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Rand Issues Commentary Entitled '9/11's Forgotten Lesson'
SANTA MONICA, California, Oct. 2 -- Rand issued the following commentary on Sept. 30, 2026, to 1945:
* * *
9/11's Forgotten Lesson
By Raphael S. Cohen
On a sunny, crisp early-fall New England morning, I strolled across the leafy central quad in the middle of campus. I had to register for classes in person, and to avoid the crowds, I got there right as the doors opened. After completing that task, I met a friend and fellow cadet setting up the Reserve Officer Training Corps recruiting booth for a student activity fair later that day. He's the person who told me that a plane had just hit the ... Show Full Article SANTA MONICA, California, Oct. 2 -- Rand issued the following commentary on Sept. 30, 2026, to 1945: * * * 9/11's Forgotten Lesson By Raphael S. Cohen On a sunny, crisp early-fall New England morning, I strolled across the leafy central quad in the middle of campus. I had to register for classes in person, and to avoid the crowds, I got there right as the doors opened. After completing that task, I met a friend and fellow cadet setting up the Reserve Officer Training Corps recruiting booth for a student activity fair later that day. He's the person who told me that a plane had just hit theWorld Trade Center. I rushed back to my dorm and unpacked my television. As I saw the video of the planes hitting the towers, I knew that I was going to war.
A quarter century after the most significant attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor, the national security lessons from 9/11 are still unsettled--a debate that has defined much of my professional life.
But to me, the lesson from 9/11 that I worry we overlook is simple: the perils of mistaking quiet for peace.
The failure to identify and stop the 9/11 terrorist attacks triggered a wave of internal institutional reforms in the United States. Believing that the intelligence community failed to connect the dots, Congress created the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to encourage greater information sharing. It also created the Department of Homeland Security to counter terrorist threats and the Transportation Security Administration to make the government--not private companies--responsible for airport security.
The rationale behind these new entities is no longer accepted wisdom, however. Some in the Trump administration have questioned the utility of an additional layer of management in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and moved to dramatically downsize it. Others have questioned the costs of TSA and proposed reprivatizing security in smaller airports. Some Democrats have proposed dismantling the Department of Homeland Security as debates about the department's role in immigration enforcement have heated up.
Unsurprisingly, 9/11 also touched off a vigorous debate over what we should have learned about American posture in the Middle East, the utility of regime change as a strategy, and the United States' role in the world. There is even less consensus about these grander questions.
For some, the central lesson of the Global War on Terrorism's $8 trillion price tag and 900,000 casualties is that the United States needs to avoid such wars in the first place. In practice, that means restraining U.S. ambitions and constraining its ability to fight. And yet, even after the formal ends of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and despite sporadic attempts to repeal it over the years, the blanket Congressional authorization for the use of force that opened the door to military action after 9/11 remains in place. The United States hasn't withdrawn from the Middle East either, because the region's problems--and the reasons the country has remained actively engaged there--persist.
Finally, as problematic as regime change is as a strategy, it's not always clear what the alternative is. Even after the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, every successive American administration--both Republican and Democrat--has called for regime change somewhere in the world--whether in Libya, Syria, Russia, Venezuela, or Iran.
The most straightforward and least contentious lesson of 9/11 is also the one that gets the least attention: the price of complacency. After all, 9/11 was not a true bolt out of the blue. The United States had been tracking Osama bin Laden. It knew that al Qaeda had attacked the Americans in Africa and the Middle East with ever greater lethality. It even experienced an attack, albeit on a smaller scale, on the eventual target of 9/11 hijackers--the World Trade Center. At that point, though, the United States could not fathom that al Qaeda could strike with such ferocity that it would upend the comparatively benign environment of the post-Cold War world. The United States paid a terrible price for mistaking serenity for security.
The United States risks a similar error today. After all, the United States has talked openly about the growing threat from the same list of foreign adversaries--China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and violent nonstate actors--since the Obama administration. Multiple experts from both inside (PDF) and outside of government over a period of more than a decade have raised the alarm about the growing threat of major war. The United States has glimpsed what the future of war holds in Ukraine and now Iran.
Despite these increasingly dire warnings, the United States remains woefully underprepared. China dwarfs the United States in shipbuilding. Wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have strained the American supplies of key munitions. The Iran War underscored the vulnerability of fixed bases on land and the logistical challenges of protracted operations at sea. And the United States finds itself struggling to adapt its military to technologies--from drones to artificial intelligence--that are upending modern warfare.
The drumbeats are growing louder. In the Middle East, both China and Russia have increased support for Iran as the war has dragged on. In Europe, Russia has targeted NATO allies as its military fortunes in Ukraine have stalled, with potentially even more aggressive moves yet to come. And in Asia, China continues its military build-up and has stepped up its drills to potentially blockade Taiwan. Any one of these situations, if mishandled, is enough to spark not just another Global War on Terrorism, but a global war more akin to those of the first half of the 20th century rather than the first decade of the 21st, full stop.
Reading the headlines coming out of Washington these days, you wouldn't know that the United States and the world at large sit on such a precipice. We are more comfortable continuing to debate the other unresolved lessons of 9/11 than face the one right in front of us.
We are still that proverbial college student strolling through the quad enjoying the lovely fall day.
This commentary was originally published by 1945 on September 30, 2026 (https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/09/9-11s-forgotten-lesson/).
* * *
More About This Commentary
Raphael S. Cohen is the director of RAND School of Public Policy Masters of National Security and Masters of Technology Policy programs and the director of RAND Project Air Force's Strategy and Doctrine Program.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2026/10/911s-forgotten-lesson.html
[Category: ThinkTank]
* * *
9/11's Forgotten Lesson
By Raphael S. Cohen
On a sunny, crisp early-fall New England morning, I strolled across the leafy central quad in the middle of campus. I had to register for classes in person, and to avoid the crowds, I got there right as the doors opened. After completing that task, I met a friend and fellow cadet setting up the Reserve Officer Training Corps recruiting booth for a student activity fair later that day. He's the person who told me that a plane had just hit the ... Show Full Article SANTA MONICA, California, Oct. 2 -- Rand issued the following commentary on Sept. 30, 2026, to 1945: * * * 9/11's Forgotten Lesson By Raphael S. Cohen On a sunny, crisp early-fall New England morning, I strolled across the leafy central quad in the middle of campus. I had to register for classes in person, and to avoid the crowds, I got there right as the doors opened. After completing that task, I met a friend and fellow cadet setting up the Reserve Officer Training Corps recruiting booth for a student activity fair later that day. He's the person who told me that a plane had just hit theWorld Trade Center. I rushed back to my dorm and unpacked my television. As I saw the video of the planes hitting the towers, I knew that I was going to war.
A quarter century after the most significant attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor, the national security lessons from 9/11 are still unsettled--a debate that has defined much of my professional life.
But to me, the lesson from 9/11 that I worry we overlook is simple: the perils of mistaking quiet for peace.
The failure to identify and stop the 9/11 terrorist attacks triggered a wave of internal institutional reforms in the United States. Believing that the intelligence community failed to connect the dots, Congress created the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to encourage greater information sharing. It also created the Department of Homeland Security to counter terrorist threats and the Transportation Security Administration to make the government--not private companies--responsible for airport security.
The rationale behind these new entities is no longer accepted wisdom, however. Some in the Trump administration have questioned the utility of an additional layer of management in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and moved to dramatically downsize it. Others have questioned the costs of TSA and proposed reprivatizing security in smaller airports. Some Democrats have proposed dismantling the Department of Homeland Security as debates about the department's role in immigration enforcement have heated up.
Unsurprisingly, 9/11 also touched off a vigorous debate over what we should have learned about American posture in the Middle East, the utility of regime change as a strategy, and the United States' role in the world. There is even less consensus about these grander questions.
For some, the central lesson of the Global War on Terrorism's $8 trillion price tag and 900,000 casualties is that the United States needs to avoid such wars in the first place. In practice, that means restraining U.S. ambitions and constraining its ability to fight. And yet, even after the formal ends of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and despite sporadic attempts to repeal it over the years, the blanket Congressional authorization for the use of force that opened the door to military action after 9/11 remains in place. The United States hasn't withdrawn from the Middle East either, because the region's problems--and the reasons the country has remained actively engaged there--persist.
Finally, as problematic as regime change is as a strategy, it's not always clear what the alternative is. Even after the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, every successive American administration--both Republican and Democrat--has called for regime change somewhere in the world--whether in Libya, Syria, Russia, Venezuela, or Iran.
The most straightforward and least contentious lesson of 9/11 is also the one that gets the least attention: the price of complacency. After all, 9/11 was not a true bolt out of the blue. The United States had been tracking Osama bin Laden. It knew that al Qaeda had attacked the Americans in Africa and the Middle East with ever greater lethality. It even experienced an attack, albeit on a smaller scale, on the eventual target of 9/11 hijackers--the World Trade Center. At that point, though, the United States could not fathom that al Qaeda could strike with such ferocity that it would upend the comparatively benign environment of the post-Cold War world. The United States paid a terrible price for mistaking serenity for security.
The United States risks a similar error today. After all, the United States has talked openly about the growing threat from the same list of foreign adversaries--China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and violent nonstate actors--since the Obama administration. Multiple experts from both inside (PDF) and outside of government over a period of more than a decade have raised the alarm about the growing threat of major war. The United States has glimpsed what the future of war holds in Ukraine and now Iran.
Despite these increasingly dire warnings, the United States remains woefully underprepared. China dwarfs the United States in shipbuilding. Wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have strained the American supplies of key munitions. The Iran War underscored the vulnerability of fixed bases on land and the logistical challenges of protracted operations at sea. And the United States finds itself struggling to adapt its military to technologies--from drones to artificial intelligence--that are upending modern warfare.
The drumbeats are growing louder. In the Middle East, both China and Russia have increased support for Iran as the war has dragged on. In Europe, Russia has targeted NATO allies as its military fortunes in Ukraine have stalled, with potentially even more aggressive moves yet to come. And in Asia, China continues its military build-up and has stepped up its drills to potentially blockade Taiwan. Any one of these situations, if mishandled, is enough to spark not just another Global War on Terrorism, but a global war more akin to those of the first half of the 20th century rather than the first decade of the 21st, full stop.
Reading the headlines coming out of Washington these days, you wouldn't know that the United States and the world at large sit on such a precipice. We are more comfortable continuing to debate the other unresolved lessons of 9/11 than face the one right in front of us.
We are still that proverbial college student strolling through the quad enjoying the lovely fall day.
This commentary was originally published by 1945 on September 30, 2026 (https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/09/9-11s-forgotten-lesson/).
* * *
More About This Commentary
Raphael S. Cohen is the director of RAND School of Public Policy Masters of National Security and Masters of Technology Policy programs and the director of RAND Project Air Force's Strategy and Doctrine Program.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2026/10/911s-forgotten-lesson.html
[Category: ThinkTank]
Jamestown Foundation Issues Commentary Entitled 'PRC's Compute Push Goes Global'
WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 -- The Jamestown Foundation issued the following commentary on Oct. 1, 2026, in the foundation's China Brief:
* * *
The PRC's Compute Push Goes Global
Daniel Fu
Executive Summary:
* The People's Republic of China (PRC) is pushing its domestic computing ecosystem overseas despite U.S. export controls constraining access to high-end AI chips. Chinese firms have laid the groundwork for physical deployments of domestic hardware while pursuing "Token going global" (Token), in which compute remains in the PRC while serving overseas clients.
