Foundations
Here's a look at documents from U.S. foundations
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Students forced to remove 'Let's Go Brandon' sweatshirts seek Supreme Court review
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, March 26 -- The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression posted the following news release:
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Students forced to remove 'Let's Go Brandon' sweatshirts seek Supreme Court review
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At issue: Can schools ban sanitized political expression just because someone considers it profane?
SAND LAKE, Mich., March 26, 2026 - A pair of students who were forced to remove sweatshirts emblazoned with the anti-Biden slogan "Let's Go Brandon" are appealing their case to the Supreme Court in a test of free speech rights in public schools.
The Michigan students, who are
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PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, March 26 -- The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression posted the following news release:
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Students forced to remove 'Let's Go Brandon' sweatshirts seek Supreme Court review
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At issue: Can schools ban sanitized political expression just because someone considers it profane?
SAND LAKE, Mich., March 26, 2026 - A pair of students who were forced to remove sweatshirts emblazoned with the anti-Biden slogan "Let's Go Brandon" are appealing their case to the Supreme Court in a test of free speech rights in public schools.
The Michigan students, who arerepresented by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, are claiming that their school district violated their First Amendment rights.
"Our argument is simple: Students have the right to express their political views in school," said FIRE Supervising Senior Attorney Conor Fitzpatrick. "School administrators should encourage students to share their beliefs as engaged citizens, not censor them the moment someone finds their message offensive."
In February 2022, two Tri County Middle School students wore sweatshirts to school with the phrase "Let's Go Brandon," a political slogan critical of then-President Joe Biden with origins in a profane chant. Even though the political slogan is widely used -multiple members of Congress used it during floor speeches -an assistant principal and a teacher ordered the boys to remove the sweatshirts.
The school district relied on a policy that prohibits "profane" clothing -but the sweatshirts intentionally avoided using profane language, and asking the students to remove them was a violation of their First Amendment rights.
The Supreme Court has already made it clear that high school students have First Amendment rights. The students' challenge evokes the 1969 Supreme Court decision in Tinker v. Des Moines, in which the Court affirmed public school students' First Amendment right to wear black armbands in school to protest the Vietnam War. The Court stressed that students disagreeing with each other is not only "an inevitable part of the process of attending school; it is also an important part of the educational process."
After FIRE's lawsuit, the district court and a divided (2-1) federal appeals court held that the phrase "Let's Go Brandon" was close enough to profanity that the school could ban it. But, as FIRE's petition to the Court explains, saying "Let's Go Brandon" is no different than using words "heck" or "shoot" in place of swear words. The lower courts' rulings leave the Supreme Court as the students' only recourse.
FIRE's petition explains that allowing individual teachers and administrators to decide what is "vulgar" is unworkable: "A political shirt could have First Amendment protection in second-period algebra but not third-period biology." And permitting each teacher to create and enforce their own test for "vulgarity" is a recipe for viewpoint discrimination.
"The school district's censorship assumes that students cannot handle seeing even sanitized expressions," said Fitzpatrick. "But America's next generation is not so fragile, and the First Amendment is not so brittle."
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to defending and sustaining the individual rights of all Americans to free speech and free thought -the most essential qualities of liberty. FIRE educates Americans about the importance of these inalienable rights, promotes a culture of respect for these rights, and provides the means to preserve them.
CONTACT
Katie Stalcup, Communications Campaign Manager, FIRE: 215-717-3473; media@thefire.org
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Original text here: https://www.thefire.org/news/students-forced-remove-lets-go-brandon-sweatshirts-seek-supreme-court-review
Prosperity Now Receives $1 million Wells Fargo Foundation Grant to Support VITA Organizations Nationwide
WASHINGTON, March 26 [Category: Economics] -- Prosperity Now (formerly the Corporation for Enterprise Development) posted the following news release:
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Prosperity Now Receives $1 million Wells Fargo Foundation Grant to Support VITA Organizations Nationwide
As millions of families and workers continue to face financial pressure and rising costs, Prosperity Now announced that it has received a $1 million dollar Wells Fargo Foundation grant to support IRS-certified Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) organizations nationwide. This grant expands access to trusted, no-cost tax return preparation
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WASHINGTON, March 26 [Category: Economics] -- Prosperity Now (formerly the Corporation for Enterprise Development) posted the following news release:
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Prosperity Now Receives $1 million Wells Fargo Foundation Grant to Support VITA Organizations Nationwide
As millions of families and workers continue to face financial pressure and rising costs, Prosperity Now announced that it has received a $1 million dollar Wells Fargo Foundation grant to support IRS-certified Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) organizations nationwide. This grant expands access to trusted, no-cost tax return preparationservices and helps more workers and families claim the refunds and credits they have earned.
