America faces a crisis of housing affordability driven by a lack of supply; at the start of 2025, we are building 38 percent fewer single-family homes than we were 20 years ago. In new testimony before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, economist and housing policy expert Edward L. Glaeser explains what went wrong and how federal policy can incentivize housing construction.

Similar concerns about higher education affordability have driven significant increases in financial aid provided by federal and state governments. In a new AEI report, higher education expert Preston Cooper documents 30 years of college tuition and financial aid trends to evaluate these policies’ effectiveness.

This week, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing Secretary Linda McMahon to begin dismantling the Department of Education as the administration continues to pursue its objective of cutting staff and costs. AEI Education Policy Studies Director Frederick M. Hess assesses these actions, cautioning that indiscriminate or opaque cuts on their own will not reduce red tape or improve outcomes for students and educators.

President Trump’s efforts to broker peace in Ukraine continued this week in a phone call with Vladimir Putin and the scheduling of new talks for March 24. Matthew Continetti warns that Trump’s approach of weakening Ukraine and flattering Putin is repeating his predecessor’s mistakes and risks embarrassment and failure.

The president’s approach to the economy is similarly failing to deliver results. AEI Economic Policy Studies Director Michael R. Strain cautions that embracing tariffs and a populist economic vision magnifies the risks of recession and a public backlash that could sink the positive aspects of the administration’s agenda.