* China's compute crunch is uneven. ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 -- The Jamestown Foundation issued the following commentary on Oct. 1, 2026, in the foundation's China Brief: * * * The PRC's Compute Push Goes Global Daniel Fu Executive Summary: * The People's Republic of China (PRC) is pushing its domestic computing ecosystem overseas despite U.S. export controls constraining access to high-end AI chips. Chinese firms have laid the groundwork for physical deployments of domestic hardware while pursuing "Token going global" (Token), in which compute remains in the PRC while serving overseas clients. * China's compute crunch is uneven.Shortages are concentrated in frontier hardware even as aggregate computing capacity expands. This enables Chinese firms to export compute without first achieving hardware parity with foreign competitors.
* Overseas expansion itself may alleviate bottlenecks by creating demand and application scenarios that accelerate the iterative improvement of the PRC's domestic AI ecosystem.
-
Chinese firms are languishing under a compute crunch due to U.S. export controls restricting access to high-end GPUs. Domestic manufacturers like Huawei, Cambricon, Biren Technologies, and others have yet to fill the gap. Yet, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has not waited for these constraints to disappear before pushing its domestic computing ecosystem overseas. More broadly, Chinese academics, policy elites, and industry figures have begun calling for domestic "compute going global", even though advanced computing power remains limited at home (PKU Institute of Urban Governance, April 30). Shenzhen's artificial intelligence (AI) action plan, released in early September, similarly calls for domestic foundational hardware to expand abroad as part of an integrated Chinese AI ecosystem (Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, September 4).
Beijing appears to be laying the groundwork to export computing power before technological and supply constraints are resolved. Chinese-language sources suggest that this contradiction stems from a simplistic conception of the PRC's "compute crunch." Instead of waiting for domestic supply constraints to erode, Chinese firms and policy elites appear increasingly willing to internationalize the PRC's computing ecosystem even while those constraints remain (China Brief, June 11). Overseas deployment can open new markets, bolster demand for Chinese technology, and establish Chinese hardware, software, and technical standards internationally. While exporting compute may entail a short-term opportunity cost at home, Chinese actors appear increasingly willing to bear that cost in pursuit of long-term technological and commercial gains.
Deploying Compute Abroad
Physical deployment is only one form of Chinese compute going global. Chinese analysts distinguish it from the more mature model of "services crossing the border", in which computing hardware remains in the PRC while domestic data centers process AI workloads for foreign customers and export the resulting tokens and services (Zhong Lun, July 10). Even when hardware remains physically in the PRC, compute exported-as-a-service still represents a decision to devote computational resources to foreign rather than domestic demand. Computing capacity is inherently rivalrous: capacity devoted to processing foreign workloads cannot simultaneously be used for domestic workloads.
The model of cross-border compute exports has already developed into a wider industry push. At the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), one exhibitor established a dedicated English-language "Token going global" (Token section that demonstrated Chinese computing power packaged into standardized tokens services and exported overseas, attracting considerable attention from foreign attendees, particularly from the Middle East (Jiemian News, July 19; China Brief, July 22). In 2025, the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), the think-tank under the PRC's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), collaborated with industry partners to launch a dedicated "Computing-Power Token Going Global Ecosystem Initiative" (Token). Its aim is to move the sector beyond experimental projects towards "standardized, efficient, and sustainable" overseas expansion (CWW, July 1). Its organizers argued that doing so could help hedge against external risks and expand services trading (Open Data Center Committee, July 1).
Importantly, Chinese firms are actively laying the groundwork for the physical deployment of advanced domestic AI hardware abroad. Huawei has drawn up plans to export Ascend-series chips, including the Ascend 950DT and 950PR AI accelerator, to South Korea and has signed distributor agreements with local partners like Hansol PNS and SK Shieldus (Sina Finance, July 7). The company has also unveiled the Atlas 960E SuperPoD as part of its effort to address large-scale AI infrastructure demand overseas, while other Chinese companies have announced plans to deploy a "domestic computing power cluster" in Saudi Arabia (SenseTime, July 20). Similar intent is emerging vis-a-vis Southeast Asia, with reports that Malaysia is considering adopting Huawei's 910C Ascend in its sovereign AI ambitions (Sina Technology, September 8).
Chinese elites have endorsed a wider version of this push. Wang Zhongyuan of Fudan University has argued that the PRC should assist countries in the Global South by constructing local computing infrastructure, jointly building data centers, and exporting "computing services" (CASS, July 16). Song Guoyou, deputy director of Fudan University's Center for American Studies, is even more explicit, calling for Chinese firms to deploy "computing clusters" across different regions of the Global South (National Office for Philosophy and Social Sciences, July 16).
Building Overseas Markets for Chinese Compute
A growing number of Chinese industry and policy elites have explicitly described internationalization as the next stage for the domestic compute industry. Li Wei, deputy director of CAICT's Cloud Computing and Digitalization Research Institute, has called for accelerating the overseas expansion of the domestic computing-power industry and integrating it into the "global computing-power industrial system" (People's Tribune, July 20). Wang Chao, executive director of CAS Star, the deep-tech venture capital firm founded by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has similarly argued that domestic compute will not only serve domestic demand but also for overseas expansion (Beijing Daily, September 23).
Chinese companies have described similar ambitions. Huawei has actively touted Ascend and its Kunpeng computing platform as having created "a new choice for the world" (Huawei Tech, February 2024). iFlytek, meanwhile, has partnered with Huawei Ascend to "cooperate deeply on overseas large-model deployments" and "plant flags and seize positions around the world" (iFlytek, April 29). Other firms describe computing power going global as the "industry's second growth curve" (Runze Intelligence, August 28) and argue that overseas expansion "is no longer optional, but imperative" (Sina Finance, July 29).
Southeast Asia has become a particularly important potential market. One CAICT report constructed a market-entry evaluation framework for overseas expansion and identified opportunities for Chinese computing-power providers in emerging markets, especially in Southeast Asia, where they note surging demand (CWW, May 13). One Chinese AI infrastructure company similarly concludes that compute in Southeast Asia will exceed 3GW in 2026 and 6GW in 2028, asserting that Chinese firms should leverage their accumulated technological capabilities to "rapidly enter overseas computing-power center markets" and "capitalize on the supply gap" in Southeast Asia's high-end IDC market (Runze Intelligence, August 28). Meanwhile, Sugon, another major Chinese computing-infrastructure provider, has established an ASEAN business headquarters in Nanning, Guangxi. By providing a Chinese tech stack comprising Sugon's servers and its high-end Hygon DCU compute, PRC firms can provide a "complete solution" for Southeast Asian countries (QQ News, September 21).
Chinese hardware providers often achieve pricing advantage by undercutting foreign competitors. One Chinese estimate concludes that for equivalent computing services yielding similar inference performance, Chinese compute providers can charge just one-fifth to one-seventh as much as comparable overseas services. The price advantage is derived partly from lower electricity costs in the PRC and vertical integration of large Chinese telecommunications operators, most of which own both computing and network infrastructure (Southern Daily, June 5).
Compute Crunch Unevenly Distributed
The PRC's overseas push is happening despite domestic compute constraints. Chinese sources depict a landscape in which shortages are concentrated in select types of high-performance hardware, while the country's aggregate computing infrastructure expands rapidly.
Yang Siwei and Liu Rui of CAICT have written that the PRC's domestic computing buildout has "laid a solid foundation for the computing-power industry to 'go global'" (Information and Communications Technology Policy, March 2025). By the end of 2023, the PRC already possessed more than 230 exaFLOPS of computing capacity, accounting for over 25 percent of the global total. Meanwhile, intelligent-computing capacity grew 70 percent, accounting for 30 percent of the PRC's overall computational scale. By June 2024, more than 250 intelligent-computing centers were operating or under construction nationwide (Information and Communications Technology Policy, March 2025). Li Wei points to further growth since, claiming that the PRC has developed sufficient computing capacity to support 70 percent of domestic parallel-training demand for trillion-parameter models (People's Tribune, July 20). Consequently, Yang and Liu call for Chinese firms to start building "comprehensive computing-power service ecosystems" in emerging country markets (Information and Communications Technology Policy, March 2025)
Importantly, Chinese firms do not need to physically ship domestic AI chips abroad to internationalize domestic computing power. Developers overseas can, for example, access Ascend computing power from the PRC through PyTorch, a software framework for developing and running AI models that reduces friction when accessing hardware (Beijing Daily, September 23).
The PRC has already experimented with this model at scale. In April 2026, the Shantou Overseas Chinese Pilot Zone in Guangdong completed the PRC's first end-to-end commercial model for "Token going global," which included consolidating the first phase of an international Token factory with 2,000 petaFLOPS of computing capacity (TYM, September 3). This represented a deliberate decision by Chinese authorities to add compute capacity with the express intent of serving the overseas market.
Overseas users have since accessed token services produced in Shantou, which Chinese reporting describes as the first time Chinese computing resources were exported in the form of "high value-added digital services" (CWW, April 23). Zhu Jun, director of the Basic Theory Research Center at Tsinghua's Institute for AI, described the "international Token-factory model" as a practical path for Chinese produced computing power and large models to expand into overseas markets (TYM, September 3). The economics of the model are increasingly plausible as the hardware itself remains in the PRC. In Shantou, network latency to Singapore reportedly fell to just 32.7 milliseconds, allowing overseas users to submit requests to models running on Chinese infrastructure and receive outputs with low network delays (Southern Daily, June 5).
Chinese researchers have also explored architectures that reduce dependence on the most high-performance accelerators. Zheng Weimin, a professor at Tsinghua University and former president of the China Computer Federation, has described an inference architecture in which a 10,000-accelerator cluster might employ 9,000 domestically produced accelerators for prefill and 1,000 higher performance accelerators for generation, raising the domestic share to 90 percent. Zheng remarked that the resulting high-quality tokens could serve both domestic industries and go global, adding that the PRC had "sufficient computing capacity" to achieve this in addition to a clear cost advantage (Ningbo Computer Federation, June 10).
Hardware Internationalization Uplifts Entire Industry
Chinese inference services explain one part of the story, yet their viability makes the planned export of advanced Chinese accelerators even more puzzling. If Chinese companies can serve overseas customers while leaving their hardware within the PRC, there is less reason for them to physically export valuable hardware to foreign markets.
One answer is that overseas demand can feed back into the development of the PRC's domestic technology ecosystem. Guo Liang, Chief Engineer at CAICT's Cloud Computing and Big Data Research Institute, has observed that emerging markets in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America offer market conditions that have created ample room for the PRC's computing services to expand overseas. More importantly, he argues that transitioning from building infrastructure toward exporting capabilities and services can promote the "iterative upgrading" of the PRC's "computing-power industrial chain" and drive the coordinated, concurrent uplifting of domestic AI computing clusters, large models, and AI chips (Xinhua, July 24).
