The America First Policy Institute (AFPI)
Background
The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) is a nonprofit group (501(c)(3)1Hailey Fuchs and Meridith McGraw. โMeet the think tank planning a second Trump administration. (Itโs not Project 2025.),โ Politico, August 29, 2024. Archived August 30, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.) founded in 2021 by two senior advisors to Donald Trump to promote Donald Trumpโs ongoing policy agenda following his departure from office.2Alex Isenstadt. โSenior Trump advisers prepare to launch policy group,โ Politico, December 22, 2020. Archived December 16, 2021. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. The AFPI argues for expanded fossil fuel production by โremoving undue regulatory constraintsโ3Become Energy Independent to End Americaโs Reliance on Foreign Sources of Oil and Gas,โ AFPI, Accessed December 3, 2024. Archived December 3, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. and criticizes the Paris Agreement, describing it as โlopsidedโ and โunenforceable.โ4โProvide Clean Air, Clean Water, and a Clean Environment for All Americans (PDF),โ AFPI, December 7, 2022 (document creation date). Archived December 3, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
It counts among its staff individuals who have expressed doubt about the causes and severity of climate change, including Heritage Foundation senior visiting fellow Stephen Moore,5โStephen Moore,โ Heritage Foundation. Archived December 10, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/iEETg
who once described global warming as โone of the greatest propaganda campaigns in world history,โ6Michael W. Chapman. โStephen Moore: Climate Change โOne of Greatest Propaganda Campaigns in World HistoryโโโVery Stalinisticโ,โ cnsnews.com, June 9, 2016. Archived November 15, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.is/DdOe among others.7โAshley Hayek,โ AFPI, Accessed December 3, 2024. Archived December 3, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/YZPlT 8Ashley Hayek. โIf Climate Change Is Real, Why Donโt the Elites Act Like It?โโ,โ Townhall, October 5, 2023. Archived December 3, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/blwdu 9โSteve Moore,โ AFPI, Accessed December 3, 2024. Archived December 3, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/OWTaK 10โAbout America First Policy Institute โ Chairs,โ AFPI, Accessed December 3, 2024. Archived December 3, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/9jnAr 11Oliver Milman. โTrump picks ally Lee Zeldin as environment chief and vows to roll back rules,โ The Guardian, November 11, 2024. Archived December 2, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 12Dana Drugmand. โWho Is Lee Zeldin?,โ Sierra, November 18, 2024. Archived November 24, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 13โAFW Leadership,โ America First Works, Accessed December 6, 2024. Archived December 6, 2024. Archived URL: https://archive.ph/9pqWW 14โTim Dunn,โ Linkedin. Archived December 4, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
White House domestic policy adviser Brooke Rollins and National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow initially developed AFPI.15Mike Allen. โScoop: Trump alumni launch largest post-administration group,โ AXIOS, November 22, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Rollins and Kudlow had worked together in early 2020 to create a second-term policy agenda for the Trump administration. When Trump lost the election, they continued to work together to develop the AFPI.16Meridith McGraw. โTrump returns to D.C. this week. These former advisors are plotting the comeback,โ POLITICO, November 22, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. According to the New York Times, they approached Timothy Dunn, an American billionaire and CEO of an oil and gas company, who Rollins had worked with at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Dunn and two other Texas Public Policy Foundation directors, Cody Campbell and Tim Lyles, subsequently registered the AFPI in April 2021.17Ken Bensinger and David A. Fahrenthold. โThe Group at the Center of Trumpโs Planning for a Second Term Is One You Havenโt Heard of,โ The New York Times, December 1, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/7JLR7 Kudlow consulted Donald Trump in the development phase for the AFPI and described him as โvery enthusiasticโ about the concept.18Alex Isenstadt. โSenior Trump advisers prepare to launch policy group,โ POLITICO, December 22, 2020. Archived December 22, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/5JCWG
After the AFPIโs launch in April 2021, Rollins became the president and CEO, Kudlow vice chair,19Mike Allen. โScoop: Trump alumni launch largest post-administration group,โ AXIOS, April 13, 2021. Archived November 22, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/bACsc
and Tim Dunn, a board member.20America First Policy Institute 990 for the year ending Dec. 2022. ProPublica. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Linda McMahon, a member of Trumpโs Cabinet as the administrator of the Small Business Administration, joined as chair, along with various other individuals affiliated with Trump.21Mike Allen. โScoop: Trump alumni launch largest post-administration group,โ AXIOS, April 13, 2021. Archived November 22, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/bACsc
The AFPI has an โadvocacy arm,โ America First Works.โ22America First Policy Institute and America First Works Highlight Disastrous Effect New IRS Enforcement will have on Low-Income Minority Families,โ America First Policy Institute, August 10, 2022. Archived December 6, 2023. America First Works is a 501(c)(4) organization, which means that it can engage in some partisan politics.23โAmerica First Works,โ Monitoring Influence, Accessed December 4, 2024. Archived December 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/68Fgj
The AFPI itself, by contrast, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, which by law should be nonpartisan.24Brian Schwartz. โTrump-allied dark money group joins forces with a think tank run by ex-presidentโs former aides,โ CNBC, November 22, 2021. Archived December 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/9kHCe The AFPI also has an affiliation with America First Action, a super PAC dedicated to supporting federal candidates who back the policy agenda of Donald Trump.25โAmerica First Action Outside Spending โ 2024,โ OpenSecrets, Accessed December 2, 2024. Archived December 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/niJ98 26โAmerica First Action,โ Ballotpedia, Accessed December 4, 2024. Archived December 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/CCaM5
2025 Transition Plans
The AFPI has been preparing for a transition to a new Trump administration since June 2022 through its โAmerica First Transition Project.โ The America First Transition Project includes developing policy, creating detailed action plans โto gain full operational, management, policy, and financial control of every department and agency,โ identifying critical personnel positions that need to be filled, and producing training materials for future staff.27โThe American First Transition Project,โ American First Project Institute. Archived September 12, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/iDYIO
The AFPIโs chair, Linda McMahon, was selected by Trump in August 2024 to co-lead the official transition team. Later that month, Politico reported that they had been informed by an anonymous source โfamiliar with the Trump campaignโs transition prepโ that while the AFPI was not going to be an official member of the 2025 transition, โby virtue of how they are situated and that we are in a very late timeline for this work, the AFPI and the transition may be a distinction without a difference.โ
Source: Facebook.28โCongratulations Donald J. Trump,โ Facebook image from America First Policy Institute, November 6, 2024. Archived .png on file at DeSmog.
The AFPIโs โAmerica First Agendaโ has ten โpillars,โ which are:29โAmerica First Agenda Pillars,โ America First Agenda. Archived December 4, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- Pillar I: Make the greatest economy in the world work for all Americans.
- Pillar II: Put patients and doctors back in charge of healthcare.
- Pillar III: Restore Americaโs historic commitment to freedom, equality, and self-governance.
- Pillar IV: Give parents more control over the education of their children.
- Pillar V: Secure the border, end human trafficking, and defeat the drug cartels.
- Pillar VI: Deliver peace through strength and American leadership.
- Pillar VII: Make America energy independent.
- Pillar VIII: Make it easy to vote and hard to cheat.
- Pillar IX: Provide safe and secure communities so all Americans can live their lives in peace.
- Pillar X: Fight government corruption by draining the swamp.