The philanthropic investment will strengthen community-based VITA organizations and expand Prosperity Now's efforts to provide grants, training, and technical assistance to providers across the country. These programs ensure eligible individuals can prepare accurate tax returns and claim refundable credits for which they qualify, including the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC).
Each year, millions of eligible individuals do not claim valuable tax credits. In 2025, approximately 24 million workers and families benefited from the EITC, receiving nearly $70 billion in total credits, with an average refund of $2,894. For many households, a tax refund represents one of the largest single payments they receive all year, helping cover essential expenses such as housing, groceries, childcare, utilities, and education.
"At a time when families continue to navigate rising costs, access to trusted, no-cost tax return preparation is more important than ever," said Marisa Calderon, President and CEO of Prosperity Now. "We are deeply grateful to the Wells Fargo Foundation for this philanthropic investment, which will allow us to expand support for VITA organizations and help more families access the full refunds and credits they've earned."
Professional tax preparation services can be costly, with average fees for a basic return often exceeding $200. For households managing tight budgets, those fees can create additional strain. VITA programs help remove that barrier by offering trusted, no-cost tax return preparation services in community settings.
"At Wells Fargo, we believe that financial health is the foundation for opportunity," said Bonnie Wallace, Head of Financial Opportunity Philanthropy for Wells Fargo. "That belief is what connects us so strongly to Prosperity Now's vision: ensuring every individual and family has access to the tools they need to build stability and long-term prosperity. Our commitment to help strengthen VITA sites nationwide will expand access for families and connect tax time with broader financial opportunities.
Prosperity Now works with hundreds of VITA organizations across the country through its Tax Opportunity Network, the nation's leading professional network for practitioners and organizations providing tax preparation services. Through this investment, Prosperity Now will provide grants as well as year-round training, technical assistance, and peer learning opportunities to help VITA providers strengthen service delivery and expand access to tax assistance in their communities.
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Original text here: https://www.prosperitynow.org/news-and-insights/prosperity-now-receives-1-million-wells-fargo-foundation-grant-to-support-vita-organizations-nationwide
OMRF scientist receives American Heart Association grant
OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, March 26 -- The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation posted the following news:
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OMRF scientist receives American Heart Association grant
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A three-year grant from the American Heart Association will fund an Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation scientist's study of an autoimmune disease that sometimes results in organ failure.
Charmain Johnson, Ph.D., received the American Heart Association's Career Development Award, which comes with a $240,000 research grant.
Johnson will study the role of a protein called RIPK3 in systemic sclerosis, a disease that affects
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OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, March 26 -- The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation posted the following news:
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OMRF scientist receives American Heart Association grant
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A three-year grant from the American Heart Association will fund an Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation scientist's study of an autoimmune disease that sometimes results in organ failure.
Charmain Johnson, Ph.D., received the American Heart Association's Career Development Award, which comes with a $240,000 research grant.
Johnson will study the role of a protein called RIPK3 in systemic sclerosis, a disease that affectsabout 300,000 Americans.
In systemic sclerosis, white blood cells mistakenly attack the body, causing chronic inflammation, vascular damage and progressive tissue scarring in skin and other organs.
Johnson will investigate whether excessive production of RIPK3 causes blood vessels to become leaky, creating a pathway for white blood cells to escape and contribute to tissue scarring. She hopes to show that the protein's absence leads to fewer white blood cells traveling to the lungs.
"My study focuses on the lung, as it is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in systemic sclerosis and currently lacks effective treatment," Johnson said. "I expect to find that without RIPK3 in the blood vessels, we can slow disease progression."
