A post-election plan to expand opportunity
From affordable housing to energy policy to criminal justice, FREOPP has recommendations for policymakers looking to bring more opportunity to the Americans who need it most
A plan for freedom and progress: FREOPP was founded to advance a principle that both conservatives and progressives overwhelmingly support: equality of opportunity. Our unique approach—using market-based ideas to achieve progressive outcomes—means that, regardless of which candidates triumph in next week’s elections, we have something to offer incoming lawmakers. We pulled a few of our key ideas together to develop A Plan for Freedom and Progress.
In our last update, we shared FREOPP scholars’ proposals for reforming K-12 education and developing a compassionate monetary policy. This month, we tackle affordable housing, clean and abundant energy, and the reforms necessary to produce the best outcomes in foster care and policing.
Improving housing affordability in 2025 and beyond: Last week, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that rising housing costs continue to drive inflation and drag down the nation’s economy. What’s more, these higher prices and rents are consuming an increasing share of poor Americans’ incomes. FREOPP Research Fellow Roger Valdez argues that improving the transparency and efficiency of federal subsidies and incentivizing private-sector development are essential to increasing affordable housing options. He urges the next president and Congress to establish better data collection and reporting with respect to key housing programs; to reform existing voucher and tax-credit offerings, making them more effective; and to tie federal subsidies to local regulatory changes that liberalize land use and encourage housing production.
Federal energy reforms to ensure grid reliability, encourage competition, and combat inflation: America’s artificial intelligence boom is driving a huge—and rising—demand for data centers, with consequences for ordinary Americans that include rising costs and even more pressure on our already strained power grid. As FREOPP Visiting Fellow Grant Dever describes, affordable and reliable energy is critical to American prosperity, but the American bulk power system is on the brink of crisis thanks to top-down mandates and egregious subsidies. To fix the problem, he recommends both executive and legislative action, including rescinding regulations and tax credits that pick winners and losers among power generators and consumer appliances, liberating natural gas production, and reducing barriers to nuclear power innovation.
Helping foster youth achieve independence in adulthood: Children in foster care are among the most vulnerable members of society, and when they transition into adulthood they face financial instability and limited support systems. The federal government spends about $12 billion annually on child welfare, but all too often these benefits never reach the children they are supposed to help. As a result, outcomes remain dismal for far too many young people. To help them achieve self-sufficiency, FREOPP Senior Fellow Dan Lips makes the case that the next president and Congress must implement targeted, sustained interventions such as improving data collection and exchanges and protecting foster children’s benefits from child welfare agencies.
Bringing more transparency and accountability to American police departments: Providing safe communities is one of the fundamental purposes of government, yet many of America’s poorest residents also suffer from close proximity to intolerable rates of crime and violence. Better and more effective policing is necessary for communities looking to solve this problem and prevent future tragedies, public unrest, and costly litigation. To get there, FREOPP Senior Fellow Jonathan Blanks recommends codifying and funding the National Law Enforcement Accountability Database and tying federal dollars that go directly to police departments to timely, accurate, and complete reporting. This data sharing will help keep bad cops off the streets, improving policing and protecting Americans.
We hope to see you in D.C. later this month! Want to talk about these ideas and more with others who believe in the American Dream and want to ensure that it endures? Join us at our annual Freedom & Progress Conference at the Park Hyatt in Washington, D.C., from November 17-19! It’s not too late to register—simply visit the conference page at FREOPP.org to view the latest agenda and to sign up.
Thanks for keeping up with FREOPP, and have a great weekend!
FREOPP’s work is made possible by people like you, who share our belief that equal opportunity is central to the American Dream. Please join them by making a donation today.