The AFPI describes the detailed agenda for each pillar in 55 chapters.30โPILLAR X: Fight Government Corruption by Draining the Swamp: America First Agenda,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived December 4, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
Stance on Climate Change
December 7, 2022
The AFPI wrote in its document โPillar VII: Make America energy independent: Provide Clean Air, Clean Water, and a Clean Environment for All Americansโ:31โProvide Clean Air, Clean Water, and a Clean Environment for All Americansโ (PDF), AFPI, December 7, 2022 (document creation date). Archived December 3, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
โThe central goal of U.S. environmental policy should be to empower human flourishing, all while protecting our land, water, and air and allowing Americans to make the best use of our Nationโs vast natural resources.โ
[โฆ]
โThe American people deserve a human-centered approach that delivers results, not more apocalyptic rhetoric that prioritizes lofty ambitions over real progress.โ
Discussing actions made during the Biden-Harris administration, the AFPI wrote:32โProvide Clean Air, Clean Water, and a Clean Environment for All Americansโ (PDF), AFPI, December 7, 2022 (document creation date). Archived December 3, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
โRather than produce real environmental results, the current misguided approach uses a myopic focus on climate change as a justification for its sweeping radical agenda and massive government expansion.โ
The AFPI says that there is โapocalyptic rhetoricโ around environmental issues and that climate change the Biden-Harris administration used as โjustification for its sweeping, radical agenda and massive government expansion.โ
In a chapter under Pillar VII, titled โLower The Price of Gas and Energy By Increasing Production of Americaโs Energy Supplies,โ the AFPI wrote:33โPillar VII Make America Energy Independent: Lower The Price of Gas and Energy By Increasing Production of Americaโs Energy Supplies (PDF),โ America First Policy Institute, December 7, 2022 (document creation date). Archived June 30, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wip/K7p49
โThe policies of climate activists only exacerbate the difficulties of providing affordable and reliable energy. The burdensome regulatory policies pushed by โbuild-nothingโ environmentalists mean additional costs for providers of the most affordable and reliable sources of power. These additional costs for providers expose Americans to a greater risk of rolling brownouts and blackouts.โ
June 13, 2022
The AFPI wrote the following in its critique of a budget released by the Biden Administration, titled โMissed Opportunity to put America Firstโ:34โFiscal Year 2023 Budget Review: Missed Opportunity to Put America First (PDF),โ America First Policy Institute, June 13, 2022 (document creation date). Archived May 11, 2024. Archived URL: https://archive.ph/9p5eZ
โThe Biden Administration seeks to replace fossil fuels with green energy. This would cause a significant number of jobs to be eliminated. To compensate, the Biden Administration would use taxpayer funds to create โgreenโ jobs for those who lost theirs due to the Biden Administrationโs anti-traditional energy policies. Instead of attempting to end fossil fuels, the United States should have a policy that embraces all energy sources and rewards American energy innovation.โ
The AFPI commented on the cancellation of the Keystone XL Pipeline in a document under โPillar VIIโ titled โCreate a Predictable, Transparent, and Efficient Permitting Process and Regulatory Environmentโ35โPillar VII Make America Energy Independent: Create A Predictable, Transparent, and Efficient Permitting Process and Regulatory Environment (PDF),โ America First Policy Institute, December 7, 2022 (document creation date). Archived April 4, 2024. Archived URL: https://archive.ph/sJUDZ
โUnfortunately, the Left is rolling back critical reforms and overregulating our domestic energy industry,โ the AFPI wrote in the document, adding:
โThe current administrationโs policies seek to allow government intervention to determine the success of only certain companies, industries, and projects at the expense of others. This approach does not consider the implications for consumer costs, grid resiliency, or energy security. The cancellation of the Keystone XL Pipeline and the threatening of the Dakota Access Pipeline are just two examples of recent actions that have been taken.โ
The AFPI added:36โPillar VII Make America Energy Independent: Create A Predictable, Transparent, and Efficient Permitting Process and Regulatory Environment (PDF),โ America First Policy Institute, December 7, 2022 (document creation date). Archived April 4, 2024. Archived URL: https://archive.ph/sJUDZ
โThe administrationโs flawed goal of cutting emissions in half by 2030 and reaching net zero by 2050 is set to fail because of its own approach to implementation.โ
In another document under Pillar VII, titled โProvide Clean Air, Clean Water, and a Clean Environment for All Americans,โ the AFPI criticized actions taken by the Biden-Harris Administration:37โProvide Clean Air, Clean Water, and a Clean Environment for All Americans (PDF),โ AFPI, December 7, 2022 (document creation date). Archived June 30, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
โThis harmful policy approach includes rejoining the Paris Agreement and reversing modernized regulatory reforms that were undertaken to address decades of accumulated red tape,โ the AFPI wrote. Describing the prior Trump Administration, they claimed:
โAs the pro-growth policies of the previous administration drove incredible economic growth, the U.S. improved on environmental measures by providing cleaner air, water, and land, and led the world in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, the country became a net energy exporter for the first time in nearly 70 years and rejected lopsided, unenforceable, America- last international agreements such as the Paris Agreement.โ
March 15, 2022
The following is from an AFPI document titled โThe Need to Refocus International Efforts on Traditional Air Pollutantsโ:38โThe Need to Refocus International Efforts on Traditional Air Pollutantsโ (PDF), America First Policy Institute, March 15, 2022 (document creation date). Archived July 24, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
โThe ongoing energy and security crisesโthat have prompted even Germany to take a critical look at its own climate strategyโserve as a painfully obvious reminder of the danger of an excessive emphasis on climate issues and failure to address other threats. However, the damage that the myopic focus on climate change has done even within the environmental sphere is often overlooked, diverting attention and resources from critical avenues for real progress.โ
Stance on Energy
One of the AFPIโs ten pillars of its America First Agenda is American energy independence.39โPillar VII: Make America Energy Independent,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived November 27, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/WxfzM The agenda promotes parity amongst all energy sources or for the U.S. to โunapologeticallyโ expand fossil fuels, 40โUnleashing American Energyโ (PDF), America First Policy Institute, March 10, 2022 (document creation date). Archived June 7, 2022. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. stating that fossil fuels are โprojected to remain a dominant player through 2050.โ41โPillar VII: Make America Energy Independent,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived November 27, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/WxfzM 42โPillar VII: Make America Energy Independent: Become an Energy Superpower by Exporting Americaโs Energy Abundance,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived December 11, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/SikZz (Scientists are clear that there will need to be a โradicalโ phase-down of fossil fuels to meet climate goals43Beth Walker, Maria Pastukhova. โAn orderly and equitable global transition away from fossil fuels,โ E3G, October 14, 2024. Archived December 5, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/zUNOA). The AFPI argues for less regulation of the energy sector44โPillar VII Make America Energy Independent: Create A Predictable, Transparent, and Efficient Permitting Process and Regulatory Environment (PDF),โ America First Policy Institute, December 7, 2022 (document creation date). Archived April 4, 2024. Archived URL: https://archive.ph/sJUDZ and to โend woke climate activism by federal agencies.โ45โUnleashing American Energyโ (PDF), America First Policy Institute, March 10, 2022 (document creation date). Archived June 7, 2022. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
The AFPIโs America First Agenda opposes โrenewable-only energy strategiesโ and the canceling of overseas fossil fuel projects, saying that this will lead to U.S. energy dependence and โwould empower China and other foreign adversaries.โ It also says this would fail to tackle global energy poverty, calling it โclimate colonialism.โ It claims that such an approach would lead to stagnated economic growth for the U.S.46โBecome an Energy Superpower by Exporting Americaโs Energy Abundanceโ (PDF), AFPI, December 7, 2022 (document creation date). Archived June 29, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
The America First Agenda suggests that the U.S. can expand fossil fuels and meet environmental goals. For example, Chapter 32 of the America First Agenda says, โIn 2019, the U.S. became a net energy exporter, while also leading the world in CO2 emissions reductions the same year.โ47โPillar VII: Make America Energy Independent: Become Energy Independent to End Americaโs Reliance on Foreign Sources of Oil and Gas,โ AFPI. Archived December 11, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/jhLlo(According to a fact check by PolitiFact, this is correct in metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions cut, but this is in the context of the U.S. having very high emissions from which to cut. In terms of percentage improvement, other countries showed more significant progress in 2019.48Jon Greenberg. โDoes the US lead in cutting greenhouse gases? It depends on how you look at it,โ PolitiFact, April 6, 2022. Archived December 3, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/Bhgg1)
Energy policies that the AFPI suggests as part of its America First Agenda include:
- โEncourage greater offshore and onshore oil and gas production.โ49โBecome Energy Independent to End Americaโs Reliance on Foreign Sources of Oil and Gas,โ AFPI, Archived December 11, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/jhLlo
- Allow or expand fossil fuel extraction in Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.50โBecome Energy Independent to End Americaโs Reliance on Foreign Sources of Oil and Gas,โ AFPI, Archived December 11, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/jhLlo
- โPromote an expedited rehabilitation of decommissioned power plants to enable the use of existing infrastructure for new power generation capacity, ensuring continued economic opportunity and energy reliability.โ51โCreate a Predictable, Transparent, and Efficient Permitting Process and Regulatory Environment (PDF)โ AFPI, December 7, 2022 (document creation date). Archived April 4, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- โStreamline LNG export authorizations by establishing a 30-day review process by the Department of Energy.โ52โPillar VII: Make America Energy Independent: Become an Energy Superpower by Exporting Americaโs Energy Abundance,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived December 11, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/SikZz
- โMitigate or remove the Department of Stateโs oversight of transnational oil pipeline infrastructure.โ53โPillar VII: Make America Energy Independent: Become an Energy Superpower by Exporting Americaโs Energy Abundance,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived December 11, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/SikZz
- โEliminate barriers to financing overseas fossil fuel projects that create market opportunities for U.S. industry and drive parity in bilateral trade relations.โ54โPillar VII: Make America Energy Independent: Become an Energy Superpower by Exporting Americaโs Energy Abundance,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived December 11, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/SikZz
- โHalt all new discretionary regulatory policy activity and actions that would disproportionately target one sector at the expense of another.โ55โCreate a Predictable, Transparent, and Efficient Permitting Process and Regulatory Environment (PDF)โ AFPI, December 7, 2022 (document creation date). Archived April 4, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- โEstablish content requirements of at least 75% for renewable projects, both at home and abroad, as a requirement for receiving federal financial support, guarantees, or contracts.โ (Meaning producing or sourcing domestically at least 75% of the components, materials, or inputs used in renewable energy projects).56โPillar VII: Make America Energy Independent: Become an Energy Superpower by Exporting Americaโs Energy Abundance,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived December 11, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/SikZz
- โPrioritize meaningful and enforceable environmental agreements by using USMCA, not the Paris Agreement, as a model.โ57โProvide Clean Air, Clean Water, and a Clean Environment for All Americansโ (PDF), AFPI, December 7, 2022 (document creation date). Archived December 3, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. (The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) is a trade agreement that governs trade between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. In 2019, ten environmental organizations, including the Sierra Club and Greenpeace, wrote a letter opposing USMCA).58Rylee Wilson. โMajor environmental groups opposed the new USMCA trade deal,โ PolitiFact, January 22, 2020. Archived December 11, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/E0lTX
- โConduct a comprehensive audit of U.S. associations and memberships within international energy and environmental organizations and right-size engagement toward those that advance American interests.โ59โPillar VII: Make America Energy Independent: Become an Energy Superpower by Exporting Americaโs Energy Abundance,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived December 11, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/SikZz
Source: Facebook.60โSolution: Cut the Bidenomics red tape and return to America First energy policies,โ Facebook image from America First Policy Institute, July 3, 2024. Archived .png on file at DeSmog.
May 2024
The AFPI included the following on its Facebook page:61โMyth: U.S. natural gas is not clean,โ Facebook image from America First Policy Institute, May 10, 2024. Archived .png on file at DeSmog.
The text reads:
โMYTH:
U.S. natural gas is not clean.