The findings ultimately could lead to a treatment aimed at preventing interstitial lung disease, a primary cause of death associated with systemic sclerosis.
Johnson is a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of OMRF's vice president of research, Courtney Griffin, Ph.D., who called Johnson's research "extremely promising."
Separately, the American Heart Association recently awarded a two-year, $70,000 grant to Irma Gryniuk, a graduate student at OMRF who will investigate two eye diseases marked by the abnormal growth of retinal blood vessels.
Griffin, who received grants from the American Heart Association as a graduate student and a postdoctoral researcher, understands the role they can play in launching a researcher's career.
"An AHA award keeps young scientists invested and committed to cardiovascular biology because it makes them feel like they're part of the research community," Griffin said. "The awards I received as a trainee helped keep me in the field for 30 years."
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Original text here: https://omrf.org/omrf-scientist-receives-american-heart-association-grant-2/
New Scorecard Finds Major Food Companies Backsliding on Pesticide Commitments as Federal Protections Erode
OAKLAND, California, March 26 -- As You Sow Foundation posted the following news release:
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New Scorecard Finds Major Food Companies Backsliding on Pesticide Commitments as Federal Protections Erode
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Updated Pesticides in the Pantry scorecard reveals industry regression; company average scores fall to a low of 2.5 out of 27 points as regulatory shifts accelerate
MEDIA CONTACT: Ryon Harms, rharms@asyousow.org, (310) 730-9407
EL CERRITO, CALIFORNIA - March 26, 2026 - As You Sow, the nation's leading shareholder representative, today released its updated Pesticides in the Pantry scorecard,
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OAKLAND, California, March 26 -- As You Sow Foundation posted the following news release:
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New Scorecard Finds Major Food Companies Backsliding on Pesticide Commitments as Federal Protections Erode
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Updated Pesticides in the Pantry scorecard reveals industry regression; company average scores fall to a low of 2.5 out of 27 points as regulatory shifts accelerate
MEDIA CONTACT: Ryon Harms, rharms@asyousow.org, (310) 730-9407
EL CERRITO, CALIFORNIA - March 26, 2026 - As You Sow, the nation's leading shareholder representative, today released its updated Pesticides in the Pantry scorecard,revealing that major food manufacturers have regressed on pesticide reduction practices and disclosure. The updated scorecard finds that the industry average score has fallen to just 2.5 out of 27 points-a failing grade-with several former leaders eliminating commitments they previously touted.
The findings come at a critical moment for pesticide policy. Last month, President Trump signed an executive order invoking the Defense Production Act to designate glyphosate-based herbicides as essential to national security, potentially shielding manufacturers from liability. The order drew criticism from supporters of the Make America Healthy Again movement, who have long advocated for reducing pesticide exposure-highlighting divisions over pesticide policy even within the administration's coalition. Meanwhile, the proposed 2026 Farm Bill includes provisions that would prohibit states from mandating health warnings on pesticides that differ from EPA-approved labels, and the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Monsanto v. Durnell on April 27, a case that could determine whether federal law bars state failure-to-warn lawsuits brought by more than 100,000 plaintiffs who allege glyphosate caused their cancer.
The updated scorecard assessed 17 major food companies across nine key performance indicators related to pesticide transparency, risk reduction, and farmworker protection. General Mills, which led the scorecard in 2023 received a score of 0 points this year, after removing its pesticide-related disclosures. ADM and Conagra, which also earned some of the highest scores in 2023, similarly backslid. Only four companies improved their scores: Del Monte, Post Holdings, Lamb Weston, and Nestle. Of particular note, zero companies across the industry have adopted farmworker protection policies or standards for high-concern pesticides like neonicotinoids-a class of systemic, neurotoxic insecticides linked to massive pollinator die-offs and associated with potential developmental, neurological, and reproductive harms in humans.
"At a time when federal regulators are weakening oversight and shielding chemical manufacturers from accountability, corporate transparency on pesticide use has never been more important," said Cailin Dendas, Environmental Health Coordinator at As You Sow. "Instead, we're seeing companies move backward-eliminating commitments and reducing disclosure. This backsliding not only puts consumers, farmworkers, and ecosystems at risk, but increases supply chain and farm level risk, and decreases accountability to shareholders."
