Robert Doar:2025 Highlights from AEI

 

I am writing to share AEI’s 2025 Annual Report.   At the start of 2025, we identified six key priorities where we had the most opportunity to drive positive change for our country. This annual report serves as a report card—highlighting significant activity from our scholars, showing where we’ve had success, and being honest about where we need to do better. In these pages, you’ll find that in education, national defense, the economy, and so many other issues, AEI scholarship helped policymakers address the most serious challenges facing the United States in 2025.   Please read the full introductory letter from AEI Chairman Daniel A. D’Aniello and myself, reflecting on the year. And read our summary assessment of the year below.   You can stay engaged with our work by checking out our website at aei.org; subscribing to our flagship newsletters, AEI Today and AEI This Week; or visiting our events page.   With gratitude,

Robert Doar President

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AEI’s 2025 Priorities—a Summary Assessment   Celebrate the American Founding and the Constitution SCHOLAR ACTIVITY  To celebrate the 250th anniversary, Yuval Levin, Adam J. White, and AEI’s Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies scholars held conferences and published books advancing the founders’ vision. Our scholars also applied these insights to the constitutional controversies surrounding the Trump administration. POLICY ACTIVITY  Policymakers at the state and federal levels accelerated efforts to celebrate America’s 250th birthday in a substantive and positive fashion. And the Supreme Court continued to advance the original understanding of the Constitution in major cases on executive and judicial power. Read more about our 2025 work to celebrate the founding here >

Restore Free Inquiry, Merit, and Quality in Higher Education SCHOLAR ACTIVITY  Preston Cooper, Frederick M. Hess, Benjamin Storey, Jenna Silber Storey, and other higher education experts proposed institutional changes and policy reforms to strengthen viewpoint diversity and challenge radical ideology. POLICY ACTIVITY  The federal government reformed student lending and successfully pushed schools to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion bureaucracy. Elite university leaders launched new institutions to hire conservative and heterodox faculty, including schools of civic thought. Read more about our 2025 work to revitalize America’s universities here >

Promote Expanded Choice, Higher Standards, and Greater Moral and Civic Education in K–12 Schools SCHOLAR ACTIVITY  Frederick M. Hess, Nat Malkus, and AEI’s education scholars promoted reforms to strengthen school choice, dismantle failing bureaucracies, and address student learning loss.  POLICY ACTIVITY  Congress created a new tax credit that will provide billions for school choice, and the administration radically reorganized the Department of Education. States are recovering from COVID learning loss, but progress remains uneven and incomplete. Read more about our 2025 work to expand freedom and quality in K–12 education here >

Strengthen National Defense and Support Our Allies   SCHOLAR ACTIVITY Mackenzie Eaglen, Elaine McCusker, and AEI Foreign and Defense Policy scholars argued for reforms and higher spending to strengthen military capabilities. Frederick W. Kagan, Marc A. Thiessen, and others emphasized the importance of US global leadership and support for allies, especially Ukraine.   POLICY ACTIVITY Congress and the president expanded defense spending, invested in the industrial base, and launched overdue organizational reforms. The administration hurt relationships with many allies but did not abandon Ukraine, and it successfully weakened adversaries, including Iran, through forceful action.   Read more about our 2025 work to strengthen America’s global leadership here >

Advance Fiscally Responsible, Pro-Growth Tax Reform SCHOLAR ACTIVITY  Alex Brill, Kyle Pomerleau, and others developed a policy agenda to make the 2017 tax cuts permanent and strengthen their pro-growth aspects without increasing the deficit.  POLICY ACTIVITY  Congress translated many of these pro-growth ideas into legislation and strengthened welfare work requirements, but these changes are largely funded by more deficit spending. Read more about our 2025 work to address America’s fiscal crisis and promote economic growth here >

Promote Free Trade; Oppose Harmful Tariffs   SCHOLAR ACTIVITY Phil Gramm, Michael R. Strain, Stan Veuger, and others opposed increased tariffs and documented the errors and costs of the administration’s tariff increases.   POLICY ACTIVITY The Trump administration reduced many of its most extreme tariffs, but its protectionist agenda still increased inflation, slowed economic growth, and harmed relations with our allies.   Read more about our 2025 work to stop protectionism here >

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