FACT:
The U.S. is the worldโs cleanest natural gas.โ
December 7, 2022
The AFPI wrote a chapter under its Pillar VII titled โBecome an Energy Superpower by Exporting Americaโs Energy Abundance,โ which included the following statement:62โPillar VII: Make America Energy Independent: Become an Energy Superpower by Exporting Americaโs Energy Abundance,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived April 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wip/1WRly
โThanks to the shale revolution, the removal of the crude oil export ban, and the previous administrationโs pro-liquefied natural gas (LNG) export policies, the U.S. has become a major player in international energy markets. Our Nationโs successes included becoming a net oil exporter in 2019 and becoming the worldโs largest LNG exporter shortly thereafter.โ
Funding
In November 2021, Donald Trump hosted a fundraiser for the AFPI at Mar-a-Lago, and his PAC, Save America, had donated $1 million to the AFPI by August 2022.
The AFPI has also received donations from DonorsTrust. This right-wing organization anonymizes contributions and has given grants to groups and projects that are among the most active in questioning the link between fossil fuel emissions and climate change and in attempting to block green legislation.
See the table below for full details of donors or see the attached spreadsheet for additional information on America First Policy Institute funding by year (.xlsx).
AFPI 990 Forms
America First Works 990 Forms
Key People
The following list is from publicly available tax documents combined with the AFPIโs website via the Internet Archive.
For more information, see a spreadsheet of the America First Policy Instituteโs key people year over year (xlsx).
Leadership
Linda McMahon. AFPI chair and America First Works board member.63โAbout America First Policy Institute โ Team,โ American First Policy Institute. Archived November 18, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/8kOGf McMahon is co-leading Donald Trumpโs transition team64Hailey Fuchs and Meridith McGraw. โMeet the think tank planning a second Trump administration. (Itโs not Project 2025.),โ Politico, August 29, 2024. Archived August 30, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. and is his nominee for secretary of education.65Guardian staff and agencies. โTrump picks former WWE executive Linda McMahon for education secretary,โ The Guardian, November 19, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/N39ri She is the former Small Business Administration (SBA) administrator under Trump.66โLinda McMahon,โ SBA: U.S. Small Business Association. Archived December 2, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/7OjoY McMahon co-founded the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment). A lawsuit filed in 2024 alleges that she knowingly enabled the sexual exploitation of children by a WWE employee, charges which she denies.67John Towfighi. โLinda McMahon, Trumpโs Education pick, was sued for allegedly enabling sexual abuse of children,โ CNN, November 21, 2024. Archived December 9, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/YPnZ8
Larry Kudlow is an AFPI co-founder and vice-chair. He is President Donald Trumpโs former Director of the National Economic Council under President Donald Trump.68โThe Honorable Larry Kudlow,โ America First Policy Institute, December 3, 2024. Archived URL: https://archive.ph/fJsB2
Brooke Rollins is an AFPI co-founder, president, and CEO of the AFPI69โAbout America First Policy Institute โ Team,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived December 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/opfe2โโ and a board member of America First Works.70โAFW Leadership,โ America First Works, Accessed December 6, 2024. Archived December 6, 2024. Archived URL: https://archive.ph/9pqWW She has held political roles under Donald Trump71Patrick Svitek. โAs Trump Sputters, Texas Republicans Stand by Their Man,โ The Texas Tribune, August 19, 2016. Archived December 12, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/AJzKN and, as of November 2024, has been nominated as Trumpโs agriculture secretary.72Robin Levinson King. โNominee for agriculture secretary completes Trump cabinet,โ BBC, November 24, 2024. Archived December 2, 2024. Archived URL: https://archive.ph/TNopk She is the former president and CEO73โBROOKE L. ROLLINS, PRESIDENT AND CEO,โ Texas Public Policy Foundation. Archived January 5, 2017. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/3tLXb of the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF), a conservative think tank that has pushed against climate policy in Texas and which has taken donations from major polluters,74โTexas Public Policy Foundation,โ Conservative Transparency. August 21, 2018. and Rollins remains a board member and advisor to the group.75โBoard of Directors,โ Texas Public Policy Foundation. Archived January 19, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Her husband is an energy industry executive, and she has previously referred to โthe alarmism and hysteria of the climate change cult.โ76โAt the Crossroads, Closing Lunch Keynote U.S. Senator & Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn,โ YouTube video uploaded by user โTexas Public Policy Foundation,โ November 24, 2015. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.
Ashley Hayek. AFPI Chief Engagement Officer77โAshley Hayek,โ AFPI, Accessed December 3, 2024. Archived December 3, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/YZPlT and executive director of America First Works.78โAmerica First Policy Institute and America First Works Highlight Disastrous Effect New IRS Enforcement will have on Low-Income Minority Families,โ America First Policy Institute, August 10, 2022. Archived December 6, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/7fq4u She was National Coalitions Director for the Trump-Pence 2020 presidential campaign.79โAshley Hayek,โ American First Policy Institute, Accessed December 3, 2024. Archived December 3, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/YZPlT Of climate change, she says perhaps โthe threat isnโt so dire after allโ and questions whether the actions of the Biden administration suggest that โhuman-caused โclimate changeโ might be a ruse, one that certainly sounds scary but may be more about increasing their power than improving the world we live in.โ80Ashley Hayek. โIf Climate Change Is Real, Why Donโt the Elites Act Like It?โโ,โ Townhall, October 5, 2023. Archived December 3, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/blwdu
Chairs
Lee Zeldin. Chair of โPathway to 2025โ, the AFPIโs transition project, and the AFPIโs China policy initiative.81โAbout America First Policy Institute โ Chairs,โ AFPI, Accessed December 3, 2024. Archived December 3, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/9jnAr Also a board member of America First Works.82โAFW Leadership,โ America First Works, Accessed December 6, 2024. Archived December 6, 2024. Archived URL: https://archive.ph/9pqWW Zeldin is a former congressman for New Yorkโs 1st congressional district.83โThe Honorable Lee Zeldin,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived November 23, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/SAysZ Donald Trump has nominated him to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).84Oliver Milman. โTrump picks ally Lee Zeldin as environmental chief and vows to roll back rules,โ The Guardian, Novewmber 11, 2024. Archived November 23, 2024. Archived URL: https://archive.ph/SAysZ Regarding climate change, in 2014, he said he was โnot sold yet on the whole argument that we have as serious a problem as other people are.โ He also said that he does not support the Paris Agreement.85Oliver Milman. โTrump picks ally Lee Zeldin as environmental chief and vows to roll back rules,โ The Guardian, November 11, 2024. Archived November 23, 2024. Archived URL: https://archive.ph/SAysZ He has argued for expanding fossil fuel extraction and against fracking bans and has a primarily anti-environment voting record. He has received over $410,000 from the oil and gas industry during his political career.86Dana Drugmand. โWho Is Lee Zeldin?โ Sierra, November 18, 2024. Archived November 24, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wuiWK
Carla Sands. Vice Chair, AFPIโs Center for Energy and the Environment.87โAbout America First Policy Institute โ Chairs,โ America First Policy Institute, Accessed December 3, 2024. Archived December 3, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/9jnAr Previously served on President Donald Trumpโs Economic Advisory Council and was Trumpโs Ambassador to Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands.88โAmbassador Carla Sands,โ America First Policy Institute, November 26, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/2Ey1w At a 2023 AFPI event, she said, โClimate isnโt about climate at all. Itโs Marxism to control humanity,โ and made the unfounded claim that โChildren are committing suicide because they donโt want to put out CO2. Thatโs how much theyโve brainwashed and hurt our children.โ89Scott Waldman. โShe says โkids are killing themselvesโ to stop climate change. Meet a potential Trump advisor,โ E&ENews by Politico, September 26, 2024. Archived September 26, 2024. Archived URL: https://archive.ph/piocq
David Bernhardt. Chair of the AFPIโs Center for American Freedom.90โAbout America First Policy Institute โ Team,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived November 28, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/aLTpn Previously secretary for the U.S. Interior Department under Donald Trump91Darryl Fears. โSenate confirms former oil and gas lobbyist David Bernhardt as interior secretary,โ The Washington Post, April 11, 2019. Archived April 11, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/3OZDg and a lobbyist and attorney for the oil and gas industry.92โLobbyist Profile: Bernhardt, David L,โ OpenSecrets.org. Accessed December 17, 2018.