The full Pesticides in the Pantry scorecard, including company-by-company rankings and detailed methodology, is available here.
As You Sow is the nation's leading shareholder representative, with a 30+ year track record promoting environmental and social corporate responsibility. As You Sow addresses a range of issues that affect shareholder value including climate change, ocean plastics, toxins in the food system, biodiversity, racial justice, and workplace diversity. See As You Sow's shareholder resolution tracker.
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Original text here: https://www.asyousow.org/press-releases/2026/3/25/new-scorecard-finds-major-food-companies-backsliding-on-pesticide-commitments-as-federal-protections-erodenbsp
Jury Verdicts Against Meta Validate Longstanding Investor Concerns on Child Safety, Trafficking, and Platform Harm
OAKLAND, California, March 26 -- As You Sow Foundation posted the following news release:
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Jury Verdicts Against Meta Validate Longstanding Investor Concerns on Child Safety, Trafficking, and Platform Harm
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MEDIA CONTACT: Ryon Harms, rharms@asyousow.org, (310) 730-9407
EL CERRITO, CA -March 26, 2026 - Two landmark jury verdicts this week against Meta Platforms, Inc. have confirmed what shareholder advocates and impacted users have warned for nearly a decade: the company's failure to address harmful content and platform design risks has created profound legal, financial, and societal
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OAKLAND, California, March 26 -- As You Sow Foundation posted the following news release:
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Jury Verdicts Against Meta Validate Longstanding Investor Concerns on Child Safety, Trafficking, and Platform Harm
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MEDIA CONTACT: Ryon Harms, rharms@asyousow.org, (310) 730-9407
EL CERRITO, CA -March 26, 2026 - Two landmark jury verdicts this week against Meta Platforms, Inc. have confirmed what shareholder advocates and impacted users have warned for nearly a decade: the company's failure to address harmful content and platform design risks has created profound legal, financial, and societalconsequences.
This week, a jury in New Mexico found that Meta's platforms facilitated the grooming and harm of minors, while a separate jury in Los Angeles determined that Meta's products are addictive and have caused widespread harm to children and adolescents. These decisions underscore escalating litigation risk and raise urgent questions about corporate governance, fiduciary oversight, and long-term shareholder value.
For the past decade, shareholders have repeatedly raised concerns about these exact risks through direct engagement and formal proposals filed on the company's annual proxy. Advocacy organizations including Proxy Impact, As You Sow, many faith-based investors, and pension funds have filed shareholder resolutions addressing hate speech, child exploitation, sex trafficking, harmful algorithms, and disinformation across Meta's platforms.
Notably, In support of its shareholder resolution, Proxy Impact brought forward testimony at a Meta annual general meeting from a survivor of sex trafficking that was facilitated through Facebook where she met a man who kept her imprisoned and prostituted her. This directly illustrates the real-world harms tied to platform failures. Despite these warnings, Meta leadership consistently resisted the meaningful reforms flagged by high shareholder votes seeking changes to address these harms.
"Shareholders identified these risks years ago-not as abstract concerns, but as material threats to users, society, and the company," said Michael Passoff, CEO of Proxy Impact. "This week's verdicts make clear that ignoring those warnings has now translated into legal and financial liability."
Meta has long relied on Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act to argue that it bears no responsibility for user-generated content. However, internal evidence and external reporting have shown that the company chose to not fully implement known technical solutions to detect, remove, and prevent harmful content-and to ban repeat offenders as well as end end-to-end encryption designed to protect these perpetrators.
Critics argue that the company's failure to act reflects governance choices, not technological limitations. The fact that CEO Mark Zuckerberg has a 10:1 voting preference and therefore virtually no oversight puts the blame squarely on his shoulders. The trials showed that Zuckerberg prioritized platform growth and user engagement over enforcement, even in cases involving child exploitation.
The shareholder record demonstrates a consistent pattern of concern, with multiple votes earning between 40% and 60% of independent shareholder votes representing hundreds of billions in value:
\- A 2024 proposal requested targets including quantitative metrics appropriate to assessing whether Meta has improved its performance globally regarding child safety impacts and actual harm reduction to children on its platform.