Liu Xiaoge, a deputy director of research at the Development Research Center of the State Council, has similarly argued that Token exports can create a powerful "demand-pull effect" that helps mitigate technological chokepoints affecting the PRC's domestic AI hardware stack. Supplying domestically produced chips for large-scale application scenarios, he argues, will create opportunities for frequent iteration that can narrow gaps with the international frontier "in both manufacturing processes and ecosystems" (State Council, May 8).
Conclusion
The overseas ambitions of Chinese firms do not demonstrate that the PRC has overcome its computing constraints, nor does it mean that Chinese companies can challenge Nvidia globally at a competitive scale. Chinese legal analysts have pointed out that Chinese firms targeting overseas markets should prioritize cross-border service exports from infrastructure located in the PRC before deploying physical hardware abroad (Zhong Lun, July 10). Huawei's own leadership has been forthcoming about these constraints. Rotating chairman Eric Xu recently acknowledged that domestic shortages prevent a "fully-fledged" rollout of Huawei Ascend abroad (Reuters, September 17).
This qualification matters. Huawei is constrained from international expansion on a "fully-fledged" scale, but this does not mean that internationalization has stopped altogether. Chinese companies and policy elites do not appear to view compute scarcity as a reason to postpone international expansion before compute parity is achieved. As time progresses, and as the PRC consolidates increasingly novel algorithmic efficiencies, its ability and willingness to export compute abroad will only grow.
* * *
Daniel Fu is the Stonex PhD Scholar in International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). His research examines how U.S. export controls shape Chinese policy and firm behavior, with a broader focus on international political economy, artificial intelligence, and China's science and technology strategy.
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Original text here: https://jamestown.org/the-prcs-compute-push-goes-global/
[Category: ThinkTank]
* * *
The PRC's Compute Push Goes Global
Daniel Fu
Executive Summary:
* The People's Republic of China (PRC) is pushing its domestic computing ecosystem overseas despite U.S. export controls constraining access to high-end AI chips. Chinese firms have laid the groundwork for physical deployments of domestic hardware while pursuing "Token going global" (Token), in which compute remains in the PRC while serving overseas clients.
* China's compute crunch is uneven. ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 -- The Jamestown Foundation issued the following commentary on Oct. 1, 2026, in the foundation's China Brief: * * * The PRC's Compute Push Goes Global Daniel Fu Executive Summary: * The People's Republic of China (PRC) is pushing its domestic computing ecosystem overseas despite U.S. export controls constraining access to high-end AI chips. Chinese firms have laid the groundwork for physical deployments of domestic hardware while pursuing "Token going global" (Token), in which compute remains in the PRC while serving overseas clients. * China's compute crunch is uneven.Shortages are concentrated in frontier hardware even as aggregate computing capacity expands. This enables Chinese firms to export compute without first achieving hardware parity with foreign competitors.
* Overseas expansion itself may alleviate bottlenecks by creating demand and application scenarios that accelerate the iterative improvement of the PRC's domestic AI ecosystem.
-
Chinese firms are languishing under a compute crunch due to U.S. export controls restricting access to high-end GPUs. Domestic manufacturers like Huawei, Cambricon, Biren Technologies, and others have yet to fill the gap. Yet, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has not waited for these constraints to disappear before pushing its domestic computing ecosystem overseas. More broadly, Chinese academics, policy elites, and industry figures have begun calling for domestic "compute going global", even though advanced computing power remains limited at home (PKU Institute of Urban Governance, April 30). Shenzhen's artificial intelligence (AI) action plan, released in early September, similarly calls for domestic foundational hardware to expand abroad as part of an integrated Chinese AI ecosystem (Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, September 4).
Beijing appears to be laying the groundwork to export computing power before technological and supply constraints are resolved. Chinese-language sources suggest that this contradiction stems from a simplistic conception of the PRC's "compute crunch." Instead of waiting for domestic supply constraints to erode, Chinese firms and policy elites appear increasingly willing to internationalize the PRC's computing ecosystem even while those constraints remain (China Brief, June 11). Overseas deployment can open new markets, bolster demand for Chinese technology, and establish Chinese hardware, software, and technical standards internationally. While exporting compute may entail a short-term opportunity cost at home, Chinese actors appear increasingly willing to bear that cost in pursuit of long-term technological and commercial gains.
Deploying Compute Abroad
Physical deployment is only one form of Chinese compute going global. Chinese analysts distinguish it from the more mature model of "services crossing the border", in which computing hardware remains in the PRC while domestic data centers process AI workloads for foreign customers and export the resulting tokens and services (Zhong Lun, July 10). Even when hardware remains physically in the PRC, compute exported-as-a-service still represents a decision to devote computational resources to foreign rather than domestic demand. Computing capacity is inherently rivalrous: capacity devoted to processing foreign workloads cannot simultaneously be used for domestic workloads.
The model of cross-border compute exports has already developed into a wider industry push. At the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), one exhibitor established a dedicated English-language "Token going global" (Token section that demonstrated Chinese computing power packaged into standardized tokens services and exported overseas, attracting considerable attention from foreign attendees, particularly from the Middle East (Jiemian News, July 19; China Brief, July 22). In 2025, the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), the think-tank under the PRC's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), collaborated with industry partners to launch a dedicated "Computing-Power Token Going Global Ecosystem Initiative" (Token). Its aim is to move the sector beyond experimental projects towards "standardized, efficient, and sustainable" overseas expansion (CWW, July 1). Its organizers argued that doing so could help hedge against external risks and expand services trading (Open Data Center Committee, July 1).
Importantly, Chinese firms are actively laying the groundwork for the physical deployment of advanced domestic AI hardware abroad. Huawei has drawn up plans to export Ascend-series chips, including the Ascend 950DT and 950PR AI accelerator, to South Korea and has signed distributor agreements with local partners like Hansol PNS and SK Shieldus (Sina Finance, July 7). The company has also unveiled the Atlas 960E SuperPoD as part of its effort to address large-scale AI infrastructure demand overseas, while other Chinese companies have announced plans to deploy a "domestic computing power cluster" in Saudi Arabia (SenseTime, July 20). Similar intent is emerging vis-a-vis Southeast Asia, with reports that Malaysia is considering adopting Huawei's 910C Ascend in its sovereign AI ambitions (Sina Technology, September 8).
Chinese elites have endorsed a wider version of this push. Wang Zhongyuan of Fudan University has argued that the PRC should assist countries in the Global South by constructing local computing infrastructure, jointly building data centers, and exporting "computing services" (CASS, July 16). Song Guoyou, deputy director of Fudan University's Center for American Studies, is even more explicit, calling for Chinese firms to deploy "computing clusters" across different regions of the Global South (National Office for Philosophy and Social Sciences, July 16).
Building Overseas Markets for Chinese Compute
A growing number of Chinese industry and policy elites have explicitly described internationalization as the next stage for the domestic compute industry. Li Wei, deputy director of CAICT's Cloud Computing and Digitalization Research Institute, has called for accelerating the overseas expansion of the domestic computing-power industry and integrating it into the "global computing-power industrial system" (People's Tribune, July 20). Wang Chao, executive director of CAS Star, the deep-tech venture capital firm founded by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has similarly argued that domestic compute will not only serve domestic demand but also for overseas expansion (Beijing Daily, September 23).
Chinese companies have described similar ambitions. Huawei has actively touted Ascend and its Kunpeng computing platform as having created "a new choice for the world" (Huawei Tech, February 2024). iFlytek, meanwhile, has partnered with Huawei Ascend to "cooperate deeply on overseas large-model deployments" and "plant flags and seize positions around the world" (iFlytek, April 29). Other firms describe computing power going global as the "industry's second growth curve" (Runze Intelligence, August 28) and argue that overseas expansion "is no longer optional, but imperative" (Sina Finance, July 29).
Southeast Asia has become a particularly important potential market. One CAICT report constructed a market-entry evaluation framework for overseas expansion and identified opportunities for Chinese computing-power providers in emerging markets, especially in Southeast Asia, where they note surging demand (CWW, May 13). One Chinese AI infrastructure company similarly concludes that compute in Southeast Asia will exceed 3GW in 2026 and 6GW in 2028, asserting that Chinese firms should leverage their accumulated technological capabilities to "rapidly enter overseas computing-power center markets" and "capitalize on the supply gap" in Southeast Asia's high-end IDC market (Runze Intelligence, August 28). Meanwhile, Sugon, another major Chinese computing-infrastructure provider, has established an ASEAN business headquarters in Nanning, Guangxi. By providing a Chinese tech stack comprising Sugon's servers and its high-end Hygon DCU compute, PRC firms can provide a "complete solution" for Southeast Asian countries (QQ News, September 21).
Chinese hardware providers often achieve pricing advantage by undercutting foreign competitors. One Chinese estimate concludes that for equivalent computing services yielding similar inference performance, Chinese compute providers can charge just one-fifth to one-seventh as much as comparable overseas services. The price advantage is derived partly from lower electricity costs in the PRC and vertical integration of large Chinese telecommunications operators, most of which own both computing and network infrastructure (Southern Daily, June 5).
Compute Crunch Unevenly Distributed
The PRC's overseas push is happening despite domestic compute constraints. Chinese sources depict a landscape in which shortages are concentrated in select types of high-performance hardware, while the country's aggregate computing infrastructure expands rapidly.
Yang Siwei and Liu Rui of CAICT have written that the PRC's domestic computing buildout has "laid a solid foundation for the computing-power industry to 'go global'" (Information and Communications Technology Policy, March 2025). By the end of 2023, the PRC already possessed more than 230 exaFLOPS of computing capacity, accounting for over 25 percent of the global total. Meanwhile, intelligent-computing capacity grew 70 percent, accounting for 30 percent of the PRC's overall computational scale. By June 2024, more than 250 intelligent-computing centers were operating or under construction nationwide (Information and Communications Technology Policy, March 2025). Li Wei points to further growth since, claiming that the PRC has developed sufficient computing capacity to support 70 percent of domestic parallel-training demand for trillion-parameter models (People's Tribune, July 20). Consequently, Yang and Liu call for Chinese firms to start building "comprehensive computing-power service ecosystems" in emerging country markets (Information and Communications Technology Policy, March 2025)
Importantly, Chinese firms do not need to physically ship domestic AI chips abroad to internationalize domestic computing power. Developers overseas can, for example, access Ascend computing power from the PRC through PyTorch, a software framework for developing and running AI models that reduces friction when accessing hardware (Beijing Daily, September 23).
The PRC has already experimented with this model at scale. In April 2026, the Shantou Overseas Chinese Pilot Zone in Guangdong completed the PRC's first end-to-end commercial model for "Token going global," which included consolidating the first phase of an international Token factory with 2,000 petaFLOPS of computing capacity (TYM, September 3). This represented a deliberate decision by Chinese authorities to add compute capacity with the express intent of serving the overseas market.
