Spanberger’s Position on the new Federal Scholarship Remains Unclear: Will She Choose Kids or Union Bosses?
As early voting in the gubernatorial race in Virginia is about to begin, students in the Commonwealth hang in the balance. While Governor Youngkin was able to implement a landmark school accountability measure that will help inform parents and the public about our students’ true performance, most of his other efforts at more fundamental education […]
Election 2025: Virginia’s Energy Future Is on the Ballot: Will Voters Choose Reliability or Risk?
For several years now, Virginians have been told that the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA) is necessary to save Virginia and is a necessary step to save the planet. We’ve been told that rising seas, worsening storms, and other supposedly catastrophic impacts of man-made climate change justify a radical restructuring of Virginia’s entire energy system. But what […]
A Reflection on the Life of Charlie Kirk and a Call to Prayer at Noon on Friday
Dear Friend of TJI, While we are all still processing yesterday’s tragic news of the assassination of Charlie Kirk, I find great comfort in knowing that Charlie is in a better place. Charlie wasn’t just an evangelist for freedom, he was a cultural missionary, of sorts, calling people to know and love God, and to know and […]
It is Time to End Northern Virginia’s Outdated and Unnecessary Vehicle Emissions Program
Since 1982, residents of these Northern Virginia counties: Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, Stafford and the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, and Manassas Park, have been subject to a mandatory vehicle emissions testing program, a policy enacted in 1982 under the 1970 Clean Air Act to combat significant regional air pollution. While Virginians outside of Northern […]
Virginia’s Elections Should Be About Virginia’s Future — Not a Referendum on President Trump
Senator Tim Kaine recently sent out a fundraising email where he quoted the Washington Post that the Virginia “elections are seen as a referendum on the Trump administration.” This suggests that voters should cast their ballots based on how they feel about our current President, rather than the pressing issues facing our Commonwealth today. This kind of […]
Primary Results Will Force Spanberger to Prove if She’s a Centrist
After this week’s primary results, Virginia’s more moderate center is all but dead. In two of the most closely watched statewide races, Democrats overwhelmingly chose far-left progressive champions over more moderate options: former Delegate Jay Jones for Attorney General and State Senator Ghazala Hashmi for Lieutenant Governor. Their victories, along with the well-established and growing […]
Juneteenth: From Unknowing to Unbound: A Call to Agency
As a school founder and former principal who spent decades immersed in the resilient spirit of an inner-city school serving primarily low-income African American students in Southeast, DC, and as someone deeply invested in the nuances of education policy, Juneteenth holds a significance that extends far beyond a historical date. It is a day that, properly understood, […]
Classical Education: A Forgotten Path to Flourishing for All
I want to thank the Heritage Foundation for hosting this important event. Having the honor of being on the same program, or even in the same room, as Professor Robert George is a bucket list-type day for me. So, thank you. It is indeed monumental that for the 100 years since Pierce, the court has recognized the obvious — […]
Tariffs on Medicine Put Virginia Patients at Risk
The Thomas Jefferson Institute’s opposition to President Trump’s tariff regime is now well known. Taxing imports only hurts those the President hopes to help most. While the President’s recent call to extend tariffs to foreign made films has gotten a lot of press, little attention is being paid to President Trump’s recent threat to impose tariffs on pharmaceutical […]
Former Virginia Governor George Allen: ‘The Tariffs Are An Unconstitutional Seizure of Taxation Power that Conservatives Should Oppose’
There are few issues more important than how and how much governments tax their citizens. But what is often less appreciated, but even more important, is under what authority taxes are imposed. Former Senator and Virginia Governor George Allen, a Republican, opposes President Trump’s tariffs, arguing they are an unconstitutional overreach of presidential power. In […]