\- A 2018 proposal on content governance risks warned of Meta's systemic failures in monitoring and enforcement.
\- A 2021 proposal called for a report on risks tied to content governance failures that exposed Meta to litigation and regulatory action.
\- Ongoing proposals have addressed harms related to children, hate speech, and disinformation.
Despite these efforts, Meta's dual-class share structure has muted the impact of independent shareholder voices. With a 10:1 voting advantage, Zuckerberg retains effective control over corporate decisions with no oversight from his own board or his investors.
"This is exactly what happens when corporations have no real shareholder oversight," said Andrew Behar, As You Sow's CEO. "One person, due to a stock-class preference, decided that it was okay to harm children and a generation has suffered. This is going to be like tobacco and opioids combined even though shareholders warned of this risk for a decade. And right now, the SEC is attempting to dismantle shareholder power so more CEOs have no oversight."
In 2022, a proposal filed by As You Sow received 63% support from independent shareholders, yet only received 19% official shareholder support due to the preference-weighted voting structure. This disparity highlights systemic governance concerns and raises broader questions about whether current proxy voting frameworks accurately reflect investor sentiment.
"These votes are not fringe-they represent a majority of independent capital," Behar added. "When governance structures obscure that reality, they distort accountability."
The recent verdicts may mark an inflection point. Juries made up of regular citizens have called Meta to account for its putting profits over safety. As litigation risk materializes and regulatory scrutiny intensifies, investors are increasingly likely to reassess exposure to companies with unresolved governance and oversight failures.
"Shareholder proposals function as an early warning system," Passoff concluded. "In Meta's case, that alarm was sounding for years. The cost of ignoring it is now clear."
As You Sow is the nation's leading shareholder representative, with a 30+ year track record promoting environmental and social corporate responsibility. As You Sow addresses a range of issues that affect shareholder value including climate change, ocean plastics, toxins in the food system, biodiversity, racial justice, and workplace diversity. See As You Sow 's shareholder resolution tracker.
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Original text here: https://www.asyousow.org/press-releases/2026/3/26/nbspjury-verdicts-against-meta-validate-longstanding-investor-concerns-on-child-safety-trafficking-and-platform-harm
Georgia Public Policy Foundation Issues Commentary: Major Education Bills Advance in Georgia Legislature as Session Nears End
ATLANTA, Georgia, March 26 -- The Georgia Public Policy Foundation posted the following commentary by policy analyst J. Thomas Perdue:
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Major Education Bills Advance in Georgia Legislature as Session Nears End
This year's Georgia legislative session is about to enter its final week, and as in every year, education policy has been a key issue.
The legislature continues to debate school choice and scholarship policy, building on the creation of the Promise Scholarship in 2024, and refining that program figures to be an annual endeavor for years to come. While much of this session's education
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ATLANTA, Georgia, March 26 -- The Georgia Public Policy Foundation posted the following commentary by policy analyst J. Thomas Perdue:
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Major Education Bills Advance in Georgia Legislature as Session Nears End
This year's Georgia legislative session is about to enter its final week, and as in every year, education policy has been a key issue.
The legislature continues to debate school choice and scholarship policy, building on the creation of the Promise Scholarship in 2024, and refining that program figures to be an annual endeavor for years to come. While much of this session's educationagenda should be ideologically familiar, it was also broad, with other efforts including improving literacy, bolstering charter schools and adjusting curriculum.
This year's changes to the Promise Scholarship involved a cleanup bill: Senate Bill 445. It was sponsored by Sen. Greg Dolezal (R-Cumming), who also sponsored the Promise Scholarship Act. The bill excludes public schools with statewide attendance zones (such as virtual schools) and certain charter schools from the list of public schools the Office of Student Achievement publishes each year for Promise Scholarship purposes. This matters because the Promise Scholarship program depends on which public schools count toward eligibility; a definitional problem like this can affect who is considered eligible.
SB 445 passed the Senate on March 6, and is currently in the House Education Committee.