Overseas users have since accessed token services produced in Shantou, which Chinese reporting describes as the first time Chinese computing resources were exported in the form of "high value-added digital services" (CWW, April 23). Zhu Jun, director of the Basic Theory Research Center at Tsinghua's Institute for AI, described the "international Token-factory model" as a practical path for Chinese produced computing power and large models to expand into overseas markets (TYM, September 3). The economics of the model are increasingly plausible as the hardware itself remains in the PRC. In Shantou, network latency to Singapore reportedly fell to just 32.7 milliseconds, allowing overseas users to submit requests to models running on Chinese infrastructure and receive outputs with low network delays (Southern Daily, June 5).
Chinese researchers have also explored architectures that reduce dependence on the most high-performance accelerators. Zheng Weimin, a professor at Tsinghua University and former president of the China Computer Federation, has described an inference architecture in which a 10,000-accelerator cluster might employ 9,000 domestically produced accelerators for prefill and 1,000 higher performance accelerators for generation, raising the domestic share to 90 percent. Zheng remarked that the resulting high-quality tokens could serve both domestic industries and go global, adding that the PRC had "sufficient computing capacity" to achieve this in addition to a clear cost advantage (Ningbo Computer Federation, June 10).
Hardware Internationalization Uplifts Entire Industry
Chinese inference services explain one part of the story, yet their viability makes the planned export of advanced Chinese accelerators even more puzzling. If Chinese companies can serve overseas customers while leaving their hardware within the PRC, there is less reason for them to physically export valuable hardware to foreign markets.
One answer is that overseas demand can feed back into the development of the PRC's domestic technology ecosystem. Guo Liang, Chief Engineer at CAICT's Cloud Computing and Big Data Research Institute, has observed that emerging markets in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America offer market conditions that have created ample room for the PRC's computing services to expand overseas. More importantly, he argues that transitioning from building infrastructure toward exporting capabilities and services can promote the "iterative upgrading" of the PRC's "computing-power industrial chain" and drive the coordinated, concurrent uplifting of domestic AI computing clusters, large models, and AI chips (Xinhua, July 24).
Liu Xiaoge, a deputy director of research at the Development Research Center of the State Council, has similarly argued that Token exports can create a powerful "demand-pull effect" that helps mitigate technological chokepoints affecting the PRC's domestic AI hardware stack. Supplying domestically produced chips for large-scale application scenarios, he argues, will create opportunities for frequent iteration that can narrow gaps with the international frontier "in both manufacturing processes and ecosystems" (State Council, May 8).
Conclusion
The overseas ambitions of Chinese firms do not demonstrate that the PRC has overcome its computing constraints, nor does it mean that Chinese companies can challenge Nvidia globally at a competitive scale. Chinese legal analysts have pointed out that Chinese firms targeting overseas markets should prioritize cross-border service exports from infrastructure located in the PRC before deploying physical hardware abroad (Zhong Lun, July 10). Huawei's own leadership has been forthcoming about these constraints. Rotating chairman Eric Xu recently acknowledged that domestic shortages prevent a "fully-fledged" rollout of Huawei Ascend abroad (Reuters, September 17).
This qualification matters. Huawei is constrained from international expansion on a "fully-fledged" scale, but this does not mean that internationalization has stopped altogether. Chinese companies and policy elites do not appear to view compute scarcity as a reason to postpone international expansion before compute parity is achieved. As time progresses, and as the PRC consolidates increasingly novel algorithmic efficiencies, its ability and willingness to export compute abroad will only grow.
* * *
Daniel Fu is the Stonex PhD Scholar in International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). His research examines how U.S. export controls shape Chinese policy and firm behavior, with a broader focus on international political economy, artificial intelligence, and China's science and technology strategy.
* * *
Original text here: https://jamestown.org/the-prcs-compute-push-goes-global/
[Category: ThinkTank]
Center of the American Experiment Issues Commentary: U.S. Supreme Court to Review Illegal Alien Detention Policy
MINNETONKA, Minnesota, Oct. 2 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary:
* * *
U.S. Supreme Court to review illegal alien detention policy
Written by Bill Glahn | October 1, 2026
From The Hill newspaper,
Supreme Court takes up Trump's mandatory detention policy.
This is the habeas corpus issue that I frequently write about. The 5th (TX-LA-MS) and the 8th (ND-SD-NE-MN-IA-MO-AR) circuits have found that the 1996 law ("shall be detained") is valid and means what it says.
Not that ... Show Full Article MINNETONKA, Minnesota, Oct. 2 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary: * * * U.S. Supreme Court to review illegal alien detention policy Written by Bill Glahn | October 1, 2026 From The Hill newspaper, Supreme Court takes up Trump's mandatory detention policy. This is the habeas corpus issue that I frequently write about. The 5th (TX-LA-MS) and the 8th (ND-SD-NE-MN-IA-MO-AR) circuits have found that the 1996 law ("shall be detained") is valid and means what it says. Not thatjudges in Minnesota (8th circuit) have paid much attention to the matter. I've been tracking the 400 or so habeas petitions filed in Minnesota since the 8th circuit last weighed in on the matter. Here are the outcomes,
The federal government, for what I assume are reasons of expediency, haven't always enforced the letter of the law in all cases. Other circuits have codified these exceptions into their decisions that the law doesn't apply in most cases, despite the clear and unambiguous language.
Now the U.S. Supreme Court will have the final word, except that the case they took up only involves interpreting the statute itself, not any of the related constitutional questions.
[Note: An earlier version of the post appeared at Power Line.]
Bill Glahn is a Policy Fellow with Center of the American Experiment.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.americanexperiment.org/u-s-supreme-court-to-review-illegal-alien-detention-policy/
[Category: ThinkTank]
* * *
U.S. Supreme Court to review illegal alien detention policy
Written by Bill Glahn | October 1, 2026
From The Hill newspaper,
Supreme Court takes up Trump's mandatory detention policy.
This is the habeas corpus issue that I frequently write about. The 5th (TX-LA-MS) and the 8th (ND-SD-NE-MN-IA-MO-AR) circuits have found that the 1996 law ("shall be detained") is valid and means what it says.
Not that ... Show Full Article MINNETONKA, Minnesota, Oct. 2 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary: * * * U.S. Supreme Court to review illegal alien detention policy Written by Bill Glahn | October 1, 2026 From The Hill newspaper, Supreme Court takes up Trump's mandatory detention policy. This is the habeas corpus issue that I frequently write about. The 5th (TX-LA-MS) and the 8th (ND-SD-NE-MN-IA-MO-AR) circuits have found that the 1996 law ("shall be detained") is valid and means what it says. Not thatjudges in Minnesota (8th circuit) have paid much attention to the matter. I've been tracking the 400 or so habeas petitions filed in Minnesota since the 8th circuit last weighed in on the matter. Here are the outcomes,
The federal government, for what I assume are reasons of expediency, haven't always enforced the letter of the law in all cases. Other circuits have codified these exceptions into their decisions that the law doesn't apply in most cases, despite the clear and unambiguous language.
Now the U.S. Supreme Court will have the final word, except that the case they took up only involves interpreting the statute itself, not any of the related constitutional questions.
[Note: An earlier version of the post appeared at Power Line.]
Bill Glahn is a Policy Fellow with Center of the American Experiment.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.americanexperiment.org/u-s-supreme-court-to-review-illegal-alien-detention-policy/
[Category: ThinkTank]
Center of the American Experiment Issues Commentary: Parents' Movement Isn't Dead. It's Governing.
MINNETONKA, Minnesota, Oct. 2 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary:
* * *
The parents' movement isn't dead. It's governing.
Written by Katherine Kersten | October 1, 2026
Parent-led school boards are declaring their independence from progressive control over public education and Minnesota's largest district is at the forefront.
School board elections driven by parents made news in 2021. Now we hear little about them. Journalists are asking what's happened to the parent movement. ... Show Full Article MINNETONKA, Minnesota, Oct. 2 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary: * * * The parents' movement isn't dead. It's governing. Written by Katherine Kersten | October 1, 2026 Parent-led school boards are declaring their independence from progressive control over public education and Minnesota's largest district is at the forefront. School board elections driven by parents made news in 2021. Now we hear little about them. Journalists are asking what's happened to the parent movement.Does it still exist? Were parent successes around the country a few years ago worth all the effort and disruption?
The answer is yes. We hear little about them because board members elected then are now doing the unglamorous, behind-the-scenes work of governing, which, when done well, attracts little media attention.
A prime example is underway in the Twin Cities' Anoka-Hennepin school district -- Minnesota's largest, with about 40,000 students. There three parent-endorsed board members, elected in the past three election cycles, are successfully standing up to powerful, entrenched educational interests, as they promised concerned parents they would do in their campaigns.
The board members' primary aim is to raise student outcomes by improving curriculum and instruction and safeguarding the district from ideologically driven decision-making in those areas -- in particular, implementation of the most heavily politicized K-12 Social Studies standards in the nation. Their case is emblematic of the impact the parent movement continues to have, especially in blue states.
Minnesota is a "local control" state. School boards are public corporations with broad legal authority -- derived from the legislature -- to interpret academic standards and decide how best to meet them for the students they serve. Until recently, however, boards throughout the state have delegated this power to their district's superintendent and curriculum staff, largely without question.
Today in Anoka-Hennepin, the three parent-endorsed members of an evenly split board are reclaiming their authority to ensure the new ideologically charged Social Studies standards are implemented in classrooms with the smallest possible footprint that complies with law.
Opponents portray the board as obstructionist and dysfunctional, and charge that the three are preventing teachers from teaching and students from getting the resources they need to learn. They insist that the district must "follow the law" and argue this requires complying with the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)'s preferred interpretation of the standards and recommended classroom resources.
But the parent-endorsed board members respond that Minnesota law is clear. School boards' obligation is to use their judgment to ensure that academic standards are implemented in a way that is right for the students in their district. That is the essence of "local control" governance, and the reason every Minnesota school district is legally designated an "ISD," or "independent school district."
MDE itself acknowledges this fact. Its June 2026 "guidance" on the new standards' implementation states that each district is "responsible for determining how [it] will meet academic standards." This "include[s] the ethnic studies mandates" -- the controversial component of the standards now at issue in Anoka-Hennepin and many other districts across the state.
Minnesota has no state test, rubric or official measure of mastery of Social Studies standards. That means there are hundreds of ways to meet the standards. What is right for Minneapolis or St. Paul may not be right for Anoka-Hennepin or rural Ely, Minnesota, board members say.
Today, they are carefully determining what "minimal compliance" with the Social Studies standards will look like in their district.
The stakes in this dispute are high. The state's new "top-down" K-12 Social Studies standards -- drafted and imposed by MDE -- are animated by a pedagogical ideology called "liberated" ethnic studies.
Ethnic studies' three "anchor" standards focus not on basic academic knowledge, but on race-based group identities and political activism. They are broadly and vaguely worded, though MDE's preferred "liberated" interpretation is clear.
The first of these, entitled "Identity," requires students to "analyze the ways power and language construct the social identities of race, religion, geography, ethnicity, and gender" and apply these "to one's own social identities and other groups," "centering" those who have been "marginalized, erased, or ignored."
The second, entitled "Resistance," instructs students to "describe how individuals and communities have fought" for "liberation against systemic and coordinated exercises of power locally and globally" and to "organize with others" to engage in similar activities.
