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November 10, 2020 | Dan Lips

Why Congress Should Fully Fund Its Watchdog

An extra $76 million in funding for GAO could yield $7 billion in savings based on recent performance The lame-duck session is underway. As the clock winds down on the 116th Congress, lawmakers have a busy agenda for its final weeks–from considering a new emergency spending bill to NDAA and a December 11th deadline to
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November 2, 2020 | Dan Lips

Listen to the Intelligence Community’s Warnings Ahead of the Election

Voting is one the most important civic responsibilities in the United States. In 2020, being a responsible voter also involves understanding the rules of the election, the threat foreign interference, and reporting potential wrongdoing to the appropriate authorities if necessary. FBI Director Christopher Wray and Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe recently held a press
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October 29, 2020 | Sean Roberts

Interviews with Election Officials from Across the Country

What Should the Voter Do? Over the past month, I have been interviewing a cross section of election officials from around the country. These are election officials with a deep insight into the election system. Being so close to the election, Lincoln Network wanted to help American voters by presenting the perspective of the public
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October 26, 2020 | Jordan McGillis

Ant Goes Marching

Ant Group, the company behind China’s online payment revolution, intends to list on both the Hong Kong and Shanghai stock exchanges by the end of this month. At $35-$40 billion, it would be the biggest IPO ever. Significant investment interest in Ant Group has bubbled up in the West, including from American firms like Fidelity
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October 20, 2020 | Joel Thayer

The DoD’s Plan to Nationalize 5G and Its Implications

Based off of its recent Request For Information (RFI), the United States’ Department of Defense (DoD) intends to balkanize the internet by nationalizing the U.S.’s 5G networks. Make no mistake, the DoD’s plan in releasing this RFI is nothing short of an attempt to capture the 5G market. It makes clear that the DoD seeks
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September 15, 2020 | Lars Schönander

The Case for Supporting Open Source Infrastructure

The majority of digital tools that you use at some point are built on a foundation of open source projects. If you use an iPhone, it most likely stores data in a SQLite database, an open source database that was designed to be easily embedded in devices. The websites you browse are often made with
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August 31, 2020 | Jordan McGillis

The Chinese App We Should Really Be Talking About

While TikTok is taking up much oxygen in our media ecosystem, another Chinese app provides a more interesting point of departure from which to discuss Sino-American relations. That app is Xuexi Qiangguo. “Study Xi, Strong Nation” Xuexi Qiangguo, or “Study Xi, Strong Nation” is an app produced by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to instruct
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August 31, 2020 | Dan Lips

Understanding the Risk of Ballot Harvesting Across the United States

13 States Have No Laws Addressing Who Can Deliver Absentee Ballots The November election is less than 100 days away. In most states, voters will soon be able to cast their ballots due to new rules allowing no-excuse absentee balloting.  In a recent Lincoln Network working paper, Sean Roberts and Alexiaa Jordan discuss the tradeoffs
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August 10, 2020 | Dan Lips

It’s Time for Change at the Department of Homeland Security

Congress must refocus DHS’s missions and address dysfunctional oversight   The following article was co-authored by Keith Ashdown and Dan Lips. The Trump Administration’s decision to send hundreds of federal law enforcement officers to Portland to protect federal buildings and confront (and beat up) protesters and rioters highlights longstanding problems with the Department of Homeland
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August 7, 2020 | Sean Roberts

Solutions for Fighting Voting Fraud

Election oversight is critical bulwark protecting the republic from election crimes Publicly elected officers wield power over decision making. The temptation to cheat, lie, and steal to get into public office is too great for some. Strong election oversight is a requirement for a society governed by the rule of law.  We have many historical
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July 29, 2020 | Marshall Kosloff

The Realignment X Lincoln Network

For the past year, Saagar Enjeti, co-host of The Hill‘s Rising with Krystal and Saagar, and I have co-hosted The Realignment podcast. Over 40 plus episodes, we’ve interviewed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Senators Josh Hawley and Tom Cotton, Representative Mike Gallagher, Krystal Ball, Bhaskar Sunkara, J.D. Vance, Megan McArdle, and Jane Coaston, among others.
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July 27, 2020 | Marshall Kosloff