Lawmakers are aiming for more equitable funding with the establishment of the Georgia Charter School Facilities Authority as a way to address one of charter schools' most persistent practical disadvantages: paying for buildings in which to operate. Charter schools are public schools, but they often lack the same access to local capital funding that traditional district schools do.
Senate Bill 498, sponsored by Sen. Clint Dixon (R-Gwinnett), would create a new financing vehicle designed to help charter schools obtain revolving loan funds and other public financing assistance for construction, renovation and repair projects. It also authorizes the Georgia State Financing and Investment Commission to issue general obligation bonds for charter-school facilities, which is a sign that lawmakers are trying to treat facilities access as a structural barrier rather than a one-off budget problem.
SB 498 passed the Senate on March 6 and passed the House Appropriations Committee on March 24.
Another school choice issue is Georgia's effort to expand and refine its student scholarship organization (SSO) program. Sponsored by Rep. Kasey Carpenter (R-Dalton), House Bill 328 would raise the annual aggregate cap on available tax credits for contributions to SSOs from $120 million to $225 million. House Bill 1220, sponsored by Rep. Bethany Ballard (R-Warner Robins), would broaden eligibility for certain students, including military families and students with disabilities. Together, the bills reflect an effort to make the program both larger and more accessible. HB 328 passed the House on March 6, and HB 1220 passed on March 4.
Lawmakers have also spent part of the session preparing Georgia to participate in a new federal scholarship tax-credit program set to begin in 2027. Under that program, individuals could receive a federal income tax credit of up to $1,700 for donations to approved scholarship-granting organizations, but only if a state opts in and designates eligible organizations. Georgia has already been listed by the IRS as a participating state for 2027, and Senate Bill 446 (also sponsored by Sen. Clint Dixon and carried by Rep. Scott Hilton) would codify and administer that participation. In practical terms, the measure would not replace Georgia's existing SSO program so much as add a new federal incentive on top of it, potentially expanding the role scholarship organizations play in the state's broader school-choice landscape.
While many of these bills are related to larger efforts to expand access to education, there's plenty going on within the classroom as well. Georgia lawmakers have begun to focus more heavily on literacy, especially in the early grades. Part of this push includes the Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026, designated House Bill 1193.
This effort, introduced by Rep. Chris Erwin (R-Homer), includes expanded use of literacy coaches, stronger state direction around early reading instruction and early identification of children struggling to read. In some respects, HB 1193 resembles the kind of state-led literacy strategy seen in other states that have improved their early literacy metrics, such as Mississippi's emphasis on literacy coaches and phonics-based language instruction. HB 1193 passed the House on February 24, and it had a hearing in the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Tuesday.
That isn't the only classroom-related bill. Lawmakers are also looking to expand last year's "Distraction-Free Education Act," which banned students' use of cell phones in class in K-8, into high school. This is House Bill 1009, sponsored by Rep. Scott Hilton (R-Peachtree Corners), and it was passed by the Senate March 23. Another classroom bill is Sen. Jason T. Dickerson's (R-Canton) Senate Bill 513, the "Every Day Counts Act." This would tighten Georgia's response to chronic absenteeism by defining when repeated unexcused absences trigger formal intervention plans and by attaching stronger consequences for students who continue to miss school.
Whether it be expanding access and choice for Georgia students or improving outcomes in the classroom, each legislative session brings challenges both new and familiar. As we approach the end of the session, we are gaining a clearer view of lawmakers' priorities and the future of education in the state.
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Original text here: https://www.georgiapolicy.org/news/major-education-bills-advance-in-georgia-legislature-as-session-nears-end/
Fiscal Confidence Falls to 21-Month Low, as National Debt Soars Past $39 Trillion
NEW YORK, March 26 -- The Peter G. Peterson Foundation posted the following news release:
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Fiscal Confidence Falls to 21-Month Low, as National Debt Soars Past $39 Trillion
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Last week, the national debt surpassed $39 trillion for the first time, and Americans' fiscal confidence dropped to its lowest level in nearly two years. The Peter G. Peterson Foundation's U.S. Fiscal Confidence Index fell to 43 in March (100 is neutral), the lowest level since June 2024, indicating that voters across party lines have deep concerns about the rapid increase in debt, and are calling for their leaders
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, March 26 -- The Peter G. Peterson Foundation posted the following news release:
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Fiscal Confidence Falls to 21-Month Low, as National Debt Soars Past $39 Trillion
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Last week, the national debt surpassed $39 trillion for the first time, and Americans' fiscal confidence dropped to its lowest level in nearly two years. The Peter G. Peterson Foundation's U.S. Fiscal Confidence Index fell to 43 in March (100 is neutral), the lowest level since June 2024, indicating that voters across party lines have deep concerns about the rapid increase in debt, and are calling for their leadersto take action. Additionally, Americans make a strong connection between rising debt and their personal cost of living and economic outlook.