The third, entitled "Ways of Knowing and Methodologies," requires students to "use ethnic and Indigenous studies methods and sources" to "understand the roots of contemporary systems of oppression and apply lessons from the past that could eliminate historical and contemporary injustices."
MDE's new Social Studies standards weave this politicized worldview throughout history, geography, citizenship and government, and economics instruction, and also add ethnic studies as an independent "fifth strand." In coming years, these concepts must be embedded in standards for all required subjects, including math, science, language arts, health and even physical education.
Anoka-Hennepin's parent-endorsed board members believe that the "liberated" ethnic studies approach, with its emphasis on activism, identarian politics and racially-charged narratives about power and oppression, is harmful to the hearts and minds of their district's young learners.
As implementation begins in Fall 2026, "We are trying to comply, but you have made this difficult with such politicized curricula," says board member Zach Arco. "'We have to meet the standards' and 'we have to do it this way' are two very different statements."
"Board members must ask questions, request the evidence, read the documents themselves and check the work," Arco says. "'The experts say' cannot be the end of the conversation. Trust should follow verification, not replace it."
As the district's ultimate decision-maker, the school board has full authority to decide what to emphasize, downplay and contextualize, how much faculty and class time to spend on each topic, what trainings to adopt and what curricula to select or exclude.
The heart of the controversy
The current flashpoint is a sixth-grade Minnesota history textbook entitled "Northern Lights,"published by the Minnesota Historical Society. The board voted against authorizing purchase of the third edition, which has been updated to reflect ethnic studies ideology.
The new "Northern Lights" text reframes Minnesota history through the lens of race-and-ethnicity-based group identity. It portrays the state's juvenile justice system as racist ("a young person's race can impact how they are treated") and holds up political activists who took over the University of Minnesota's Morrill Hall in 1969 and 1971 as models of "resistance" for 12-year-old students to emulate.
"Do we invest our limited resources and professional development hours toward a curriculum that is ideologically skewed and unhealthy?" asks Arco.
Arco has completed a side-by-side analysis comparing the new standards and benchmarks with the district's current Social Studies curriculum -- the previous edition of "Northern Lights" -- and determined that the current curriculum largely meets the new Social Studies standards and related benchmarks.
"Our current curriculum is pretty close, if not exactly what is needed for minimal compliance," he explains. The district can supplement, for example, by using primary documents to fill in the gaps, he says. The board has the authority to make purchasing decisions and it has other pressing priorities, most importantly investing in literacy.
In designing Anoka-Hennepin curriculum, "we aren't limited to what the state requires," adds Arco. "That's a myth. We can expand on that, go beyond it."
In fact, he points out, the district's "Respectful Learning Environment" policy, adopted in 2012, requires exactly that. It mandates that "curricular discussions" about "contentious" political or social issues "be presented in an impartial, balanced and objective manner," and that lessons include "techniques for examining and understanding differing opinions."
"We can require that the Social Studies standards' worldview be presented in the classroom, not as fact, but as opinion, and that alternative perspectives be included," he says. "We can insist that teachers give an opposing view in each case, and that equal time be devoted to both views in every assignment and test."
Arco cites a seventh-grade benchmark that requires students to examine the "consequences of power and privilege on issues associated" with "accumulation of wealth." This can be met, he observes, by studying Japanese-Americans interned in World War II camps. "They unjustly lost their businesses and property, but their work ethic and lack of victim mentality allowed them to recover effectively within a single generation."
Other critics of the standards note that the district can use the American Revolution as an example of "resistance," and the board can allot five minutes to ethnic studies in kindergarten.
As a result of the three members' insistence on keeping the politically charged content at bay, the district will continue to use their existing social studies textbooks and teachers are reminded that all instruction and materials must comply with the district's longstanding policy requiring ideological balance in the classroom.
New boards elsewhere are on the same trajectory
Anoka-Hennepin exemplifies the parent movement's trajectory in 2026.
In Anoka-Hennepin, the movement began in 2021, when one lone parent intent on safeguarding children from the dramatic increase in progressive activism in the classroom stepped up to run. Public awareness and community support grew, and in 2023, two like-minded candidates were elected, creating a 3-3 split on the district's 6-member board.
The newly elected board members worked quickly to acclimate themselves to their role and identify areas where they could use their statutorily defined oversight and decision-making authority to lead change on curricula and other pressing matters. Today, they are doing vital work on issues ranging from budget to teacher contract negotiations.
Along the way, district parents filed numerous public records requests that surfaced thousands of documents revealing how once-trusted curriculum staff had used their delegated authority to prioritize extremist "social justice" curricula and teacher training unrelated to high-quality instruction. The data requests also exposed deeply troubling emails in which teachers expressed disdain for parents who questioned the direction the district was taking.
These document productions resulted in a significant fracture of trust between the community and staff and continue to be cited as evidence of the need for additional oversight by the board.
One of the greatest challenges the board has faced, however, is to contend successfully with abuse of power and lack of accountability at the state level. The high-handed way MDE rammed through the new Social Studies standards exemplifies this.
In 2020, MDE appointed a hand-picked drafting committee to write the standards. The committee was dominated -- not by subject matter experts -- but by activists allied with the "Minnesota Ethnic Studies Coalition," a political advocacy group whose mission is to "center" K-12 public school instruction on groups "erased from mainstream curricula due to persistent racism, patriarchy, xenophobia and linguistic imperialism."
In 2023, MDE retained four national experts to review its draft standards. In confidential reports obtained through a public records request, several critiqued the standards as politically imbalanced, deeply divisive and in many respects, unmeasurable and unteachable.
One reviewer -- a prominent academic who has written and reviewed academic standards for more than 30 years -- deplored both the standards' pervasive bias and the highly skewed process that MDE used to create them.
The purpose of educational standards in a democracy, he explained, is to reflect a "broad consensus" by citizens on the knowledge and skills that "every child (future citizen)" should "gain in school." In terms of political bias, he described the results of his "careful semantic analysis" of the entire document as "deeply dismaying."
The reviewer called on MDE to "seriously consider discarding the entire set of Ethnic-Studies standards and benchmarks, and starting over." He admonished MDE as follows: "I beg the [standards drafting] committee to re-read these benchmarks in light of the very high likelihood that such a clumsy and glaringly unbalanced package will prove to be deeply counter-productive."
But MDE moved ahead, ignoring both its own reviewers and more than 34,000 comments submitted by concerned parents.
Local school boards are the last line of defense
The national parent movement has exposed the clash of agendas between parents, who pay for and entrust their children to public schools, and the education establishment and teachers' union that control those schools.
Parents' primary interest is academic achievement. (Today fewer than half of Minnesota K-12 students can read or do math at grade level.) But teachers' unions and their allies prioritize social change and political activism.
School boards are the final authority on local curriculum decisions. But highly organized union leaders have an unlimited war chest. According to campaign finance reports, organized labor has spent as much as $100,000 per board member to make sure their preferred candidates are elected.
Cristine Trooien is founder of the Minnesota Parents Alliance, an organization formed in 2022 for the purpose of helping parent-endorsed candidates run and win in school board races statewide. After two successful election cycles, it became clear that newly elected, reform-minded school board members supported by parents and voters in their communities did not have the training and support they needed to lead change effectively. The non-profit Minnesota Partnership for Achievement -- which Trooien now directs -- formed in 2024 to meet this need.
"The union strategically frames its public messaging around vague priorities that sound good to most voters -- supporting public education, supporting teachers, increasing funding for schools, addressing student mental health, creating safe and welcoming schools, smaller class sizes," she says. "Their political strategy relies on the fact that most voters will not do any further investigation into what those terms mean to union-aligned candidates and elected board members, or how they plan to accomplish those things."
Education Minnesota, through its local affiliates, "uses member dues to pay for campaign material that features their endorsed candidates alongside simple 'pro-public education' messaging, and no- and low-information voters take it at face value and vote for them."
Despite organized labor's injection of progressive partisan politics into these local contests, school board elections in Minnesota are classified as nonpartisan races. Hardworking, independent challenger candidates simply cannot compete with the money and organization that organized labor easily and routinely deploys. Running against union-endorsed candidates is a daunting proposition. This year, about 300 Minnesota school districts will hold elections and a third of the seats are uncontested, says Trooien. Most districts struggle to find qualified people to fill these seats.
To have a chance at victory, the parent movement must continue to identify and educate strong, capable candidates; equip them to understand and use their power effectively once in office; and support them as they stand up to well-organized educators and activist parent groups.
Minnesota Parents Alliance and Minnesota Partnership for Achievement, along with similar parent organizations across the country, provide this support, operating on the slimmest of resources. "People think decisions about K-12 education are locked up at the state level, but it matters greatly to elect common-sense people to school boards, especially in states like Minnesota where there is such misalignment between our legislature and what our local communities want for their students and their schools," says Trooien.
Trooien points out that, withthe Anoka-Hennepin board's 3-3 split, its parent-endorsed members can hold the line on important issues but need a majority to pass their own initiatives. It's a challenging fight. In 2023, the member who is now spearheading the Social Studies pushback executed an aggressive door-to-door campaign throughout the largest district in the state and won his seat by 12 votes in a recount. He will be up for election again in 2027.
"This is hard work, no one's dream job," Trooien counsels. Unpaid parent board members devote countless hours to the welfare of their district's children and are the constant target of hostile activists. "Volunteering to actively manage and govern your local school district is a deep act of service, and under the current conditions that reform-minded candidates and elected members face, it's nothing sort of heroic."
"Supporters need to stay engaged and continue to encourage newly elected board members to stay the course," she advises. For two years, the three parent-centered board members currently serving on Anoka-Hennepin's board slogged through endless meetings about the Social Studies standards before their good work saw the light of day.
"In 2022, Minnesota Parents Alliance supported more than 120 dedicated candidates and approximately half of them won their race," Trooien observes. "Dozens are up for reelection in 2026 and remarkably, most of them are running again."
"They have every valid reason to walk away, but they're running again because they've seen first-hand how vitally important this role is and they know that organizations like Minnesota Partnership for Achievement are here to support them every step of the way," she says. She emphasizes that to sustain this movement, organizations committed to equipping reform-minded, parent-centered leadership in public K-12 education need robust financial support and a huge public awareness effort.
"If we want education reform, we need to invest in the support systems to sustain it -- and that takes donors and doers," Trooien concludes. The days of allowing the entire K-12 system to operate under the unchallenged power of organized labor are gone. "The number of parents and voters who are awakening to the dramatic decline in our public education system continues to grow, as communities confront the financial and academic repercussions of progressive leadership."
Our state's and our nation's future depends on whether citizens like those in Anoka-Hennepin have the desire, support, and equipping they will need to organize and self-govern. We can have great public schools, but to get them, we must cultivate competent leaders who are willing to roll up their sleeves and deliver.
* * *
Katherine Kersten is a Senior Policy Fellow at Center of the American Experiment.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.americanexperiment.org/the-parents-movement-isnt-dead-its-governing/
[Category: ThinkTank]
* * *
The parents' movement isn't dead. It's governing.