John Ratcliffe. Co-chair of the AFPIโs Center for America Security and formerly the director of national intelligence under Donald Trump.93โThe Honorable John Ratcliffe,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived November 22, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/V4bDn In November 2024, Trump selected Ratcliffe as CIA director by Trump. He was previously a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation, where he was involved in developing Project 2025.94Rachel Leingang. โProject 2025: the Trump picks with ties to ultra-rightwing policy manifesto,โ The Guardian, November 26, 2024. Archived November 27, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/ymCcX
Other
Tim Dunn. Chairman of America First Works95โAmerica First Policy Institute and America First Works Highlight Disastrous Effect New IRS Enforcement will have on Low-Income Minority Families,โ America First Policy Institute, August 10, 2022. Archived December 6, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/7fq4u and sat on the AFPI board of directors until 2022.96โAmerican First Inc: America First Policy Institute,โ ProPublica. Archived October 8, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wip/pPQdO Tim Dunn is the founder and CEO of the oil and gas company CrownQuest Operating.97โTim Dunn,โ Linkedin. Archived December 4, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. He is also on the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) board of directors.98โBoard of Directors,โ Texas Public Policy Foundation. Archived January 19, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. In addition, Dunn is a director of the political nonprofit Convention of States, which describes global heating as a โhoaxโ and erroneously states on its website that โthe claim that 97% of scientists agree that climate change is man-made is patently false.โ99Geoff Dembicki. โTrump Megadonor Tim Dunn Has a Plan More Extreme Than Project 2025,โ DeSmog, October 23, 2024. Archived December 9, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wip/eT8KQ
Steve Moore, Senior Fellow and Co-Chair of the Save America Coalition led by the AFPI, was previously a Senior Economic Adviser to Donald Trump.100โSteve Moore,โ AFPI, Accessed December 3, 2024. Archived December 3, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/OWTaK Has worked with conservative organizations such as the Heritage Foundation and the Cato Institute. He has called climate change โclimate improvement.โ101โDenier Stephen Moore says climate change is โclimate improvementโ and โthe truth is the 1930s was a warmer decade than the last decadeโ,โ ThinkProgress, June 20, 2009. Archived November 15, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/t3hNI
Previous Staff
Rick Perry. Was the Chair, Center for Energy & Environment at the AFPI.102โAbout America First Policy Institute โ Team,โ About American First Policy Institute. Archived November 20, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/aLTpn Perry was Energy Secretary during Donald Trumpโs first term,103โOur Mission,โ American First Policy Institute.. Archived September 20, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wip/zeRHr and is a board member of Energy Transfer Partners, a pipeline company.104โBiography: James R. (Rick) Perry,โ Energy Transfer. Archived September 5, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wip/2pZPr
Andrew Wheeler. Former chair of the Center for the Environment at the AFPI.105โOur Mission,โ American First Policy Institute.DeSmog. Archived September 20, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wip/zeRHr Wheeler was previously a coal industry lobbyist and head of the Environmental Protection Agency during Donald Trumpโs first term in office.106โAndrew Wheeler, former energy lobbyist, confirmed as nationโs top environmental official,โ The Washington Post, February 28, 2019. Archived February 28, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/xWYi6
Actions
November 24, 2024
Brooke Rollins, AFPI co-founder and president and CEO of the AFPI, was nominated by Donald Trump to be secretary for agriculture.107Robin Levinson King. โNominee for agriculture secretary completes Trump cabinet,โ BBC, November 24, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/TNopk Her appointment has been met with enthusiasm from the meat industry, with The National Cattlemenโs Beef Association (NCBA) believing that Rollins could assist the beef industry by reducing regulations.108Rachael Oatman. โMeat industry in favor of nominated ag secretary,โ Meat+Poultry, November 26, 2024. Archived December 11, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
November 20, 2024
Donald Trump named Linda McMahon as his pick for Education secretary.109Kristen Holmes, Kaitlan Collins, and John Towfighi. โTrump names Linda McMahon as his pick for Education secretary,โ CNN, November 20, 2024. Archived December 9, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/hLS1c
Source: Facebook.110โCONGRATULATIONS, AFPI Chair of the Board Linda McMahon,โ Facebook image from America First Policy Institute, November 20, 2024. Archived .png on file at DeSmog.
November 11, 2024
Donald Trump picked Lee Zeldin, the chair of the AFPIโs transition project,111โAbout America First Policy Institute โ Chairs,โ AFPI, Accessed December 3, 2024. Archived December 3, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/9jnAr as the nomination to lead the EPA. Trump said that Zeldin โwill ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet.โ Zeldin has said that he โwill restore US energy dominanceโ and โrevitalize our auto industry.โ112Oliver Milman. โTrump picks ally Lee Zeldin as environment Chief and vows to roll back rules,โ Guardian, November 11, 2024. Archived December 2, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/UFwWw
October 2024
The AFPI co-sponsored a series of swing-state rallies called the Courage Tour,113Geoff Dembicki. โTrump Megadonor Tim Dunn Has a Plan More Extreme Than Project 2025,โ DeSmog, October 23, 2024. described by investigative journalism non-profit ProPublica as โa far-right Christian revival tour.โ Lance Wallnau, a pro-Trump Christian influencer, has said that climate activists are controlled by โdemons,โ114Gustaf Kilander. โMAGA pastor says climate activists are being controlled by โdemonsโ,โ Independent, July 14, 2022. Archived September 29, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/QiN0i hosted the tour.115Andy Kroll, ProPublica; Phoebe Petrovic, Wisconsin Watch; and Nick Surgey, Documented. โJD Vance Campaign Event With Christian Right Leaders May Have Violated Tax and Election Laws, Experts Say,โ ProPublica, October 18, 2024. Archived November 28, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/KRhUL The Courage Tour has also partnered for an event with JD Vance, who has expressed doubt on the human-made nature of climate change.116Andy Kroll, ProPublica; Phoebe Petrovic, Wisconsin Watch; and Nick Surgey, Documented. โJD Vance Campaign Event With Christian Right Leaders May Have Violated Tax and Election Laws, Experts Say,โ ProPublica, October 18, 2024. Archived November 28, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/KRhUL
August 21, 2024
The AFPI published a โfactsheetโ called โThe Costs of Banning Fracking,โ which says that โbanning fracking would increase the human impact on the environment.โ117Oliver McPherson-Smith. โThe Costs of Banning Fracking,โ AFPI, August 21, 2024. Archived December 13, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/iSd23
August 2024
Linda McMahon, the AFPI chair, was selected to co-lead the official transition team for the Republicans.118Hailey Fuchs and Meridith McGraw. โMeet the think tank planning a second Trump administration. (Itโs not Project 2025.),โ Politico, August 29, 2024. Archived August 30, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
May 24, 2024
The AFPI published an op-ed, โCalifornia Has Sacrificed its Energy Stability on the Altar of Green Energy ideology.โ This article says Californian politicians โcling stubbornly to their allegiance to costly and unreliable green energy mandates, turning a stubborn blind eye to proven and more affordable alternatives, such as nuclear energy and natural gas.โ119โCalifornia Has Sacrificed its Energy Stability on the Altar of Green Energy ideology,โ American First Policy Institute, May 24, 2024. Archived September 17, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/mWmeb
April 2, 2024
The AFPI published a โfactsheetโ named โThe $1.347 Trillion Green New Steal,โ which refers to โbuild back betterโ energy policies as โbuild-back-never energy policiesโ and says that U.S. green energy policy is โcrippling the health and prosperity of the American economy.โ120David Vasquez. โFact Sheet: Center for Energy & Environment: The $1.347 Trillion Green New Stealโ (PDF), American First Policy Institute, April 2, 2024. Archived April 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/RYESY
January 16, 2024
Carla Sands, Vice Chair of the AFPIโs Center for Energy and the Environment, published an op-ed in The Washington Times, โSEC shows dangerous commitment to ESG agenda.โ121Ambassador Carla Sands. โSEC shows dangerous commitment to ESG agenda,โ America First Policy Institute, January 16, 2024. Archived September 17, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/711sg In this article, Sands opposes Natural Asset Companies (NACs), an initiative that would list on the New York Stock Exchange companies aiming to improve ecosystems and that would monetize the resulting ecosystem benefits.122Jennifer Yachnin. โInvest in nature? Might be possible with โnatural asset companiesโ,โ E&ENews by Politico, December 11, 2023. Archived September 12, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/11fwg Sands says the initiative โweaponizes the financial sector in pursuit of leftist political aimsโ and seeks โto advance a radical climate agenda.โ123Carla Sands. โSEC shows dangerous commitment to ESG agenda,โ The Washington Times, January 16, 2024. Archived April 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/jIJe
August 22, 2023
The AFPIโs โMessaging and Data Labโ produced a memo, โThe War on American Energy.โ This memo described the Biden administrationโs energy policy as a โradical climate agenda.โ It said that it had caused โsoaring energy costs, a teetering electricity grid, and the loss of American energy independence at the hands of foreign dictators.โ124โMessaging & Data Lab: The War on American Energyโ (PDF), America First Policy Institute, August 22, 2023. Archived February 24, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/ZtLcN
The memo implies that renewable energy is unproven:125โMessaging & Data Lab: The War on American Energyโ (PDF), America First Policy Institute, August 22, 2023. Archived February 24, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/ZtLcN
โFossil fuels are the most reliable and affordable source of energy in America today. They power almost every aspect of the countryโs transportation system and generate the majority of our electricity. Rather than doubling down on policies with a proven track record, the Biden Administration is forcing a transition to unreliable and weather-dependent sources of energy.โ
It argues for re-opening federal lands and waters for energy development and increasing the amount of oil stored in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the U.S.โs emergency stockpile of petroleum.126โMessaging & Data Lab: The War on American Energyโ (PDF), America First Policy Institute, August 22, 2023. Archived February 24, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/ZtLcN
The memo says that climate change has the โguise of an emergencyโ and expresses doubts over the reliability of climate scientists, โRadical climate activists say we need aggressive climate action now. But for decades, bureaucrats, scientists, and elites have predicted doom and destruction would occur on certain dates, only to have the dates come and go. Their predictions for the environment have always been wrong.โ127โMessaging & Data Lab: The War on American Energyโ (PDF), America First Policy Institute, August 22, 2023. Archived February 24, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/ZtLcN
The memo contains a โMythbustersโ section. Examples include:128โMessaging & Data Lab: The War on American Energyโ (PDF), America First Policy Institute, August 22, 2023. Archived February 24, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/ZtLcN
- โMYTH: Climate change is THE existential threat.
FACT: Even though the Paris Climate Accordsโ most ambitious goal seeks to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the UNโs top climate scientist recently admitted that โThe world wonโt end if it warms by more than 1.5 degrees.โโ
- โMYTH: Wind and solar energy can power our country.
FACT: This isnโt even close to true. The wind doesnโt always blow, and the sun doesnโt always shine. Only 10.2% of our energy comes from wind, and only 3.4% comes from solar.โ
- โMYTH: The Biden Administrationโs push to encourage more use of electric vehicles will make us less dependent on fossil fuels.
