Policy Analysis

The Current Biden Cabinet Raises Questions

December 10, 2020
We are in the transitional phase of the American political life-cycle. Given the significance of this moment, the diverse array of interest groups who secured the commitment of 80 million plus voters are paying close attention to the cabinet selections of the incoming Biden administration.

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What to Expect Under an AG Becerra-led HHS

December 10, 2020
THIS WEEK IN DC - Gen. Lloyd Austin nominated to lead Dept. of Defense; District Court judge orders the government to reinstate DACA; Ali Zaidi is shortlisted for coordinating the White House climate team; Biden chooses Susan Rice as top adviser; Biden lays out COVID plan for first 100 days; COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan is unveiled. Read more in MPAC's DC Weekly.

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The Assassination of Diplomacy; Prospects For Peace With Iran

December 3, 2020
THIS WEEK IN DC - Biden unveils his Economic team and nominates Janet Yellen for Treasury Secretary; Congress readies for its busiest “lame duck” session in memory; Moderna approaching FDA for emergency authorization; Upon hearing oral aguments, Supreme Court appears wary of Trump administration’s effort to exclude undocumented immigrants from Census; Biden announces his administration’s new all-woman and ethnically diverse Communications Team.

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Implications of Blinken as Secretary of State

November 25, 2020
This week in DC, Trump pardons Michael Flynn; Reema Dodin selected for Biden Administration position; Coalitions forming around VP-elect Harris’ Senate seat replacement; Congress takes recess for Thanksgiving amid height of pandemic without passing a stimulus bill. Read more in MPAC's DC Weekly.

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How did the Patriot Act impact you?

October 26, 2020
On this day, 19 years ago, the Bush administration passed the Patriot Act through Congress. We want to hear from you: has the Patriot Act impacted your life in the time since its passage?

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Supreme Court Capture: What to Watch For

September 25, 2020
The GOP’s handling of the American judiciary has been described as a “conservative takeover”. In light of Justice Ginsberg’s passing, how strong is the threat of Supreme Court “capture”? Here, we analyze the path ahead for both parties.

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19 Years Later; Building a New from the Ashes of the Old

September 11, 2020
On this, the 19th anniversary of the terror attacks of 9/11, those oft-cited words, “we will never forget,” are as much a call to remember the nearly 3,000 casualties as they are a description of our contemporary American politics.

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The USPS is Vital for Voters During a Pandemic

August 19, 2020
MPAC supports universal mail-in voting during the COVID-19 pandemic, and will not support any form of voter suppression, including President Trump’s obstruction of the USPS ability to successfully deliver the casted ballots of Americans before election day.

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We Need Community-Based Policing, and the State Must Still Regulate

July 20, 2020
No matter what comes of this window wherein Congress focuses on police reforms, communities will need federal standards to guarantee that these new policing regimes are not derelict in their duties. MPAC supports the creation of a federal standard for all law enforcement agencies that promotes and codifies community engagement and includes passage of a nationwide ban on police violence and accountability for perpetrators, mandated community engagement, a national use of force policy, and the requirement of regular training on de-escalation tactics and implicit bias.

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Police Reform is a Small Step, But We Need a Big Leap

June 17, 2020
In the time since the Minneapolis protests, the popular support has coalesced behind calls for substantial changes to policing and community safety. For these groups, police abolition means securing communities through community-led efforts, reinvestments in public health and education, and more just housing programs. There are also the proposals from city governments and councils dealing with public pressure, which will likely only result in a reconstruction of existing police forces. On Monday, Democrats in the House and Senate introduced their vision of what such reforms would look like: the Justice in Policing Act, a measure which is a compromise with the abolitionist proposals coming from social justice groups. The GOP has yet to submit a police reform proposal, though they have tasked the lone black Republican in the Senate, Sen. Tim Scott, with leading their efforts to do so. Election Day is fast approaching, and along with the coming of November 3rd will come a judgment on which public representatives were able to listen and heed the calls from the American majority.

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