Maxwell School News and Commentary

“I think at the end of the day, you’re not going to see either the Trump or the House GOP tax plan. It will look a little more like George W. Bush’s 2001 tax bill—mostly just rate cuts,” says Leonard Burman, Paul Volcker Chair in Behavioral Economics.

“When you want to message and communicate with new donors, you want to demonstrate very quickly that you’re using the money efficiently and effectively and it’s really focused on a goal,” says Dean David Van Slyke. “And then you come back…and you say, ‘Look, we think we’re in a real battle and we think we’re making progress.'”

"The relationship between scientists and government is arguably at a low point today. But that’s the culmination of a trend that had been building for some time," says Harry Lambright, professor of public administration and international affairs.

"Widespread public pressure can influence the U.S. Congress so that it corrects the unwise policies pursued by President Trump’s administration," writes Louis Kriesberg, professor emeritus of sociology. He suggests alternatives such as pursuing non-coercive inducements over military coercion, strengthening ties with Muslims, and understanding opposing perspectives.

"An Analysis of the House GOP Tax Plan," co-authored by Len Burman, Paul Volcker Chair in Behavioral Economics, examines the House GOP tax reform blueprint, which would significantly reduce marginal tax rates, increase standard deduction amounts, repeal personal exemptions and most itemized deductions, and convert business taxation into a destination-based cash flow consumption tax.

"Now is the time to find more and better ways to harness the $2 trillion in global R&D spending lying just beyond the Pentagon’s reach. It is also time for the Pentagon to incubate a larger volume of potential defense technologies to outpace an ever-growing range of threats," says University Professor Sean O'Keefe.

"I would hope that the new administration would take the time to learn from former officials and other experts about the importance of the South Caucasus countries to the United States," says University Professor James Steinberg.

Leonard Burman, professor of public administration and international affairs, opines that President Reagan "got people excited about the idea of fixing our broken tax system. It’s hard to imagine President Trump doing that.”