FACT: Where do you think the electricity to charge those EVโs comes from? Almost 60% of Americaโs electricity is produced by power plants fueled by natural gas and coal. Media bias is real.โ
2023
Carla Sands and Tim Dunn spoke on an AFPI-sponsored panel, โFighting Climate Extremism & Keeping the Lights On.โ129โFighting Climate Extremism & Keeping the Lights On,โ YouTube video uploaded by user Carla Sands on May 30, 2023. Archived December 9, 2024. Archived .mp4 available at DeSmog. During this event, Dunn stated that he hoped a Trump presidency could use executive orders โto curb all this silliness about CO2 emissions.โ130Geoff Dembicki. โTrump EPA Pick Lee Zeldin Backed by Texas Fracking Billionaire Tim Dunn,โ DeSmog, November 13, 2024. Archived November 19, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/w57G9
2023
The AFPI published a review of the Biden administrationโs 2023 budget. This review opposes increased taxes on the fossil fuel industry and domestic and international spending on climate change. It says that the budgetโs provision of 10 million USD to support small businesses to be more resilient to climate change is a waste of money and that โsmall business owners do not need to be pawns for the climate agenda.โ It argues that the transition to renewable energies โwould cause a significant number of jobs to be eliminatedโ and instead argues for parity amongst energy sources.131โFiscal Year 2023 Budget Review: Missed Opportunity To Put America Firstโ (PDF), America First Policy Institute. Archived May 11, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/9p5eZ
December 2022
America First Works expressed support for a piece of model legislation produced by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) that would empower state governments to blocklist corporations that advocate for Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles or Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs.132โAmerica First Works,โ The Centre for Media and Democracy, Accessed December 4, 2024. Archived December 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/G8Jiy ALEC is an organization designed to link state legislators with corporations and create templates for state legislation that has worked with companies such as Koch Industries, ExxonMobil, and Peabody Energy.133โALEC Corporations,โ SourceWatch. Archive.is URL:https://archive.is/1UBUs
July 26, 2022
Donald Trump delivered the keynote address for the AFPIโs America First Agenda Summit during his first visit to Washington after leaving office.134โPresident Donald J. Trump to Headline the America First Agenda Summit,โ America First Policy, July 14, 2022. Archived January 10, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wH6dv Within this speech, he said, โWe need to rapidly maximize domestic oil and gas production to restore energy independence and bring the price of gasoline back down to a number that nobody even believes anymore.โ135โDonald Trump Speaks At America First Agenda Summit In Washington, DC Transcript,โ Rev. Archived December 10, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/PTrOS
July 2022
The AFPI held a โMake America Energy Independent Roundtable,โ hosted by the former chair of the AFPIโs Center for Energy & Environment, Rick Perry.136โMake America Energy Independent Roundtable,โ YouTube video uploaded by user America First Policy Institute on July 25, 2022. Archived December 9, 2024. Archived .mp4 available at DeSmog. 137โAbout America First Policy Institute โ Team,โ About American First Policy Institute. Archived November 20, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/aLTpn During this roundtable, Perry said, โWe donโt need to apologise to anybody for being for fossil fuelsโ and claimed that the U.S. is the cleanest producer of fossil fuels138โMake America Energy Independent Roundtable,โ YouTube video uploaded by user America First Policy Institute on July 25, 2022. Archived December 9, 2024. Archived .mp4 available at DeSmog. (a 2023 report from the International Energy Agency found that Norway, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar had the lowest emissions intensity).139โThe Oil and Gas Industry in Net Zero Transitions,โ International Energy Agency, World Energy Outlook Special Report, Revised version December 2023 and February 2024. Archived November 18, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/ve5Rt
Perry also referred to โthe altar of the religion of environmentalismโ and said, โIf you are an individual who stands up and says we need to be net zero by 2050, you need to go ahead and stand up and say, oh by the way, if youโre one of those billions of people around the world that donโt have access to energy today, youโre just going to die. Because thatโs basically what it means.โ140โMake America Energy Independent Roundtable,โ YouTube video uploaded by user America First Policy Institute on July 25, 2022. Archived December 9, 2024. Archived .mp4 available at DeSmog.
October 29, 2021
The AFPI, in collaboration with the Texas Public Policy Foundation, released a paper opposing the Build Back Better bill, which it says โis about forcing big-government socialism on the American people using climate change as a cover.โ141โSave America (and American Energy), Kill the Billโ (PDF), America First Policy Institute and the Texas Public Policy Foundationโs Life:Powered initiative. Archived October 21, 2022. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
The paper also criticized the Civilian Climate Corps, saying that it would โserve as a slush fund for progressive groups, with unelected bureaucrats empowered to send taxpayer dollars to political organizations and prioritize racially oriented decision-making.โ142โSave America (and American Energy), Kill the Billโ (PDF), America First Policy Institute and the Texas Public Policy Foundationโs Life:Powered initiative. Archived October 21, 2022. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
Related Organizations
The AFPI has twenty โcentersโ to focus on different action areas, for example, the Center for Energy and Environment, the Center for Litigation, the Center for Media Accountability,143โAbout America First Policy Institute,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived November 29, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/9xOtg and the Center for American Freedom.144โCenter for American Freedom,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived December 16, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/xEmNqThese centers include a โMessaging and Data Labโ that aims โto empower conservatives with the tools needed to win the argument against the Far-Left ideologyโonce and for all.โ It produces memos offering advice on framing issues, including top lines and counterarguments to common rebuttals.145โMessaging and Data Lab: Quick Resources,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived September 17, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wip/K62Nt
As of November 2024, the states of Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, and Pennsylvania each have Chapters with their policy priorities.146โAbout America First Policy Institute: State Chapters,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived November 27, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wip/0qtqq For example, a policy priority for Pennsylvania is to โoppose tax and regulatory proposals that favor some energy sources over others, encourage infrastructure projects that expand production, and push back against harmful ESG policies.โ147โAmerica First Pennsylvania: Quick Resources,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived December 5, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/zfKcc
The AFPI also has various initiatives. These include the America First Transition Project, along with initiatives such as โWeaponization of Governmentโ (which focuses on justice and national security reform148โWeaponization of Government: Quick Resources,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived September 17, 2024. Archived URL: https://archive.ph/wip/c7JcR), a โHigher Education Reform Initiative,โ and โWomenโs Agenda.โ149โAbout America First Policy Institute: Initiatives,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived December 3, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/EYRre
America First Works
America First Works (also known as America First Works, Inc.150America First Works Homepage. Archived December 4, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.) is a nonprofit organization that is โthe advocacy arm of AFPI.โ151โAmerica First Policy Institute and America First Works Highlight Disastrous Effect New IRS Enforcement will have on Low-Income Minority Families,โ America First Policy Institute, August 10, 2022. Archived December 6, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/7fq4u America First Works launched after the 2016 election as America First Policies. It was renamed America First Works in November 2021 after Trumpโs election loss, when it began working closely with the AFPI.152Brian Schwartz. โTrump-allied dark money group joins forces with a think tank run by ex-presidentโs former aides,โ CNBC, November 22, 2021. Archived December 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/9kHCe Brooke Rollins is now the CEO of both organizations. 153โAbout America First Policy Institute โ Team,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived December 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/opfe2 154AFW Leadership,โ America First Works, Accessed December 6, 2024. Archived December 6, 2024. Archived URL: https://archive.ph/9pqWW
America First Works is a 501(c)(4) organization,155โAmerica First Works,โ Monitoring Influence, Accessed December 4, 2024. Archived December 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/68Fgj which means that it can accept unlimited donations from corporations and individuals, which it need not disclose.156Ki P. Hong Charles M. Ricciardelli Matthew Bobys Melissa L. Miles Tyler Rosen Karina Bakhshi-Azar Theodore R. Grodek Olivia N. Marshall Sam Rothbloom. โComplying With the Rules of Governing 501(c)(4) Organizations: Key Issues,โ Skadden, March 20, 2023. Archived September 14, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/M1aTK
America First Works is known to have accepted 1 million USD from Southern Company, a utility company that has opposed green energy policy after its founding.157Andrew Perez. โSouthern Co., CVS, Dow Chemical Funding Trump Dark Money Group Tied to Racist, Anti-Semitic Views,โ MapLight News Archive, May 31, 2018. Archived November 11, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/eCUon It has given millions of dollars to groups allied with Trumpโs agenda, including in 2020 nearly $4.8 million to the right-wing dark money group DonorsTrust.158Carrie Levine. โPro-Trump nonprofit gives millions to groups boosting his agenda,โ Center for Public Integrity, November 20, 2021. Archived July 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wip/gzBFR
One of the various causes supported by America First Works is opposition to ESG policies, which it calls โenergy discriminators.โ159โAmerica First Works,โ The Center for Media and Democracy: State Financial Officers Foundation Exposed project, Accessed December 4, 2024. Archived December 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/G8Jiy For example, America First Works is part of a right-wing coalition that promotes the Heritage Foundationโs proposal for legislation that would ban consideration of ESG factors managing public pensions.160โAmerica First Works,โ The Center for Media and Democracy: State Financial Officers Foundation Exposed project, Accessed December 4, 2024. Archived December 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/G8Jiy
America First Action
America First Action is a super PAC supporting federal candidates backing Donald Trumpโs policy agenda.161โAmerica First Action Outside Spending โ 2024,โ OpenSecrets, Accessed December 2, 2024. Archived December 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/niJ98 162โAmerica First Action,โ Ballotpedia, Accessed December 4, 2024. Archived December 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/CCaM5
Founded in April 2017, America First Action is affiliated with America First Policies, now known as America First Works, which has become the advocacy arm of the AFPI (see above).163โAmerica First Action,โ Ballotpedia, Accessed December 4, 2024. Archived December 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/CCaM5
A super PAC is a political committee that can accept unlimited contributions from individuals and organizations and spend unlimited sums of money to support a candidate (distinct from a PAC, which has caps on the amounts it can give and receive). Laws prohibit a super PAC from donating directly to a politician or political party; however, it can independently spend funds to support or oppose political candidates.164โAmerica First Action,โ Ballotpedia, Accessed December 4, 2024. Archived December 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/CCaM5 165โWhat is a PAC,โ OpenSecrets, Accessed December 4, 2024. Archived December 2, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/vyJQo
In the 2020 election cycle, America First Action raised and spent around 150,000,000 USD, but subsequently, this has tailed off, with 1,186,932 USD spent in the 2024 election cycle and only 36 USD raised.166โPAC Profile: America First Action,โ OpenSecrets, Accessed December 10, 2024. Archived November 26, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/ueU9p
Texas Public Policy Foundation
The AFPI has collaborated with the TPPF,167โUnleashing American Energy,โ America First Policy Institute, and the Texas Public Policy Foundationโs Life:Powered initiative. Archived June 7, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/UhYf9 168โSave America (and American Energy), Kill the Bill,โ America First Policy Institute and the Texas Public Policy Foundationโs Life:Powered initiative. Archived October 21, 2022. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. and the two organizations have staff in common.169โAmerica First Policy Institute and America First Works Highlight Disastrous Effect New IRS Enforcement will have on Low-Income Minority Families,โ America First Policy Institute, August 10, 2022. Archived December 6, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/7fq4u 170โBoard of Directors,โ Texas Public Policy Foundation. Archived January 19, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 171โAbout America First Policy Institute โ Team,โ About American First Policy Institute. Archived November 20, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/aLTpn 172โBoard of Directors,โ Texas Public Policy Foundation. Archived January 19, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
Ziklag
Ziklag, a conservative Christian charity, paid for a series of swing-state rallies called the Courage Tour, which was co-sponsored by the AFPI.173Andy Kroll, ProPublica; Phoebe Petrovic, Wisconsin Watch; and Nick Surgey, Documented. โJD Vance Campaign Event With Christian Right Leaders May Have Violated Tax and Election Laws, Experts Say,โ ProPublica, October 18, 2024. Archived November 28, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/KRhUL
Contact & Address
America First Policy Institute
1001 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Suite 530
Washington, D.C. 20004174โRe: RIN 1235-AA39, Proposed Rule, Defining and Delimiting the Exemptions for Executive, Administrative, Professional, Outside Sales, and Computer Employees, 88 FR 62125 (September 8, 2023),โ America First Policy Institute, November 7, 2023. Archived November 16, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/PasCEHilton Beckhamhbeckham@americafirstpolicy.com175โCommunication Team Contact Page,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived November 23, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/xKDAV
Social Media
- Facebook: America First Policy Institute
- Instagram: a1policy
- X: @A1Policy
- YouTube: America First Policy Institute
- Rumble: America First Policy Institute
Other Resources
- โAmerica First Policy Institute,โ LittleSis.
