James Quintero is the policy director for the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Government for the People campaign. Since joining the Foundation in 2008, Quintero has focused extensively on: state & local government spending, taxes, debt, public pension reform, annexation, and local regulations.
Former President Donald Trump went viral this week for making a campaign pitstop in Pennsylvania to work the fry station and drive-through at a McDonald’s. But Trump’s visit at McDonald’s was more than a publicity stunt—it represents the core of what makes him appealing to voters and, ultimately, what will carry him across the finish line in...
For years, I’ve warned that college grade inflation is real, rampant, and ravaging a university near you. It is a cancer eating away at American higher education, undermining academic standards, devaluing transcripts, and cheating students and employers alike. My research has tracked this crisis over the last decade, and the evidence is stark: what was...
Texas governments received $84.3 billion in federal funding in 2023, raising concerns over financial dependency and regulatory consequences. Creating an Office of State Sovereignty to monitor the application, receipt, and conditions of this aid could mitigate fiscal risk and improve transparency. Key points: Texas lacks a centralized system to oversee federal grants potentially flowing to...