The Federalist’s Missed Google Opportunity

Last month, NBC News and the U.K.-based Center for Countering Digital Hate alleged that Google had formally decided to demonetize the conservative digital publication The Federalist over controversial articles about Black Lives Matter. It quickly emerged that NBC‘s initial reporting was inaccurate, with Google subsequently announcing it had not yet prevented The Federalist from using
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July 21, 2020 | Alexiaa Jordan

Elections Assistance Commission Circulates CDC Recommendations for In-Person Voting

Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued safety guidance for election locations, staffers, and voters. Their standard COVID-19 guidance is mentioned. However, they offered more substantive advice that contradicts some states’ recent actions during their primaries. The CDC broadly supports “any feasible options for reducing the number of voters who congregate
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July 6, 2020 | Dan Lips

Americans’ Inexperience with Voting By Mail Creates Risks

States should expand absentee balloting but prevent ballot harvesting  Forty-six states and the District of Columbia will allow all voters to cast their ballots by mail in November’s election. But a recent analysis from the Pew Research Center shows that most American have not voted by mail–increasing the risk that ballot harvesting will affect election
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June 30, 2020 | Alexiaa Jordan

FCC Moves to Ban Huawei and ZTE from Receiving Federal Subsidies—But More Action Is Needed

Today the Federal Communications Commission formally designated Chinese telecommunication firms Huawei Technologies Company and ZTE Corporation—and their parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries—as posing national security threats. This move prohibits the use of the $8.3 billion Universal Service Fund, to acquire or maintain equipment from these companies. The FCC’s move to finalize this designation is an important
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June 25, 2020 | Dan Lips

Voting-by-Mail Shows Why Real Bipartisan Postal Reform is Necessary

In January 2017, former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson designated election infrastructure to be critical infrastructure. At the time, he was focused on preventing cyber threats from disrupting the electoral process. But three years later, the most critical infrastructure for holding the 2020 election may be one of the nation’s oldest institutions: the U.S. Postal Service.
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June 24, 2020 | Dan Lips

Bipartisan Coalition of Senators Introduces Legislation to Protect Inspector General Independence

On Thursday, Senator Chuck Grassley and nine bipartisan co-sponsors introduced legislation to protect federal watchdogs’ independence. The “Securing Inspector General Independence Act of 2020” comes at a critical time of declining public confidence in government and demonstrates Congressional commitment to independent oversight.  in a recent article for The Hill, my former colleague Keith Ashdown and
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June 16, 2020 | Joel Thayer

Congress Should Support the FCC’s Plan to Auction Off C-Band

To ensure that I am behaving responsibly during this COVID-19 pandemic these past few months, I have mostly positioned myself on my couch where my live-in girlfriend and I exhaust all that online streaming services have to offer. Don’t believe me? Well, we are currently streaming ABC’s “Once Upon A Time.” For the unfamiliar, the
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June 12, 2020 | Sean Roberts

Delays In Counting Ballots Causes Confusion with Voters

Communication on the Vote by Mail Process is Required For The Public Trust  Across the county vote by mail elections are being ramped up to protect people from having to make the choice of getting sick or doing their civic duty by voting.  There has been a rush to accommodate the demand for vote by
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May 13, 2020 | Dan Lips

USAID’s Timely Digital Strategy

Recognizing the Need to Confront the Global Spread of Digital Authoritarianism The U.S. Agency for International Development recently unveiled a new digital strategy—detailing plans to leverage technology in foreign aid investments to support countries’ transition to self-reliance. The new approach comes as the United States reconsiders how to answer authoritarian sharp power and promote American
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May 13, 2020 | Joel Thayer

Separating Fact from Fiction on the FCC’s Approach to Spectrum

We Shouldn’t Let Territorial Federal Agencies Override a Pro-Innovation Decision by the FCC Senator Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., gave a speech on the Senate floor yesterday attacking the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) unanimously approved Order granting Ligado’s application to modify its license. Sen. Inhofe argues: I think by now it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone
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May 11, 2020 | Marshall Kosloff