Written by Katherine Kersten | October 1, 2026
Parent-led school boards are declaring their independence from progressive control over public education and Minnesota's largest district is at the forefront.
School board elections driven by parents made news in 2021. Now we hear little about them. Journalists are asking what's happened to the parent movement. ... Show Full Article MINNETONKA, Minnesota, Oct. 2 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary: * * * The parents' movement isn't dead. It's governing. Written by Katherine Kersten | October 1, 2026 Parent-led school boards are declaring their independence from progressive control over public education and Minnesota's largest district is at the forefront. School board elections driven by parents made news in 2021. Now we hear little about them. Journalists are asking what's happened to the parent movement.Does it still exist? Were parent successes around the country a few years ago worth all the effort and disruption?
The answer is yes. We hear little about them because board members elected then are now doing the unglamorous, behind-the-scenes work of governing, which, when done well, attracts little media attention.
A prime example is underway in the Twin Cities' Anoka-Hennepin school district -- Minnesota's largest, with about 40,000 students. There three parent-endorsed board members, elected in the past three election cycles, are successfully standing up to powerful, entrenched educational interests, as they promised concerned parents they would do in their campaigns.
The board members' primary aim is to raise student outcomes by improving curriculum and instruction and safeguarding the district from ideologically driven decision-making in those areas -- in particular, implementation of the most heavily politicized K-12 Social Studies standards in the nation. Their case is emblematic of the impact the parent movement continues to have, especially in blue states.
Minnesota is a "local control" state. School boards are public corporations with broad legal authority -- derived from the legislature -- to interpret academic standards and decide how best to meet them for the students they serve. Until recently, however, boards throughout the state have delegated this power to their district's superintendent and curriculum staff, largely without question.
Today in Anoka-Hennepin, the three parent-endorsed members of an evenly split board are reclaiming their authority to ensure the new ideologically charged Social Studies standards are implemented in classrooms with the smallest possible footprint that complies with law.
Opponents portray the board as obstructionist and dysfunctional, and charge that the three are preventing teachers from teaching and students from getting the resources they need to learn. They insist that the district must "follow the law" and argue this requires complying with the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)'s preferred interpretation of the standards and recommended classroom resources.
But the parent-endorsed board members respond that Minnesota law is clear. School boards' obligation is to use their judgment to ensure that academic standards are implemented in a way that is right for the students in their district. That is the essence of "local control" governance, and the reason every Minnesota school district is legally designated an "ISD," or "independent school district."
MDE itself acknowledges this fact. Its June 2026 "guidance" on the new standards' implementation states that each district is "responsible for determining how [it] will meet academic standards." This "include[s] the ethnic studies mandates" -- the controversial component of the standards now at issue in Anoka-Hennepin and many other districts across the state.
Minnesota has no state test, rubric or official measure of mastery of Social Studies standards. That means there are hundreds of ways to meet the standards. What is right for Minneapolis or St. Paul may not be right for Anoka-Hennepin or rural Ely, Minnesota, board members say.
Today, they are carefully determining what "minimal compliance" with the Social Studies standards will look like in their district.
The stakes in this dispute are high. The state's new "top-down" K-12 Social Studies standards -- drafted and imposed by MDE -- are animated by a pedagogical ideology called "liberated" ethnic studies.
Ethnic studies' three "anchor" standards focus not on basic academic knowledge, but on race-based group identities and political activism. They are broadly and vaguely worded, though MDE's preferred "liberated" interpretation is clear.
The first of these, entitled "Identity," requires students to "analyze the ways power and language construct the social identities of race, religion, geography, ethnicity, and gender" and apply these "to one's own social identities and other groups," "centering" those who have been "marginalized, erased, or ignored."
The second, entitled "Resistance," instructs students to "describe how individuals and communities have fought" for "liberation against systemic and coordinated exercises of power locally and globally" and to "organize with others" to engage in similar activities.
The third, entitled "Ways of Knowing and Methodologies," requires students to "use ethnic and Indigenous studies methods and sources" to "understand the roots of contemporary systems of oppression and apply lessons from the past that could eliminate historical and contemporary injustices."
MDE's new Social Studies standards weave this politicized worldview throughout history, geography, citizenship and government, and economics instruction, and also add ethnic studies as an independent "fifth strand." In coming years, these concepts must be embedded in standards for all required subjects, including math, science, language arts, health and even physical education.
Anoka-Hennepin's parent-endorsed board members believe that the "liberated" ethnic studies approach, with its emphasis on activism, identarian politics and racially-charged narratives about power and oppression, is harmful to the hearts and minds of their district's young learners.
As implementation begins in Fall 2026, "We are trying to comply, but you have made this difficult with such politicized curricula," says board member Zach Arco. "'We have to meet the standards' and 'we have to do it this way' are two very different statements."
"Board members must ask questions, request the evidence, read the documents themselves and check the work," Arco says. "'The experts say' cannot be the end of the conversation. Trust should follow verification, not replace it."
As the district's ultimate decision-maker, the school board has full authority to decide what to emphasize, downplay and contextualize, how much faculty and class time to spend on each topic, what trainings to adopt and what curricula to select or exclude.
The heart of the controversy
The current flashpoint is a sixth-grade Minnesota history textbook entitled "Northern Lights,"published by the Minnesota Historical Society. The board voted against authorizing purchase of the third edition, which has been updated to reflect ethnic studies ideology.
The new "Northern Lights" text reframes Minnesota history through the lens of race-and-ethnicity-based group identity. It portrays the state's juvenile justice system as racist ("a young person's race can impact how they are treated") and holds up political activists who took over the University of Minnesota's Morrill Hall in 1969 and 1971 as models of "resistance" for 12-year-old students to emulate.
"Do we invest our limited resources and professional development hours toward a curriculum that is ideologically skewed and unhealthy?" asks Arco.
Arco has completed a side-by-side analysis comparing the new standards and benchmarks with the district's current Social Studies curriculum -- the previous edition of "Northern Lights" -- and determined that the current curriculum largely meets the new Social Studies standards and related benchmarks.
"Our current curriculum is pretty close, if not exactly what is needed for minimal compliance," he explains. The district can supplement, for example, by using primary documents to fill in the gaps, he says. The board has the authority to make purchasing decisions and it has other pressing priorities, most importantly investing in literacy.
In designing Anoka-Hennepin curriculum, "we aren't limited to what the state requires," adds Arco. "That's a myth. We can expand on that, go beyond it."
In fact, he points out, the district's "Respectful Learning Environment" policy, adopted in 2012, requires exactly that. It mandates that "curricular discussions" about "contentious" political or social issues "be presented in an impartial, balanced and objective manner," and that lessons include "techniques for examining and understanding differing opinions."
"We can require that the Social Studies standards' worldview be presented in the classroom, not as fact, but as opinion, and that alternative perspectives be included," he says. "We can insist that teachers give an opposing view in each case, and that equal time be devoted to both views in every assignment and test."
Arco cites a seventh-grade benchmark that requires students to examine the "consequences of power and privilege on issues associated" with "accumulation of wealth." This can be met, he observes, by studying Japanese-Americans interned in World War II camps. "They unjustly lost their businesses and property, but their work ethic and lack of victim mentality allowed them to recover effectively within a single generation."
Other critics of the standards note that the district can use the American Revolution as an example of "resistance," and the board can allot five minutes to ethnic studies in kindergarten.
As a result of the three members' insistence on keeping the politically charged content at bay, the district will continue to use their existing social studies textbooks and teachers are reminded that all instruction and materials must comply with the district's longstanding policy requiring ideological balance in the classroom.
New boards elsewhere are on the same trajectory
Anoka-Hennepin exemplifies the parent movement's trajectory in 2026.
In Anoka-Hennepin, the movement began in 2021, when one lone parent intent on safeguarding children from the dramatic increase in progressive activism in the classroom stepped up to run. Public awareness and community support grew, and in 2023, two like-minded candidates were elected, creating a 3-3 split on the district's 6-member board.
The newly elected board members worked quickly to acclimate themselves to their role and identify areas where they could use their statutorily defined oversight and decision-making authority to lead change on curricula and other pressing matters. Today, they are doing vital work on issues ranging from budget to teacher contract negotiations.
Along the way, district parents filed numerous public records requests that surfaced thousands of documents revealing how once-trusted curriculum staff had used their delegated authority to prioritize extremist "social justice" curricula and teacher training unrelated to high-quality instruction. The data requests also exposed deeply troubling emails in which teachers expressed disdain for parents who questioned the direction the district was taking.
These document productions resulted in a significant fracture of trust between the community and staff and continue to be cited as evidence of the need for additional oversight by the board.
One of the greatest challenges the board has faced, however, is to contend successfully with abuse of power and lack of accountability at the state level. The high-handed way MDE rammed through the new Social Studies standards exemplifies this.
In 2020, MDE appointed a hand-picked drafting committee to write the standards. The committee was dominated -- not by subject matter experts -- but by activists allied with the "Minnesota Ethnic Studies Coalition," a political advocacy group whose mission is to "center" K-12 public school instruction on groups "erased from mainstream curricula due to persistent racism, patriarchy, xenophobia and linguistic imperialism."
In 2023, MDE retained four national experts to review its draft standards. In confidential reports obtained through a public records request, several critiqued the standards as politically imbalanced, deeply divisive and in many respects, unmeasurable and unteachable.
One reviewer -- a prominent academic who has written and reviewed academic standards for more than 30 years -- deplored both the standards' pervasive bias and the highly skewed process that MDE used to create them.
The purpose of educational standards in a democracy, he explained, is to reflect a "broad consensus" by citizens on the knowledge and skills that "every child (future citizen)" should "gain in school." In terms of political bias, he described the results of his "careful semantic analysis" of the entire document as "deeply dismaying."
The reviewer called on MDE to "seriously consider discarding the entire set of Ethnic-Studies standards and benchmarks, and starting over." He admonished MDE as follows: "I beg the [standards drafting] committee to re-read these benchmarks in light of the very high likelihood that such a clumsy and glaringly unbalanced package will prove to be deeply counter-productive."
But MDE moved ahead, ignoring both its own reviewers and more than 34,000 comments submitted by concerned parents.
Local school boards are the last line of defense
The national parent movement has exposed the clash of agendas between parents, who pay for and entrust their children to public schools, and the education establishment and teachers' union that control those schools.
Parents' primary interest is academic achievement. (Today fewer than half of Minnesota K-12 students can read or do math at grade level.) But teachers' unions and their allies prioritize social change and political activism.
School boards are the final authority on local curriculum decisions. But highly organized union leaders have an unlimited war chest. According to campaign finance reports, organized labor has spent as much as $100,000 per board member to make sure their preferred candidates are elected.
Cristine Trooien is founder of the Minnesota Parents Alliance, an organization formed in 2022 for the purpose of helping parent-endorsed candidates run and win in school board races statewide. After two successful election cycles, it became clear that newly elected, reform-minded school board members supported by parents and voters in their communities did not have the training and support they needed to lead change effectively. The non-profit Minnesota Partnership for Achievement -- which Trooien now directs -- formed in 2024 to meet this need.
