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American Institutions Network

From 2019-2019, R Street’s American Institutions Network (AIN) focused on the protection of democratic norms and American institutions by fostering discussions, partnerships and action. A collaborative discussion group, AIN aimed to shift today’s policy discussions away from politically-charged headlines to focus on the underlying institutional and cultural shifts that are threatening America’s form of government. Our points of focus were:

 

Congress as the First Branch: Congress must provide a real check of power to the executive branch and assert its place as the “first branch”, ensuring that the executive operates within legal, ethical and statutory bounds. Congress must retain its ability to legislate through normal, established, and traditional legislative procedure and channels.

 

Professional, Honest Government Institutions: Government agencies must not be used to monitor, attack, or punish political opponents. Regulatory structures must be appropriate, unilateral, and long-term. Information that is being used to inform decision making must be reliable and accurate. Information provided by government officials should be honest and grounded in empirical fact.

 

An Independent Judiciary: America’s judicial branch must be respected as apolitical, including, but not limited to, rejecting outcome-based views of justice and politicization.

 

A Free Press: The press must be identified and seen as a viable check on political power rather than a political propaganda tool itself. It must be re-established as an institution of our republic.

 

Civil, Loyal Opposition: Political dialogue and debate are essential to America’s form of government. As such, mutual tolerance, the understanding that competing parties accept one another as legitimate, should be consistently practiced. Information that is released to the public and used in public discourse by our political leaders must be trusted as true and accurate. Additionally, forbearance, or the idea that election-winners exercise respectful and appropriate restraint when wielding power rather than treating politics as winner-take-all, is necessary for the continuation of national stability.

Filter Listing

News American Institutions Network, Democratic Institutions, Federal Government Affairs, Governance

Fight Over Mueller Report Strains the Governance System

Aubrey Neal May 9, 2019
News Agriculture, American Institutions Network, Cybersecurity, Cybersecurity Policy, Federal Government Affairs, Finance and Trade, Insurance, Technology and Innovation, Trade

R Street Institute Welcomes Release of Republican Study Committee FY2020 Budget

May 2, 2019
News American Institutions Network, Democratic Institutions, Federal Government Affairs, Restoring the First Branch

Department of Justice Obstructs Administrative Norm of ‘Duty to Defend’

Anthony Marcum, Aubrey Neal April 3, 2019
In the News Democratic Institutions, Federal Government Affairs, Governance

Women Hold Just As Many Congressional Committee Jobs As Men But Are Paid Less

Casey Burgat March 20, 2019 The Huffington Post
News American Institutions Network, Democratic Institutions, Federal Government Affairs, Judicial Governance, Political Civility

Presidential Candidates Toy with Idea of Expanding the Supreme Court, Endangering Judicial Norms

Anthony Marcum, Aubrey Neal March 18, 2019
News American Institutions Network, Democratic Institutions, Federal Government Affairs

House Unanimously Urges DOJ to Make Mueller Report Public

Aubrey Neal March 14, 2019
News American Institutions Network, Democratic Institutions, Federal Government Affairs

Representatives Testify to Strengthen Congress, Call for In-House Reform for First Time in Three Decades

Aubrey Neal March 14, 2019
News American Institutions Network, Democratic Institutions, Federal Government Affairs, Restoring the First Branch

Resolution to Terminate President Trump’s Declared National Emergency Passes Both Chambers of Congress

Aubrey Neal March 14, 2019
Op-Eds American Institutions Network

Four Lessons From the Manafort Sentencing

Paul Rosenzweig March 14, 2019 The Atlantic
In the News American Institutions Network

C-Span: Paul Rosenzweig on the Robert Mueller Investigation

Paul Rosenzweig March 1, 2019 C-SPAN

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