How to Build

In response to Marc Andreessen’s essay It’s Time to Build, Lincoln Network hosted A Time to Build? Institutional Failure and Reform After COVID-19. Marshall Kosloff, Lincoln’s director of outreach and media moderated the webinar panel with Eli Dourado, Mark Lutter, and Marci Harris. We believe that Andreessen’s call to build and reform our institutions has
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May 1, 2020 | Alexiaa Jordan

TechCongress Is Now Accepting Applications for its Congressional Digital Service Fellowship

“Out of 3,500 congressional staff, less than 20 have any technical background. Decent governance in the 21st century REQUIRES talented technologists to serve in government. ” — Travis Moore, Founder and Director of TechCongress Now, TechCongress has launched a new Congressional Digital Service Fellowship for experienced technologists. Here’s what they’re looking for: Commitment to helping
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May 1, 2020 | Alexiaa Jordan

Tech Initiatives Helping the Nation During COVID-19

Here at Lincoln, we believe technologists and innovators have an important role to play in addressing our nation’s most pressing problems. So we wanted to highlight tech companies that are supporting our nation and providing services to communities that are struggling. We’ve created a Wiki highlighting the ways that the industry has mobilized to confront the virus.
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April 30, 2020 | Marshall Kosloff

Video: A Time to Build? Institutional Failure and Reform After COVID-19

Marshall Kosloff, Director of Outreach and Media for Lincoln Network, moderated a virtual panel featuring the following distinguished guests, Eli Dourado, Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Growth and Opportunity. Marci Harris, CEO, and Co-Founder of PopVoxMark Lutter, Founder and Executive Director of the Charter Cities Institute The event was inspired by Marc Andreessen,
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April 30, 2020 | Zach Graves

New CRS report offers an authoritative review of the current debate over OTA

Charting a path forward for enhanced science and technology expertise in Congress Yesterday the Congressional Research Service published a 71 page report, “The Office of Technology Assessment: History, Authorities, Issues, and Options.” As its title suggests, the report covers the history of the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), recent legislative activity, and the recommendations from
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April 28, 2020 | Zach Graves

Policy Update for March-April

The following post was originally set as an email newsletter to our friends and supporters. Re: Lincoln Policy Team Activities for March-April 2020 Dear friends and supporters of Lincoln: Thanks for tuning in again. After narrowly making it back from vacationing in Portugal, I’ve been spending a lot of time getting our new CRM and
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April 28, 2020 | Dan Lips

Boost state government cyber defenses by streamlining federal rules

Harmonizing cybersecurity regulations imposed on state governments was a good idea before the pandemic. Now, it should be a top priority to help states address current challenges and defend the 2020 election. State governments are facing unprecedented challenges due to COVID-19 pandemic. While saving lives and addressing urgent public health needs remains the focus, state
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April 28, 2020 | Jordan McGillis

Soft Power Meets Sharp Power

Chinese State Influence on American Companies   U.S.-China relations are in a period of high tension, with the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 being the most recent in a litany of flashpoints. The spread of the lethal coronavirus from Wuhan comes amid an ongoing trade dispute and increased U.S. attention on repression in the province of Xinjiang
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April 27, 2020 | Alexiaa Jordan

Video: GDPR 2 Years Later

Featuring: *Matthias Bauer, PhD, Senior Economist at the European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE) – will cover the interplay between Digital Services Taxes and GDPR *Philip Thompson, Policy Analyst with the Property Rights Alliance – will cover GDPR as a barrier to trade *Alexiaa Jordan, Policy Analyst with Lincoln Network – will cover CCPA and US privacy regimes as they relate to GDPR *Eline Chivot, Senior Policy Analyst at ITIF Center for Data Innovation – will cover the current status of GDPR and its effects 2 years later *Andreas Hellmann, International Advocacy Manager at Americans for Tax Reform Foundation *Katie McAuliffe, Executive Director, Digital Liberty – moderator
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April 23, 2020 | Lars Schönander

FCC votes unanimously to open 6 GHz for unlicensed use

Today the Federal Communications Commission voted unanimously to adopt rules making 1200 MHz of spectrum in the 6 GHz band available for use by unlicensed technologies. There are tremendous benefits for both industry and consumers in making more available spectrum for use by unlicensed technologies, such as Wi-Fi, where it will permit more users to
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