"The union strategically frames its public messaging around vague priorities that sound good to most voters -- supporting public education, supporting teachers, increasing funding for schools, addressing student mental health, creating safe and welcoming schools, smaller class sizes," she says. "Their political strategy relies on the fact that most voters will not do any further investigation into what those terms mean to union-aligned candidates and elected board members, or how they plan to accomplish those things."
Education Minnesota, through its local affiliates, "uses member dues to pay for campaign material that features their endorsed candidates alongside simple 'pro-public education' messaging, and no- and low-information voters take it at face value and vote for them."
Despite organized labor's injection of progressive partisan politics into these local contests, school board elections in Minnesota are classified as nonpartisan races. Hardworking, independent challenger candidates simply cannot compete with the money and organization that organized labor easily and routinely deploys. Running against union-endorsed candidates is a daunting proposition. This year, about 300 Minnesota school districts will hold elections and a third of the seats are uncontested, says Trooien. Most districts struggle to find qualified people to fill these seats.
To have a chance at victory, the parent movement must continue to identify and educate strong, capable candidates; equip them to understand and use their power effectively once in office; and support them as they stand up to well-organized educators and activist parent groups.
Minnesota Parents Alliance and Minnesota Partnership for Achievement, along with similar parent organizations across the country, provide this support, operating on the slimmest of resources. "People think decisions about K-12 education are locked up at the state level, but it matters greatly to elect common-sense people to school boards, especially in states like Minnesota where there is such misalignment between our legislature and what our local communities want for their students and their schools," says Trooien.
Trooien points out that, withthe Anoka-Hennepin board's 3-3 split, its parent-endorsed members can hold the line on important issues but need a majority to pass their own initiatives. It's a challenging fight. In 2023, the member who is now spearheading the Social Studies pushback executed an aggressive door-to-door campaign throughout the largest district in the state and won his seat by 12 votes in a recount. He will be up for election again in 2027.
"This is hard work, no one's dream job," Trooien counsels. Unpaid parent board members devote countless hours to the welfare of their district's children and are the constant target of hostile activists. "Volunteering to actively manage and govern your local school district is a deep act of service, and under the current conditions that reform-minded candidates and elected members face, it's nothing sort of heroic."
"Supporters need to stay engaged and continue to encourage newly elected board members to stay the course," she advises. For two years, the three parent-centered board members currently serving on Anoka-Hennepin's board slogged through endless meetings about the Social Studies standards before their good work saw the light of day.
"In 2022, Minnesota Parents Alliance supported more than 120 dedicated candidates and approximately half of them won their race," Trooien observes. "Dozens are up for reelection in 2026 and remarkably, most of them are running again."
"They have every valid reason to walk away, but they're running again because they've seen first-hand how vitally important this role is and they know that organizations like Minnesota Partnership for Achievement are here to support them every step of the way," she says. She emphasizes that to sustain this movement, organizations committed to equipping reform-minded, parent-centered leadership in public K-12 education need robust financial support and a huge public awareness effort.
"If we want education reform, we need to invest in the support systems to sustain it -- and that takes donors and doers," Trooien concludes. The days of allowing the entire K-12 system to operate under the unchallenged power of organized labor are gone. "The number of parents and voters who are awakening to the dramatic decline in our public education system continues to grow, as communities confront the financial and academic repercussions of progressive leadership."
Our state's and our nation's future depends on whether citizens like those in Anoka-Hennepin have the desire, support, and equipping they will need to organize and self-govern. We can have great public schools, but to get them, we must cultivate competent leaders who are willing to roll up their sleeves and deliver.
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Katherine Kersten is a Senior Policy Fellow at Center of the American Experiment.
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Original text here: https://www.americanexperiment.org/the-parents-movement-isnt-dead-its-governing/
[Category: ThinkTank]
Center for American Progress: Trump Tariff Refunds Deliver Corporate Windfall While Small Businesses and Consumers Bear the Costs
WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 (TNSbrep) --- The Center for American Progress issued the following news release:
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Oct 1, 2026
Trump Tariff Refunds Deliver Corporate Windfall While Small Businesses and Consumers Bear the Costs
Washington, D.C. -- Court-ordered refunds from the Trump administration's unlawful tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) are doing little to make small businesses and consumers whole after nearly a year of higher costs. Meanwhile, several large corporations are reporting sizable boosts to their bottom lines after receiving tariff refunds, a new ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 (TNSbrep) --- The Center for American Progress issued the following news release: * * * Oct 1, 2026 Trump Tariff Refunds Deliver Corporate Windfall While Small Businesses and Consumers Bear the Costs Washington, D.C. -- Court-ordered refunds from the Trump administration's unlawful tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) are doing little to make small businesses and consumers whole after nearly a year of higher costs. Meanwhile, several large corporations are reporting sizable boosts to their bottom lines after receiving tariff refunds, a newCenter for American Progress analysis finds.
The nation's roughly 234,000 identified small-business importers paid an average of $426,000 more in tariffs from March 2025 through August 2026 compared with the preceding 18 months--equivalent to about $24,000 more per month. A total of $166 billion in IEEPA tariffs is slated to be refunded to U.S. importers. CAP estimates that approximately $35 billion of the $115 billion in customs-duty refunds recorded from May through August 2026 may be attributable to small-business importers, equal to an estimated average refund of about $149,000 per importer.
"The Trump administration's failed trade agenda continues to be a disaster for small businesses and American consumers," said Ryan Mulholland, senior fellow at CAP and co-author of the analysis. "Small-business importers are not only facing higher costs and continued tariff chaos, but the refunds process has proved challenging and often expensive to navigate. For consumers, who largely paid for the Trump administration's tariffs in the form of higher prices, it is particularly galling that refunds of the Trump administration's unlawful IEEPA tariffs are padding the balance sheets of the largest corporations instead of being returned to their pockets."
The analysis finds:
* Refunds fall far short of the costs small businesses absorbed. Small-business importers paid an estimated $426,000 more in tariffs from March 2025 through August 2026 than during the preceding 18 months. Only the Trump administration's unlawful IEEPA tariffs are being refunded, while businesses remain subject to tariffs imposed under other authorities. CAP estimates that these refunds amount to an average of about $149,000 per small-business importer, far below the additional tariff costs they faced under the Trump administration's broader trade policies.
* Small businesses across the country were hit with higher costs. Identified small-business importers in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., faced increased tariff burdens. In 21 states, the estimated additional tariff cost exceeded $200,000 per importer, while Texas, New Jersey, and Kentucky each saw average increases of more than $300,000.
* The refund process itself can impose additional costs. Refunds are not automatic. Importers or their customs brokers must identify eligible entries and navigate federal filing requirements, and some businesses may need attorneys or other professional assistance. For smaller claims, those costs can substantially reduce the value of a refund.
* Consumers who paid higher prices are unlikely to see that money returned. Tariff costs traveled through complex supply chains before reaching consumers, while refunds legally go to importers of record. That makes it difficult, and often impossible, to direct refunded money back to the households that ultimately paid higher prices.
* Large corporations are already reporting major benefits. Target disclosed that it received nearly $1 billion in tariff refunds, while Ross Stores, Polaris, and Carter's have reported that refunds increased quarterly profits, margins, or earnings per share. Their disclosures emphasized benefits to earnings and shareholders rather than lower prices for customers.
Read the analysis: "Refunds From the Trump Administration's Unlawful Tariffs Are a Windfall for Corporate America, Not for Small Businesses or Consumers" (https://www.americanprogress.org/article/refunds-from-the-trump-administrations-unlawful-tariffs-are-a-windfall-for-corporate-america-not-for-small-businesses-or-consumers/) by Ryan Mulholland, Mimla Wardak, and Kennedy Andara
For more information on this topic or to speak with an expert, please contact Christian Unkenholz at cunkenholz@americanprogress.org.
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Original text here: https://www.americanprogress.org/press/release-trump-tariff-refunds-deliver-corporate-windfall-while-small-businesses-and-consumers-bear-the-costs/
[Category: ThinkTank]
* * *
Oct 1, 2026
Trump Tariff Refunds Deliver Corporate Windfall While Small Businesses and Consumers Bear the Costs
Washington, D.C. -- Court-ordered refunds from the Trump administration's unlawful tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) are doing little to make small businesses and consumers whole after nearly a year of higher costs. Meanwhile, several large corporations are reporting sizable boosts to their bottom lines after receiving tariff refunds, a new ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 (TNSbrep) --- The Center for American Progress issued the following news release: * * * Oct 1, 2026 Trump Tariff Refunds Deliver Corporate Windfall While Small Businesses and Consumers Bear the Costs Washington, D.C. -- Court-ordered refunds from the Trump administration's unlawful tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) are doing little to make small businesses and consumers whole after nearly a year of higher costs. Meanwhile, several large corporations are reporting sizable boosts to their bottom lines after receiving tariff refunds, a newCenter for American Progress analysis finds.
The nation's roughly 234,000 identified small-business importers paid an average of $426,000 more in tariffs from March 2025 through August 2026 compared with the preceding 18 months--equivalent to about $24,000 more per month. A total of $166 billion in IEEPA tariffs is slated to be refunded to U.S. importers. CAP estimates that approximately $35 billion of the $115 billion in customs-duty refunds recorded from May through August 2026 may be attributable to small-business importers, equal to an estimated average refund of about $149,000 per importer.
"The Trump administration's failed trade agenda continues to be a disaster for small businesses and American consumers," said Ryan Mulholland, senior fellow at CAP and co-author of the analysis. "Small-business importers are not only facing higher costs and continued tariff chaos, but the refunds process has proved challenging and often expensive to navigate. For consumers, who largely paid for the Trump administration's tariffs in the form of higher prices, it is particularly galling that refunds of the Trump administration's unlawful IEEPA tariffs are padding the balance sheets of the largest corporations instead of being returned to their pockets."
The analysis finds:
* Refunds fall far short of the costs small businesses absorbed. Small-business importers paid an estimated $426,000 more in tariffs from March 2025 through August 2026 than during the preceding 18 months. Only the Trump administration's unlawful IEEPA tariffs are being refunded, while businesses remain subject to tariffs imposed under other authorities. CAP estimates that these refunds amount to an average of about $149,000 per small-business importer, far below the additional tariff costs they faced under the Trump administration's broader trade policies.
* Small businesses across the country were hit with higher costs. Identified small-business importers in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., faced increased tariff burdens. In 21 states, the estimated additional tariff cost exceeded $200,000 per importer, while Texas, New Jersey, and Kentucky each saw average increases of more than $300,000.
* The refund process itself can impose additional costs. Refunds are not automatic. Importers or their customs brokers must identify eligible entries and navigate federal filing requirements, and some businesses may need attorneys or other professional assistance. For smaller claims, those costs can substantially reduce the value of a refund.
* Consumers who paid higher prices are unlikely to see that money returned. Tariff costs traveled through complex supply chains before reaching consumers, while refunds legally go to importers of record. That makes it difficult, and often impossible, to direct refunded money back to the households that ultimately paid higher prices.
