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Progress Report
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News, events, and must-read analysis from the Progressive Policy Institute.
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** With or Without DOGE, Democrats Need a Plan for Fixing the Government
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By Will Marshall
The Hill ([link removed])

It’s not hard to lampoon DOGE, the misnamed “Department of Government Efficiency” sprung from the fevered brains of President-elect Donald Trump ([link removed]) ’s favorite tech oligarchs, Elon Musk ([link removed]) and Vivek Ramaswamy.

The DOGE has grand ambitions — eliminating government regulations, jobs and agencies and slashing federal spending by $2 trillion — but no powers.

It won’t be a government department or even a formal advisory committee, say Musk and Ramaswamy ([link removed]) . Instead, it will be a “lean team of small-government crusaders” feeding the Trump White House ideas for cutting the “deep state” down to size.

They maintain, implausibly, that Trump can drastically shrink the federal government through executive orders alone. Apparently, they expect Congress and the courts to roll over and grant Trump autocratic powers to “restore” democracy.

But before Democrats dismiss the DOGE as just more MAGA trollery, it’s fair to ask — where’s their plan for making government more efficient and effective?
KEEP READING ([link removed])
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[link removed]: https%3A%2F%2Fthehill.com%2Fopinion%2Ffinance%2F5089490-democrats-revamping-government-efficiency%2F Share ([link removed]: https%3A%2F%2Fthehill.com%2Fopinion%2Ffinance%2F5089490-democrats-revamping-government-efficiency%2F)
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NEW PPI REPORT
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Social mobility in the U.S. has declined in recent decades, leaving millions of children from low-income families unable to climb the economic ladder. Many young Americans face a combination of limited access to resources and low levels of financial literacy, preventing them from fully realizing their potential- perpetuating inequality and stifling economic growth by leaving untapped talent behind.

To address these challenges, PPI's Center for Funding America’s Future released a new report outlining an innovative proposal for Child Opportunity Accounts (COAs) that would help young Americans build both the financial resources and knowledge needed for long-term success.

READ THE FULL REPORT ([link removed])
New from the Experts

Ed Gresser, Vice President and Director for Trade and Global Markets: Tariffs and Economic Isolationism: Four Principles for a Response
⮕ PPI Analysis ([link removed])

Tamar Jacoby, Director of the New Ukraine Project: Amid A National Conscription Crisis, One Ukrainian Unit Takes A Different Approach
⮕ Forbes ([link removed])

Tressa Pankovits, Co-Director of Reinventing America's Schools: National School Choice Week is Here. Democratic Lawmakers Need to Join the Celebration.
⮕ RealClearEducation ([link removed])

Alex Kilander, Policy Analyst, Center for Funding America's Future: Republican Hypocrisy Puts Politics Over Wildfire Victims
⮕ PPI Blog ([link removed])
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** Going Global and Local – The Way Ahead for the Center Left
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By Claire Ainsley
Director of PPI's Project on Center-Left Renewal
for Future Governance Forum ([link removed])

The inauguration of Donald Trump has the potential to be much more significant in our world history than his first inauguration in January 2017. Rather than complacently assuming the four years of the first Trump presidency to be an interruption on an otherwise centrist path to greater progress and freedom, a second Trump presidency shows the first not to be an anomaly and begins in a world that has taken a sharp turn towards authoritarian leadership.
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[link removed]'s%20Tamar%20Jacoby: https%3A%2F%2Fwww.forbes.com%2Fsites%2Ftamarjacoby%2F2025%2F01%2F28%2Famid-a-national-conscription-crisis-one-ukrainian-unit-takes-a-different-approach%2F Share ([link removed]'s%20Tamar%20Jacoby: https%3A%2F%2Fwww.forbes.com%2Fsites%2Ftamarjacoby%2F2025%2F01%2F28%2Famid-a-national-conscription-crisis-one-ukrainian-unit-takes-a-different-approach%2F)
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Check out these recent PPI newsletters!

Ed Gresser: U.S. drug overdose deaths down 21.7% from 2023 to 2024.
⮕ PPI's Trade Fact of the Week ([link removed])

Ben Ritz & Alex Kilander: Trump Inherits a Broken Fiscal Policy He Seems Determined to Make Worse
⮕ PPI’s Budget Breakdown ([link removed])
Staff Spotlight: Jolie Libert

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Political Director
Jolie is the Political Director at the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI). In her role, Jolie and the Government Relations team plan and execute PPI’s political strategy and engagement with elected officials at all levels of government.

Most recently, Jolie worked as the Trips Director for the Midwest Region on the Harris for President Campaign where she led over 300 principal and surrogate trips to Michigan and Wisconsin. Prior to her time on the campaign, she spent three years on the Hill as Representative Derek Kilmer’s Director of Operations.

Jolie calls New York City and Clinton, CT home and now lives in Washington, DC. She enjoys playing tennis, cooking, reading, meticulously, and most of all ice cream.
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