- โAmerica First Policy Institute,โ SourceWatch.
- โAmerica First Policy Institute,โ Wikipedia.
Resources
- 1Hailey Fuchs and Meridith McGraw. โMeet the think tank planning a second Trump administration. (Itโs not Project 2025.),โ Politico, August 29, 2024. Archived August 30, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 2Alex Isenstadt. โSenior Trump advisers prepare to launch policy group,โ Politico, December 22, 2020. Archived December 16, 2021. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 3Become Energy Independent to End Americaโs Reliance on Foreign Sources of Oil and Gas,โ AFPI, Accessed December 3, 2024. Archived December 3, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 4โProvide Clean Air, Clean Water, and a Clean Environment for All Americans (PDF),โ AFPI, December 7, 2022 (document creation date). Archived December 3, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 5โStephen Moore,โ Heritage Foundation. Archived December 10, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/iEETg
- 6Michael W. Chapman. โStephen Moore: Climate Change โOne of Greatest Propaganda Campaigns in World HistoryโโโVery Stalinisticโ,โ cnsnews.com, June 9, 2016. Archived November 15, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.is/DdOe
- 7โAshley Hayek,โ AFPI, Accessed December 3, 2024. Archived December 3, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/YZPlT
- 8Ashley Hayek. โIf Climate Change Is Real, Why Donโt the Elites Act Like It?โโ,โ Townhall, October 5, 2023. Archived December 3, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/blwdu
- 9โSteve Moore,โ AFPI, Accessed December 3, 2024. Archived December 3, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/OWTaK
- 10โAbout America First Policy Institute โ Chairs,โ AFPI, Accessed December 3, 2024. Archived December 3, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/9jnAr
- 11Oliver Milman. โTrump picks ally Lee Zeldin as environment chief and vows to roll back rules,โ The Guardian, November 11, 2024. Archived December 2, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 12Dana Drugmand. โWho Is Lee Zeldin?,โ Sierra, November 18, 2024. Archived November 24, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 13โAFW Leadership,โ America First Works, Accessed December 6, 2024. Archived December 6, 2024. Archived URL: https://archive.ph/9pqWW
- 14โTim Dunn,โ Linkedin. Archived December 4, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 15Mike Allen. โScoop: Trump alumni launch largest post-administration group,โ AXIOS, November 22, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 16Meridith McGraw. โTrump returns to D.C. this week. These former advisors are plotting the comeback,โ POLITICO, November 22, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 17Ken Bensinger and David A. Fahrenthold. โThe Group at the Center of Trumpโs Planning for a Second Term Is One You Havenโt Heard of,โ The New York Times, December 1, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/7JLR7
- 18Alex Isenstadt. โSenior Trump advisers prepare to launch policy group,โ POLITICO, December 22, 2020. Archived December 22, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/5JCWG
- 19Mike Allen. โScoop: Trump alumni launch largest post-administration group,โ AXIOS, April 13, 2021. Archived November 22, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/bACsc
- 20America First Policy Institute 990 for the year ending Dec. 2022. ProPublica. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 21Mike Allen. โScoop: Trump alumni launch largest post-administration group,โ AXIOS, April 13, 2021. Archived November 22, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/bACsc
- 22America First Policy Institute and America First Works Highlight Disastrous Effect New IRS Enforcement will have on Low-Income Minority Families,โ America First Policy Institute, August 10, 2022. Archived December 6, 2023.
- 23โAmerica First Works,โ Monitoring Influence, Accessed December 4, 2024. Archived December 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/68Fgj
- 24Brian Schwartz. โTrump-allied dark money group joins forces with a think tank run by ex-presidentโs former aides,โ CNBC, November 22, 2021. Archived December 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/9kHCe
- 25โAmerica First Action Outside Spending โ 2024,โ OpenSecrets, Accessed December 2, 2024. Archived December 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/niJ98
- 26โAmerica First Action,โ Ballotpedia, Accessed December 4, 2024. Archived December 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/CCaM5
- 27โThe American First Transition Project,โ American First Project Institute. Archived September 12, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/iDYIO
- 28โCongratulations Donald J. Trump,โ Facebook image from America First Policy Institute, November 6, 2024. Archived .png on file at DeSmog.
- 29โAmerica First Agenda Pillars,โ America First Agenda. Archived December 4, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 30โPILLAR X: Fight Government Corruption by Draining the Swamp: America First Agenda,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived December 4, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 31โProvide Clean Air, Clean Water, and a Clean Environment for All Americansโ (PDF), AFPI, December 7, 2022 (document creation date). Archived December 3, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 32โProvide Clean Air, Clean Water, and a Clean Environment for All Americansโ (PDF), AFPI, December 7, 2022 (document creation date). Archived December 3, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 33โPillar VII Make America Energy Independent: Lower The Price of Gas and Energy By Increasing Production of Americaโs Energy Supplies (PDF),โ America First Policy Institute, December 7, 2022 (document creation date). Archived June 30, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wip/K7p49
- 34โFiscal Year 2023 Budget Review: Missed Opportunity to Put America First (PDF),โ America First Policy Institute, June 13, 2022 (document creation date). Archived May 11, 2024. Archived URL: https://archive.ph/9p5eZ
- 35โPillar VII Make America Energy Independent: Create A Predictable, Transparent, and Efficient Permitting Process and Regulatory Environment (PDF),โ America First Policy Institute, December 7, 2022 (document creation date). Archived April 4, 2024. Archived URL: https://archive.ph/sJUDZ
- 36โPillar VII Make America Energy Independent: Create A Predictable, Transparent, and Efficient Permitting Process and Regulatory Environment (PDF),โ America First Policy Institute, December 7, 2022 (document creation date). Archived April 4, 2024. Archived URL: https://archive.ph/sJUDZ
- 37โProvide Clean Air, Clean Water, and a Clean Environment for All Americans (PDF),โ AFPI, December 7, 2022 (document creation date). Archived June 30, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 38โThe Need to Refocus International Efforts on Traditional Air Pollutantsโ (PDF), America First Policy Institute, March 15, 2022 (document creation date). Archived July 24, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 39โPillar VII: Make America Energy Independent,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived November 27, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/WxfzM
- 40โUnleashing American Energyโ (PDF), America First Policy Institute, March 10, 2022 (document creation date). Archived June 7, 2022. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 41โPillar VII: Make America Energy Independent,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived November 27, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/WxfzM
- 42โPillar VII: Make America Energy Independent: Become an Energy Superpower by Exporting Americaโs Energy Abundance,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived December 11, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/SikZz
- 43Beth Walker, Maria Pastukhova. โAn orderly and equitable global transition away from fossil fuels,โ E3G, October 14, 2024. Archived December 5, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/zUNOA
- 44โPillar VII Make America Energy Independent: Create A Predictable, Transparent, and Efficient Permitting Process and Regulatory Environment (PDF),โ America First Policy Institute, December 7, 2022 (document creation date). Archived April 4, 2024. Archived URL: https://archive.ph/sJUDZ
- 45โUnleashing American Energyโ (PDF), America First Policy Institute, March 10, 2022 (document creation date). Archived June 7, 2022. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 46โBecome an Energy Superpower by Exporting Americaโs Energy Abundanceโ (PDF), AFPI, December 7, 2022 (document creation date). Archived June 29, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 47โPillar VII: Make America Energy Independent: Become Energy Independent to End Americaโs Reliance on Foreign Sources of Oil and Gas,โ AFPI. Archived December 11, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/jhLlo
- 48Jon Greenberg. โDoes the US lead in cutting greenhouse gases? It depends on how you look at it,โ PolitiFact, April 6, 2022. Archived December 3, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/Bhgg1
- 49โBecome Energy Independent to End Americaโs Reliance on Foreign Sources of Oil and Gas,โ AFPI, Archived December 11, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/jhLlo
- 50โBecome Energy Independent to End Americaโs Reliance on Foreign Sources of Oil and Gas,โ AFPI, Archived December 11, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/jhLlo
- 51โCreate a Predictable, Transparent, and Efficient Permitting Process and Regulatory Environment (PDF)โ AFPI, December 7, 2022 (document creation date). Archived April 4, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 52โPillar VII: Make America Energy Independent: Become an Energy Superpower by Exporting Americaโs Energy Abundance,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived December 11, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/SikZz
- 53โPillar VII: Make America Energy Independent: Become an Energy Superpower by Exporting Americaโs Energy Abundance,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived December 11, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/SikZz
- 54โPillar VII: Make America Energy Independent: Become an Energy Superpower by Exporting Americaโs Energy Abundance,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived December 11, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/SikZz
- 55โCreate a Predictable, Transparent, and Efficient Permitting Process and Regulatory Environment (PDF)โ AFPI, December 7, 2022 (document creation date). Archived April 4, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 56โPillar VII: Make America Energy Independent: Become an Energy Superpower by Exporting Americaโs Energy Abundance,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived December 11, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/SikZz
- 57โProvide Clean Air, Clean Water, and a Clean Environment for All Americansโ (PDF), AFPI, December 7, 2022 (document creation date). Archived December 3, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 58Rylee Wilson. โMajor environmental groups opposed the new USMCA trade deal,โ PolitiFact, January 22, 2020. Archived December 11, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/E0lTX
- 59โPillar VII: Make America Energy Independent: Become an Energy Superpower by Exporting Americaโs Energy Abundance,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived December 11, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/SikZz
- 60โSolution: Cut the Bidenomics red tape and return to America First energy policies,โ Facebook image from America First Policy Institute, July 3, 2024. Archived .png on file at DeSmog.
