Gratitude and Optimism: Looking Ahead to 2026
Last month's "Freedom & Progress" Conference was a success, and even neutral observers noted the optimism of free-market advocates for 2026 and beyond.
Last month, FREOPP hosted our annual “Freedom & Progress” Conference in Washington, D.C., where we were joined by nearly 200 policymakers, thought leaders, philanthropists, and others to discuss solutions and strategies to tackle the issues that matter most to uplift Americans below the median income.
You can watch the event’s opening, including comments from our co-chairman of the Board, Jonathan Bush, and from me, as well as our main stage plenary panel on winning back young Americans, here as they were covered on C-SPAN.
TheHill.com, a popular mainstream political news website, described the event as follows:
FREE-MARKET OPTIMISM
The mood was hopeful at the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity (FREEOPP) Freedom & Progress conference last week, where a cadre of small-government types gathered to discuss everything from free trade to how to “win back” the youth in favor of free market policies.
It came, of course, in the shadow of the turbulence at the Heritage Foundation, with some hoping that the backlash to the major think tank that’s become more Trumpy in recent years could be a sign of a vibe shift back to traditionally conservative positions on markets and more.
FREOPP President Akash Chougule referenced those dynamics in the movement in his opening remarks.
“Americans who are being drawn to bad ideas because they are struggling, like discarding free markets and pluralism for socialism or racism or antisemitism do not need to be coddled,” Chougule said. “And the charlatans who push those bad ideas onto them do not need to be embraced as part of our movement. For those of us here in Washington, that includes lawmakers, media personalities, heads of esteemed think tanks, and anyone else who contributes to public policy and our public discourse.”
Speakers at the conference included Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R), FREOPP Co-Founder & Chairman Avik Roy, Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow Judge Glock, Brad Wilcox of the University of Virginia’s National Marriage Project, Heritage Foundation Senior Research Fellow Rachel Greszler, Advancing American Freedom President Tim Chapman, and Reason Senior Editor Stephanie Slade.
We were also thrilled to honor two recipients with our Frederick Douglass Award, FREOPP’s highest honor, for their achievements to advance the reforms that FREOPP cares about:
Rep. Virginia Foxx - North Carolina
Rep. Foxx currently serves as Chairwoman of the powerful House Rules Committee, and previously served as Chairwoman of the Education and Workforce Committee. In both positions, she has been FREOPP’s greatest champion in Congress pushing for higher education reforms stemming from our first-of-its-kind “ROI in Higher Education” work, much of which was signed into federal law this summer. Rep. Foxx has supported countless other FREOPP causes, such as the importance of non-college career pathways and workforce development, education choice, worker freedom, and more.
She shared the poignant story of her own upbringing - growing up in desolate poverty western North Carolina without running water - and her rise to Congress, which to this day inspires her work every single day to help spread the American Dream to as many of her fellow Americans as she can.
Governor Tate Reeves - Mississippi
Governor Tate Reeves has been involved in what has now become known as the “Mississippi Miracle” since long before becoming his state’s chief executive. He championed unique, bold education reforms from the powerful Lieutenant Governor’s chair as well, and Mississippi families are now reaping the rewards. Despite being the nation’s poorest state by a wide margin for many decades, thanks to legislation such as the bipartisan Literacy-Based Promotion Act, Mississippi’s education scores and rankings have skyrocketed in several categories.
After adjusting for demographics, Mississippi was number one in the nation in both reading and math in 2024. The state saw the greatest improvement in students achievement of any state from 2013 to 2022. African-American Mississippi students rank third in the nation in reading, and Hispanic Mississippi students rank first for reading and second for math. Mississippi was also #2 in the country for closing the fourth-grade reading achievement gap for lower-income students compared to students from wealthier families.
The results speak for themselves, and Mississippi provides a model for other states. Governor Reeves has also championed many other pro-growth reforms, such as eliminating the individual income tax, reducing regulations, and expanding workforce development initiatives. You can watch my conversation with him here as it was covered on C-SPAN.
Looking Ahead to 2026
The end of December will mark nine months since I took over from Avik Roy as President of FREOPP. Much of this first year has been focused on learning the ropes, developing relationships and strategy, and activating FREOPP on the most pressing issues of the day such as the summer’s federal tax reform legislation and the ongoing health care policy debate.
Next year, we will hit the ground running with some exciting announcements, including a brand new, first-of-its-kind initiative as the nation’s leading policy hub on an issue critical to protecting and improving outcomes for one of the most vulnerable populations in the country, and more in-depth coalition and advocacy strategies on a range of state and federal issues.
We will have more to share in January, but until then, I’d like to wish all of you a peaceful and joyous holiday season, and thank you for being on this journey with us. If you wish to support our work and help us expand our reach and impact, we would be grateful for your tax-deductible gift, which you can make here.
In freedom,
Akash Chougule, President