The new national survey, jointly conducted by Democratic firm Global Strategy Group and Republican firm North Star Opinion Research, finds:
* 90% of voters (including 94% of Democrats, 92% of independents and 86% of Republicans) are concerned that the national debt's effect on inflation is increasing the cost of living, including prices for groceries, energy, housing, transportation, and other goods and services. Democrats remain the most intensely concerned (63% very concerned), while intensity grew sharply among independents (56% very concerned, up eight points) and Republicans (45% very concerned, up nine points).
* Looking ahead to this year's elections, 83% of voters (including 85% of Democrats, 77% of independents and 85% of Republicans) say having a plan to address the debt is a deciding factor in supporting a candidate.
* In addition, 74% of voters (including 68% of Democrats, 81% of independents and 74% of Republicans) say they would consider supporting a candidate from a political party they do not usually support, if that candidate had a clear plan to address the debt.
* 95% of voters say candidates this year should clearly explain their plan to prevent an automatic 23% annual cut to Social Security benefits -if Congress does nothing to address Social Security's deteriorating finances, these automatic cuts will occur in 2032, during the term of U.S. Senators elected this November.
* More than 7 in 10 voters want to hear more than they have heard over the past month about how candidates will tackle the debt and its impact on the cost of living.
"The national debt surpassing $39 trillion is a clear warning that it's time for a fiscal course correction," said Michael A. Peterson, CEO of the Peterson Foundation. "Today's new survey shows that voters are concerned about how the national debt is increasing their own cost of living, and their worries are growing. In this year's election, voters are ready to support leaders who advance solutions to our debt, because they understand it's critical for their own economic outlook."
March's U.S. Fiscal Confidence Index shows widespread agreement that addressing the debt should be a top-three priority for the president and Congress (82% agree/13% disagree), including agreement among 81% of Democrats, 76% of independents and 87% of Republicans. Intensity of agreement is also rising, with a majority of voters now strongly agreeing that the national debt should be a top priority (56%, up from 52% in February).
The Fiscal Confidence Index measures public opinion about the national debt by asking six questions in three key areas:
* CONCERN: Level of concern and views about the direction of the national debt.
* PRIORITY: How high a priority addressing the debt should be for elected leaders.
* EXPECTATIONS: Expectations about whether the debt situation will get better or worse in the next few years.
The survey results from these three areas are weighted equally and averaged to produce the Fiscal Confidence Index value. The Fiscal Confidence Index, like the Consumer Confidence Index, is indexed on a scale of 0 to 200, with a neutral midpoint of 100. A reading above 100 indicates positive sentiment. A reading below 100 indicates negative sentiment.
Fiscal Confidence Index Key Data Points:
* The March Fiscal Confidence Index value is 43\. (The February value was 48. The January value was 50.)
* The current Fiscal Confidence Index score for CONCERN about the debt is 39, indicating deep concern about the debt. The score for debt as a PRIORITY that leaders must address is 20, indicating that Americans want elected leaders to make addressing long-term debt a high priority. The score for EXPECTATIONS about progress on the debt is 69. The Fiscal Confidence Index is the average of these three sub-category scores.
The Peter G. Peterson Foundation commissioned this poll by Democratic firm Global Strategy Group and Republican firm North Star Opinion Research. The online poll surveyed 1,000 registered voters nationwide between March 16 and March 18, 2026. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.1%.
Detailed results can be found online at www.pgpf.org/FiscalConfidenceIndex.
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Original text here: https://www.pgpf.org/press/2026-3-fci-press-release/
