Trump’s Inauguration Day: Policy recommendations for the new president

By Danielle Pletka and Michael R. Strain

It’s inauguration day, and naysayers notwithstanding, Donald Trump will take the oath and become the 45th president of the United States. It is an awesome responsibility, and the burdens are mighty. Today, the right choice for all Americans is to wish our new president godspeed and success in keeping our country safe, free and prosperous.

How should Donald Trump and his administration meet the challenges ahead? We have gathered a small selection of AEI scholars’ work in alpha order on a variety of issues, foreign and domestic, addressing some of the major challenges facing the new administration.

[For more actionable recommendations to the new administration and Congress on ways to address our nation’s needs, check out AEI’s 2017 policy project.]

Asia: Donald Trump has said he’s not certain about the US longstanding “One China” policy. But it’s not Trump who has been fraying the relationship. It’s the PRC. And then there’s the whole question of trade and the Trans Pacific Partnership. What will the new team do? And how best to understand what’s at stake? Here are some answers.

Childcare and paid family leave: Aparna Mathur, Angela Rachidi, and Abby McCloskey suggest a suite of family-friendly policies to help working parents. For more on childcare policy, read here.

Defense: Of course, few of the solutions articulated, whether economic or political, are as potent without the deterrent power of the US military. But are we poised to jettison the sequester? Is rebuilding the armed forces a national security imperative? Or is reform job one?

Energy: Read Kevin Hassett and Aparna Mathur on fracking and Ben Zycher on crude oil exports. On carbon taxes, scholars’ opinions run the gamut — Aparna Mathur writes in favor of a carbon tax, while Ben Zycher questions the efficiency of such a policy.

Europe: Whether it’s Brexit, NATO or eyes to the East, our scholars have a myriad of suggestions about Little Green Men, revitalizing NATO and how to best manage the UK’s exit from the EU. Choose your poison here.

Healthcare reform: In a comprehensive proposal, ten health experts including AEI’s Joseph Antos, James Capretta, Scott Gottlieb, Thomas Miller, and Ramesh Ponnuru suggest replacing the ACA, reforming Medicaid and Medicare, and strengthening Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). Joseph Antos and James Capretta caution Republican leaders against pursuing a “repeal and delay” approach to dismantling the ACA. Thomas Miller encourages policymakers to focus on subsidizing catastrophic insurance and to reduce poverty and improve health insurance through separate channels. Meanwhile, Benedic Ippolito and Jeffrey Clemens argue that Medicaid reform is the elephant in the room. Sally Satel offers thoughts on how to treat an opioid epidemic.

Iran: Trump made clear during the campaign that he holds the JCPOA (the Iran deal) in low regard. But should he rip it up? (No.) How will his administration hold Iran’s feet to the fire? Or won’t they? Good question.

Israel: Headed out the door, Team Obama appeared to be all about Israel. But was that productive? Is peace at hand? And how should the Trump administration respond?

Jobs: Michael Strain offers an array of conservative reforms to increase employment, particularly among prime-age men. And don’t miss Nicholas Eberstadt’s important book on this serious national challenge.

Russia: Donald Trump is clearly intent on his own reset. But he must be mindful of Putin’s own motivations and strategies as he walks into talks with the Russian autocrat. Read “Changing Putin’s mind”, or an admonition not to be taken by Vlad, here, or this fine analysis of Putin the judo master.

Tax reform: House Republicans have also introduced a border adjustment into their tax reform plan. Alan Viard argues that if we’re going to do border adjustment, we should do it right. In 2009, he suggested that border tax adjustments won’t stimulate exports. Looking at the impacts of border adjustment, Stan Veuger analyzes dollar appreciation, debt, and the steep price “quasi-exporters” could pay. And here’s a comprehensive look at corporate tax reform from Alan Viard and Eric Toder. AEI’s Open Source Policy Center has a border adjustment calculator, allowing you to make your own plan and see the results in real time.

Terrorism: Mr. Trump has said that ISIS is his #1 priority. AEI’s Critical Threats team took a deep dive into the why and the how of the counter-terrorism fight as well as the Syria and Iraq challenges here, here and here. But there are more than military strategies against Islamist extremists. Take a look.

Trade: Derek Scissors outlines priorities, including retaliating to Chinese subsidies and intellectual property theft, plus taking steps to encourage more trade. Claude Barfield argues that Korea should create a rump Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and outlines the benefits of TPP partners creating their own trade pact.

Transportation and infrastructure: The United States suffers from an array of endemic infrastructure problems. R. Richard Geddes suggests that Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) can help solve those problems.

Originally published on AEIdeas.org on January 20, 2017.