the future. We aim to strengthen democratic culture, elevate civil discourse, and ensure liberty and self-government continue to thrive for generations.

RSI staff travel across the United States and around the world to strengthen partnerships, share ideas, and collaborate on real solutions. From Johannesburg and Salzburg to New Orleans, Birmingham, Jackson Hole, and Fort Worth, our team brings RSI’s principles of innovation, dialogue, and civic responsibility to diverse communities and audiences.

Major 2025 News Stories and RSI

The R Street Institute is a trusted, independent voice for policymakers, journalists, and the broader public. Our scholars’ rigorous, nonpartisan research makes them sought-after sources for reporters, producers, and influential communicators across the political spectrum. They are regularly featured by the nation’s most reputable news outlets and maintain ongoing partnerships with publications such as The Dispatch, Governing Magazine, and the Southern California News Group. Over the past year, RSI experts have appeared in hundreds of news stories, radio and television segments, and podcasts, offering clear, objective analysis on issues ranging from technology regulation and public safety to the overdose crisis, electoral reform, and financial fraud and scams. Our scholars are also invited to meet with editorial boards at major newspapers—including The Washington Post and The New York Times—to provide deeper insight into our research and policy recommendations.

When the Los Angeles fires erupted in early 2025, reporters turned to RSI scholars for clear, policy-grounded explanations of why California’s insurance market and state governance failures had left communities so vulnerable. Their timely analysis helped guide national coverage and ultimately led to RSI’s Steve Greenhut being invited to testify before Congress on the systemic issues behind the disaster.

When Congress debated a proposed 10-year moratorium on AI regulation, RSI’s resident AI expert Adam Thierer became a key voice shaping the national conversation. He provided clear, accessible analysis across major media outlets and briefed policymakers and staff. His testimony before the House of Representatives further elevated RSI’s perspective, generating additional coverage and helping ground the debate in practical, innovation-friendly policy principles.

2025 has brought intensified scrutiny of America’s power system: calls for stronger grid reliability, unprecedented electricity demand, and sweeping attempts to remove barriers to new generation. In this pivotal moment, RSI’s energy experts have been central to how journalists, policymakers, and the public understand these shifts.