- 61โMyth: U.S. natural gas is not clean,โ Facebook image from America First Policy Institute, May 10, 2024. Archived .png on file at DeSmog.
- 62โPillar VII: Make America Energy Independent: Become an Energy Superpower by Exporting Americaโs Energy Abundance,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived April 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wip/1WRly
- 63โAbout America First Policy Institute โ Team,โ American First Policy Institute. Archived November 18, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/8kOGf
- 64Hailey Fuchs and Meridith McGraw. โMeet the think tank planning a second Trump administration. (Itโs not Project 2025.),โ Politico, August 29, 2024. Archived August 30, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 65Guardian staff and agencies. โTrump picks former WWE executive Linda McMahon for education secretary,โ The Guardian, November 19, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/N39ri
- 66โLinda McMahon,โ SBA: U.S. Small Business Association. Archived December 2, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/7OjoY
- 67John Towfighi. โLinda McMahon, Trumpโs Education pick, was sued for allegedly enabling sexual abuse of children,โ CNN, November 21, 2024. Archived December 9, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/YPnZ8
- 68โThe Honorable Larry Kudlow,โ America First Policy Institute, December 3, 2024. Archived URL: https://archive.ph/fJsB2
- 69โAbout America First Policy Institute โ Team,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived December 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/opfe2โโ
- 70โAFW Leadership,โ America First Works, Accessed December 6, 2024. Archived December 6, 2024. Archived URL: https://archive.ph/9pqWW
- 71Patrick Svitek. โAs Trump Sputters, Texas Republicans Stand by Their Man,โ The Texas Tribune, August 19, 2016. Archived December 12, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/AJzKN
- 72Robin Levinson King. โNominee for agriculture secretary completes Trump cabinet,โ BBC, November 24, 2024. Archived December 2, 2024. Archived URL: https://archive.ph/TNopk
- 73โBROOKE L. ROLLINS, PRESIDENT AND CEO,โ Texas Public Policy Foundation. Archived January 5, 2017. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/3tLXb
- 74โTexas Public Policy Foundation,โ Conservative Transparency. August 21, 2018.
- 75โBoard of Directors,โ Texas Public Policy Foundation. Archived January 19, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 76โAt the Crossroads, Closing Lunch Keynote U.S. Senator & Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn,โ YouTube video uploaded by user โTexas Public Policy Foundation,โ November 24, 2015. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.
- 77โAshley Hayek,โ AFPI, Accessed December 3, 2024. Archived December 3, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/YZPlT
- 78โAmerica First Policy Institute and America First Works Highlight Disastrous Effect New IRS Enforcement will have on Low-Income Minority Families,โ America First Policy Institute, August 10, 2022. Archived December 6, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/7fq4u
- 79โAshley Hayek,โ American First Policy Institute, Accessed December 3, 2024. Archived December 3, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/YZPlT
- 80Ashley Hayek. โIf Climate Change Is Real, Why Donโt the Elites Act Like It?โโ,โ Townhall, October 5, 2023. Archived December 3, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/blwdu
- 81โAbout America First Policy Institute โ Chairs,โ AFPI, Accessed December 3, 2024. Archived December 3, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/9jnAr
- 82โAFW Leadership,โ America First Works, Accessed December 6, 2024. Archived December 6, 2024. Archived URL: https://archive.ph/9pqWW
- 83โThe Honorable Lee Zeldin,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived November 23, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/SAysZ
- 84Oliver Milman. โTrump picks ally Lee Zeldin as environmental chief and vows to roll back rules,โ The Guardian, Novewmber 11, 2024. Archived November 23, 2024. Archived URL: https://archive.ph/SAysZ
- 85Oliver Milman. โTrump picks ally Lee Zeldin as environmental chief and vows to roll back rules,โ The Guardian, November 11, 2024. Archived November 23, 2024. Archived URL: https://archive.ph/SAysZ
- 86Dana Drugmand. โWho Is Lee Zeldin?โ Sierra, November 18, 2024. Archived November 24, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wuiWK
- 87โAbout America First Policy Institute โ Chairs,โ America First Policy Institute, Accessed December 3, 2024. Archived December 3, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/9jnAr
- 88โAmbassador Carla Sands,โ America First Policy Institute, November 26, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/2Ey1w
- 89Scott Waldman. โShe says โkids are killing themselvesโ to stop climate change. Meet a potential Trump advisor,โ E&ENews by Politico, September 26, 2024. Archived September 26, 2024. Archived URL: https://archive.ph/piocq
- 90โAbout America First Policy Institute โ Team,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived November 28, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/aLTpn
- 91Darryl Fears. โSenate confirms former oil and gas lobbyist David Bernhardt as interior secretary,โ The Washington Post, April 11, 2019. Archived April 11, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/3OZDg
- 92โLobbyist Profile: Bernhardt, David L,โ OpenSecrets.org. Accessed December 17, 2018.
- 93โThe Honorable John Ratcliffe,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived November 22, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/V4bDn
- 94Rachel Leingang. โProject 2025: the Trump picks with ties to ultra-rightwing policy manifesto,โ The Guardian, November 26, 2024. Archived November 27, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/ymCcX
- 95โAmerica First Policy Institute and America First Works Highlight Disastrous Effect New IRS Enforcement will have on Low-Income Minority Families,โ America First Policy Institute, August 10, 2022. Archived December 6, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/7fq4u
- 96โAmerican First Inc: America First Policy Institute,โ ProPublica. Archived October 8, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wip/pPQdO
- 97โTim Dunn,โ Linkedin. Archived December 4, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 98โBoard of Directors,โ Texas Public Policy Foundation. Archived January 19, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 99Geoff Dembicki. โTrump Megadonor Tim Dunn Has a Plan More Extreme Than Project 2025,โ DeSmog, October 23, 2024. Archived December 9, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wip/eT8KQ
- 100โSteve Moore,โ AFPI, Accessed December 3, 2024. Archived December 3, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/OWTaK
- 101โDenier Stephen Moore says climate change is โclimate improvementโ and โthe truth is the 1930s was a warmer decade than the last decadeโ,โ ThinkProgress, June 20, 2009. Archived November 15, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/t3hNI
- 102โAbout America First Policy Institute โ Team,โ About American First Policy Institute. Archived November 20, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/aLTpn
- 103โOur Mission,โ American First Policy Institute.. Archived September 20, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wip/zeRHr
- 104โBiography: James R. (Rick) Perry,โ Energy Transfer. Archived September 5, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wip/2pZPr
- 105โOur Mission,โ American First Policy Institute.DeSmog. Archived September 20, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wip/zeRHr
- 106โAndrew Wheeler, former energy lobbyist, confirmed as nationโs top environmental official,โ The Washington Post, February 28, 2019. Archived February 28, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/xWYi6
- 107Robin Levinson King. โNominee for agriculture secretary completes Trump cabinet,โ BBC, November 24, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/TNopk
- 108Rachael Oatman. โMeat industry in favor of nominated ag secretary,โ Meat+Poultry, November 26, 2024. Archived December 11, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 109Kristen Holmes, Kaitlan Collins, and John Towfighi. โTrump names Linda McMahon as his pick for Education secretary,โ CNN, November 20, 2024. Archived December 9, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/hLS1c
- 110โCONGRATULATIONS, AFPI Chair of the Board Linda McMahon,โ Facebook image from America First Policy Institute, November 20, 2024. Archived .png on file at DeSmog.
- 111โAbout America First Policy Institute โ Chairs,โ AFPI, Accessed December 3, 2024. Archived December 3, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/9jnAr
- 112Oliver Milman. โTrump picks ally Lee Zeldin as environment Chief and vows to roll back rules,โ Guardian, November 11, 2024. Archived December 2, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/UFwWw
- 113Geoff Dembicki. โTrump Megadonor Tim Dunn Has a Plan More Extreme Than Project 2025,โ DeSmog, October 23, 2024.
