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Policy Matters

Apr 24, 2019

The Administration has released its budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2020. It contains substantial cuts to scientific research and reduces the budget of agencies like the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.    What does the budget proposal tell us about the priorities of the...


Apr 17, 2019

On March 17, a fire broke out at a petrochemical storage plant in Deer Park, Texas, near Houston.     Then, two weeks later, there was yet another chemical fire at a facility near Houston, this time in Crosby.   What do these incidents tell us about the safety of petrochemical facilities?   What can be done to improve...


Apr 10, 2019

It’s called the state and local tax deduction–or SALT–and it’s the subject of fierce political and legal controversy.    The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, passed by Congress in 2017, placed a $10,000 limit on this deduction under the federal tax code.    What is the SALT deduction?   And why has putting a cap on it...


Apr 3, 2019

Huawei is a giant Chinese telecommunications equipment and consumer electronics manufacturer.  There are serious concerns, in the United States and elsewhere, that the company represents a potential threat to secure networks.   Much of the concern has focused on stopping Huawei from building its 5G network in the United...