- 114Gustaf Kilander. โMAGA pastor says climate activists are being controlled by โdemonsโ,โ Independent, July 14, 2022. Archived September 29, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/QiN0i
- 115Andy Kroll, ProPublica; Phoebe Petrovic, Wisconsin Watch; and Nick Surgey, Documented. โJD Vance Campaign Event With Christian Right Leaders May Have Violated Tax and Election Laws, Experts Say,โ ProPublica, October 18, 2024. Archived November 28, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/KRhUL
- 116Andy Kroll, ProPublica; Phoebe Petrovic, Wisconsin Watch; and Nick Surgey, Documented. โJD Vance Campaign Event With Christian Right Leaders May Have Violated Tax and Election Laws, Experts Say,โ ProPublica, October 18, 2024. Archived November 28, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/KRhUL
- 117Oliver McPherson-Smith. โThe Costs of Banning Fracking,โ AFPI, August 21, 2024. Archived December 13, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/iSd23
- 118Hailey Fuchs and Meridith McGraw. โMeet the think tank planning a second Trump administration. (Itโs not Project 2025.),โ Politico, August 29, 2024. Archived August 30, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 119โCalifornia Has Sacrificed its Energy Stability on the Altar of Green Energy ideology,โ American First Policy Institute, May 24, 2024. Archived September 17, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/mWmeb
- 120David Vasquez. โFact Sheet: Center for Energy & Environment: The $1.347 Trillion Green New Stealโ (PDF), American First Policy Institute, April 2, 2024. Archived April 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/RYESY
- 121Ambassador Carla Sands. โSEC shows dangerous commitment to ESG agenda,โ America First Policy Institute, January 16, 2024. Archived September 17, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/711sg
- 122Jennifer Yachnin. โInvest in nature? Might be possible with โnatural asset companiesโ,โ E&ENews by Politico, December 11, 2023. Archived September 12, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/11fwg
- 123Carla Sands. โSEC shows dangerous commitment to ESG agenda,โ The Washington Times, January 16, 2024. Archived April 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/jIJe
- 124โMessaging & Data Lab: The War on American Energyโ (PDF), America First Policy Institute, August 22, 2023. Archived February 24, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/ZtLcN
- 125โMessaging & Data Lab: The War on American Energyโ (PDF), America First Policy Institute, August 22, 2023. Archived February 24, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/ZtLcN
- 126โMessaging & Data Lab: The War on American Energyโ (PDF), America First Policy Institute, August 22, 2023. Archived February 24, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/ZtLcN
- 127โMessaging & Data Lab: The War on American Energyโ (PDF), America First Policy Institute, August 22, 2023. Archived February 24, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/ZtLcN
- 128โMessaging & Data Lab: The War on American Energyโ (PDF), America First Policy Institute, August 22, 2023. Archived February 24, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/ZtLcN
- 129โFighting Climate Extremism & Keeping the Lights On,โ YouTube video uploaded by user Carla Sands on May 30, 2023. Archived December 9, 2024. Archived .mp4 available at DeSmog.
- 130Geoff Dembicki. โTrump EPA Pick Lee Zeldin Backed by Texas Fracking Billionaire Tim Dunn,โ DeSmog, November 13, 2024. Archived November 19, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/w57G9
- 131โFiscal Year 2023 Budget Review: Missed Opportunity To Put America Firstโ (PDF), America First Policy Institute. Archived May 11, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/9p5eZ
- 132โAmerica First Works,โ The Centre for Media and Democracy, Accessed December 4, 2024. Archived December 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/G8Jiy
- 133โALEC Corporations,โ SourceWatch. Archive.is URL:https://archive.is/1UBUs
- 134โPresident Donald J. Trump to Headline the America First Agenda Summit,โ America First Policy, July 14, 2022. Archived January 10, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wH6dv
- 135
- 136โMake America Energy Independent Roundtable,โ YouTube video uploaded by user America First Policy Institute on July 25, 2022. Archived December 9, 2024. Archived .mp4 available at DeSmog.
- 137โAbout America First Policy Institute โ Team,โ About American First Policy Institute. Archived November 20, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/aLTpn
- 138โMake America Energy Independent Roundtable,โ YouTube video uploaded by user America First Policy Institute on July 25, 2022. Archived December 9, 2024. Archived .mp4 available at DeSmog.
- 139โThe Oil and Gas Industry in Net Zero Transitions,โ International Energy Agency, World Energy Outlook Special Report, Revised version December 2023 and February 2024. Archived November 18, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/ve5Rt
- 140โMake America Energy Independent Roundtable,โ YouTube video uploaded by user America First Policy Institute on July 25, 2022. Archived December 9, 2024. Archived .mp4 available at DeSmog.
- 141โSave America (and American Energy), Kill the Billโ (PDF), America First Policy Institute and the Texas Public Policy Foundationโs Life:Powered initiative. Archived October 21, 2022. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 142โSave America (and American Energy), Kill the Billโ (PDF), America First Policy Institute and the Texas Public Policy Foundationโs Life:Powered initiative. Archived October 21, 2022. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 143โAbout America First Policy Institute,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived November 29, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/9xOtg
- 144โCenter for American Freedom,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived December 16, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/xEmNq
- 145โMessaging and Data Lab: Quick Resources,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived September 17, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wip/K62Nt
- 146โAbout America First Policy Institute: State Chapters,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived November 27, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wip/0qtqq
- 147โAmerica First Pennsylvania: Quick Resources,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived December 5, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/zfKcc
- 148โWeaponization of Government: Quick Resources,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived September 17, 2024. Archived URL: https://archive.ph/wip/c7JcR
- 149โAbout America First Policy Institute: Initiatives,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived December 3, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/EYRre
- 150America First Works Homepage. Archived December 4, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 151โAmerica First Policy Institute and America First Works Highlight Disastrous Effect New IRS Enforcement will have on Low-Income Minority Families,โ America First Policy Institute, August 10, 2022. Archived December 6, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/7fq4u
- 152Brian Schwartz. โTrump-allied dark money group joins forces with a think tank run by ex-presidentโs former aides,โ CNBC, November 22, 2021. Archived December 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/9kHCe
- 153โAbout America First Policy Institute โ Team,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived December 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/opfe2
- 154AFW Leadership,โ America First Works, Accessed December 6, 2024. Archived December 6, 2024. Archived URL: https://archive.ph/9pqWW
- 155โAmerica First Works,โ Monitoring Influence, Accessed December 4, 2024. Archived December 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/68Fgj
- 156Ki P. Hong Charles M. Ricciardelli Matthew Bobys Melissa L. Miles Tyler Rosen Karina Bakhshi-Azar Theodore R. Grodek Olivia N. Marshall Sam Rothbloom. โComplying With the Rules of Governing 501(c)(4) Organizations: Key Issues,โ Skadden, March 20, 2023. Archived September 14, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/M1aTK
- 157Andrew Perez. โSouthern Co., CVS, Dow Chemical Funding Trump Dark Money Group Tied to Racist, Anti-Semitic Views,โ MapLight News Archive, May 31, 2018. Archived November 11, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/eCUon
- 158Carrie Levine. โPro-Trump nonprofit gives millions to groups boosting his agenda,โ Center for Public Integrity, November 20, 2021. Archived July 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wip/gzBFR
- 159โAmerica First Works,โ The Center for Media and Democracy: State Financial Officers Foundation Exposed project, Accessed December 4, 2024. Archived December 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/G8Jiy
- 160โAmerica First Works,โ The Center for Media and Democracy: State Financial Officers Foundation Exposed project, Accessed December 4, 2024. Archived December 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/G8Jiy
- 161โAmerica First Action Outside Spending โ 2024,โ OpenSecrets, Accessed December 2, 2024. Archived December 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/niJ98
- 162โAmerica First Action,โ Ballotpedia, Accessed December 4, 2024. Archived December 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/CCaM5
- 163โAmerica First Action,โ Ballotpedia, Accessed December 4, 2024. Archived December 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/CCaM5
- 164โAmerica First Action,โ Ballotpedia, Accessed December 4, 2024. Archived December 4, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/CCaM5
- 165โWhat is a PAC,โ OpenSecrets, Accessed December 4, 2024. Archived December 2, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/vyJQo
- 166โPAC Profile: America First Action,โ OpenSecrets, Accessed December 10, 2024. Archived November 26, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/ueU9p
- 167โUnleashing American Energy,โ America First Policy Institute, and the Texas Public Policy Foundationโs Life:Powered initiative. Archived June 7, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/UhYf9
- 168โSave America (and American Energy), Kill the Bill,โ America First Policy Institute and the Texas Public Policy Foundationโs Life:Powered initiative. Archived October 21, 2022. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 169โAmerica First Policy Institute and America First Works Highlight Disastrous Effect New IRS Enforcement will have on Low-Income Minority Families,โ America First Policy Institute, August 10, 2022. Archived December 6, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/7fq4u
- 170โBoard of Directors,โ Texas Public Policy Foundation. Archived January 19, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 171โAbout America First Policy Institute โ Team,โ About American First Policy Institute. Archived November 20, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/aLTpn
- 172โBoard of Directors,โ Texas Public Policy Foundation. Archived January 19, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 173Andy Kroll, ProPublica; Phoebe Petrovic, Wisconsin Watch; and Nick Surgey, Documented. โJD Vance Campaign Event With Christian Right Leaders May Have Violated Tax and Election Laws, Experts Say,โ ProPublica, October 18, 2024. Archived November 28, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/KRhUL
- 174โRe: RIN 1235-AA39, Proposed Rule, Defining and Delimiting the Exemptions for Executive, Administrative, Professional, Outside Sales, and Computer Employees, 88 FR 62125 (September 8, 2023),โ America First Policy Institute, November 7, 2023. Archived November 16, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/PasCE
- 175โCommunication Team Contact Page,โ America First Policy Institute. Archived November 23, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/xKDAV