* Large corporations are already reporting major benefits. Target disclosed that it received nearly $1 billion in tariff refunds, while Ross Stores, Polaris, and Carter's have reported that refunds increased quarterly profits, margins, or earnings per share. Their disclosures emphasized benefits to earnings and shareholders rather than lower prices for customers.
Read the analysis: "Refunds From the Trump Administration's Unlawful Tariffs Are a Windfall for Corporate America, Not for Small Businesses or Consumers" (https://www.americanprogress.org/article/refunds-from-the-trump-administrations-unlawful-tariffs-are-a-windfall-for-corporate-america-not-for-small-businesses-or-consumers/) by Ryan Mulholland, Mimla Wardak, and Kennedy Andara
For more information on this topic or to speak with an expert, please contact Christian Unkenholz at cunkenholz@americanprogress.org.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.americanprogress.org/press/release-trump-tariff-refunds-deliver-corporate-windfall-while-small-businesses-and-consumers-bear-the-costs/
[Category: ThinkTank]
Center for American Progress: Beyond Billionaires, the Tax Policy Implications of Who's Rich in America
WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 -- The Center for American Progress issued the following news release:
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Oct 1, 2026
Beyond Billionaires, the Tax Policy Implications of Who's Rich in America
Washington, D.C. -- Thursday, October 8, 2026, at 1:00 p.m., please join the authors of a groundbreaking new book, The Everywhere Millionaires, at the Center for American Progress for a discussion of their findings and their implications for the work to constrain growing wealth inequality. The authors will be joined by a panel of former executive branch and legislative branch policy practitioners and advocates.
If ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 -- The Center for American Progress issued the following news release: * * * Oct 1, 2026 Beyond Billionaires, the Tax Policy Implications of Who's Rich in America Washington, D.C. -- Thursday, October 8, 2026, at 1:00 p.m., please join the authors of a groundbreaking new book, The Everywhere Millionaires, at the Center for American Progress for a discussion of their findings and their implications for the work to constrain growing wealth inequality. The authors will be joined by a panel of former executive branch and legislative branch policy practitioners and advocates. Ifyou want to understand who owns America's wealth, the new book argues, you should look at the tens of thousands of auto dealerships, beverage distributors, and contracting firms spread across the country. These run-of-the-mill businesses are how "the hidden 1%," or Everywhere Millionaires, dominate top American fortunes. And together they have more wealth than America's CEOs or billionaires. The authors argue that understanding the "staggering fortunes" gained from running "unglamorous businesses" in every corner of America is also key for the future of taxation in America.
WHO:
Introductory remarks:
Emily Gee, Senior Vice President, Economic Policy; Senior Fellow, Health Policy, Center for American Progress
Panel conversation:
Owen Zidar, Author of The Everywhere Millionaire and Professor of Economics and Public Affairs, Princeton University
Eric Zwick, Author of The Everywhere Millionaire and Joel F. Gemunder Professor of Economics and Finance, Booth School of Business, University of Chicago
Lily Batchelder, Professor of Taxation, Robert C. Kopple Family Professor of Law, New York University School of Law
Amy Hanauer, Executive Director, Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy
Moderator:
Corey Husak, Director, Tax Policy, Center for American Progress
WHEN:
Thursday, October 8, 2026
1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. EST
WHERE:
Center for American Progress
1333 H Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20005
And online via Zoom
RSVP:
Please RSVP at the following link.
For more information or to speak to an expert, please contact Christian Unkenholz at cunkenholz@americanprogress.org.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.americanprogress.org/press/event-advisory-beyond-billionaires-the-tax-policy-implications-of-whos-rich-in-america/
[Category: ThinkTank]
* * *
Oct 1, 2026
Beyond Billionaires, the Tax Policy Implications of Who's Rich in America
Washington, D.C. -- Thursday, October 8, 2026, at 1:00 p.m., please join the authors of a groundbreaking new book, The Everywhere Millionaires, at the Center for American Progress for a discussion of their findings and their implications for the work to constrain growing wealth inequality. The authors will be joined by a panel of former executive branch and legislative branch policy practitioners and advocates.
If ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 -- The Center for American Progress issued the following news release: * * * Oct 1, 2026 Beyond Billionaires, the Tax Policy Implications of Who's Rich in America Washington, D.C. -- Thursday, October 8, 2026, at 1:00 p.m., please join the authors of a groundbreaking new book, The Everywhere Millionaires, at the Center for American Progress for a discussion of their findings and their implications for the work to constrain growing wealth inequality. The authors will be joined by a panel of former executive branch and legislative branch policy practitioners and advocates. Ifyou want to understand who owns America's wealth, the new book argues, you should look at the tens of thousands of auto dealerships, beverage distributors, and contracting firms spread across the country. These run-of-the-mill businesses are how "the hidden 1%," or Everywhere Millionaires, dominate top American fortunes. And together they have more wealth than America's CEOs or billionaires. The authors argue that understanding the "staggering fortunes" gained from running "unglamorous businesses" in every corner of America is also key for the future of taxation in America.
WHO:
Introductory remarks:
Emily Gee, Senior Vice President, Economic Policy; Senior Fellow, Health Policy, Center for American Progress
Panel conversation:
Owen Zidar, Author of The Everywhere Millionaire and Professor of Economics and Public Affairs, Princeton University
Eric Zwick, Author of The Everywhere Millionaire and Joel F. Gemunder Professor of Economics and Finance, Booth School of Business, University of Chicago
Lily Batchelder, Professor of Taxation, Robert C. Kopple Family Professor of Law, New York University School of Law
Amy Hanauer, Executive Director, Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy
Moderator:
Corey Husak, Director, Tax Policy, Center for American Progress
WHEN:
Thursday, October 8, 2026
1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. EST
WHERE:
Center for American Progress
1333 H Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20005
And online via Zoom
RSVP:
Please RSVP at the following link.
For more information or to speak to an expert, please contact Christian Unkenholz at cunkenholz@americanprogress.org.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.americanprogress.org/press/event-advisory-beyond-billionaires-the-tax-policy-implications-of-whos-rich-in-america/
[Category: ThinkTank]
CSIS Issues States Weekly News Wrap Up on Sept. 30, 2026
WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 -- The Center for Strategic and International Studies issued the following States Weekly - September 30, 2026, news wrap up:
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Big News: Goa publishes a Policy for Life-Course Immunization 2026-2036; Karnataka approves a Sustainable Data Center Policy 2026-2031; Karnataka approves the Karnataka Marine Biotechnology Policy 2026-2031; Maharashtra announces the Global Workforce Mobility Policy 2026; Odisha publishes draft Odisha Pedestrian Safety Rules 2026; and more.
Health
Delhi revises its MCD Health Empanelment Policy. Under the new Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 -- The Center for Strategic and International Studies issued the following States Weekly - September 30, 2026, news wrap up: * * * Big News: Goa publishes a Policy for Life-Course Immunization 2026-2036; Karnataka approves a Sustainable Data Center Policy 2026-2031; Karnataka approves the Karnataka Marine Biotechnology Policy 2026-2031; Maharashtra announces the Global Workforce Mobility Policy 2026; Odisha publishes draft Odisha Pedestrian Safety Rules 2026; and more. Health Delhi revises its MCD Health Empanelment Policy. Under the new Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD)policy, regular employees and dependents will get cashless indoor treatment at empaneled hospitals at Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) rates.
Source: ANI (https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/delhi-mcd-revises-health-policy-for-employees-pensioners-and-senior-citizens20260920080914/)
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Karnataka launches the Karnataka State Multisectoral Action Plan for Salt Reduction and Promotion of Healthy Dietary Habits. The Action Plan specifies measures to cut salt intake by 30 percent by 2030.
Source: Deccan Herald (https://www.deccanherald.com/india/karnataka/karnataka-launches-action-plan-to-reduce-salt-intake-by-30-by-2030-4156242)
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Goa publishes a Policy for Life-Course Immunization 2026-2036. The policy aims to strengthen protection against vaccine-preventable diseases across adulthood.
Source: Express Healthcare (https://www.expresshealthcare.in/news/goa-launches-life-course-immunisation-policy-for-adults/455263/)
In detail: Press Release (https://www.goa.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/646.pdf)
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Nagaland simplifies the registration mechanism for medical, dental, AYUSH, pharmacy, nursing, and allied healthcare practitioners seeking to practice in Nagaland. The Health and Family Welfare Department has dispensed with the requirement of obtaining a "No Objection Certificate" (NOC) from the Council where they are currently registered.
Source: Morung Express (https://morungexpress.com/nagaland-drops-noc-rules-for-healthcare-practitioners)
In detail: Press Release (https://ipr.nagaland.gov.in/nagaland-simplifies-registration-of-healthcare-practitioners-dispenses-noc-requirement0926)
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Climate Change and Energy
Bihar publishes draft BERC (Renewable Purchase Obligation, its Compliance and REC Framework Implementation) (1st Amendment) Regulations, 2026. The regulations, issued by the Bihar Electricity Regulatory Commission (BERC) propose to introduce a storage-linked component into the Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO), requiring a specified share of the obligation to be met through solar and wind energy along with or through energy storage systems.
Source: Saur Energy (https://www.saurenergy.com/solar-energy-news/bihar-proposes-25-4-storage-linked-rpo-through-fy30-12574658)
In detail: Bihar Electricity Regulatory Commission (Renewable Purchase Obligation, its compliance and REC Framework Implementation) (1st Amendment) Regulations, 2026 (https://berc.co.in/rules-requlations/regulations/draft-regulations/3445-draft-regulations-on-berc-renewable-purchase-obligation-its-compliance-and-rec-framework-implementation-1st-amendment-regulations-2026)
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Delhi approves their 'DURGA' e-Auto Scheme. Under the scheme, 1,170 "pink" electric autorickshaws will be allotted to women and 130 to transgender beneficiaries, with a maximum of 90 women-allotted and 10 transgender-allotted autos per revenue district.
Source: Indian Express (https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/delhi-cabinet-clears-durga-scheme-e-autos-for-women-transgender-persons-10891299/)
In detail: Press Release (https://newsonair.gov.in/delhi-cabinet-approves-durga-scheme-1300-pink-e-autos-to-be-allotted-to-women-transgenders/)
* * *
Tamil Nadu launches the Tamil Nadu Rooftop Solar Subsidy Scheme. Under the scheme, consumers eligible for the Union government's subsidy from August 5, 2026, will receive an additional subsidy from the State.
Source: New Indian Express (https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2026/Sep/22/tn-launches-solar-subsidy-scheme-targets-1-lakh-homes)
* * *
Chhattisgarh issues CSERC Third Amendment to the Grid Interactive Distributed Renewable Energy Sources Regulations, 2019. The draft regulations, issued by the Chhattisgarh State Electricity Regulatory Commission (CSERC) seek to update the regulatory framework in line with emerging technologies, including battery energy storage systems (BESS), while addressing operational issues raised by renewable energy developers, distribution licensees, and the State Load Dispatch Center.
Source: Solar Quarter (https://solarquarter.com/2026/09/24/cserc-proposes-5-battery-storage-mandate-for-new-renewable-projects-above-5-mw-from-april-2027-in-chhattisgarh/)
In detail: Draft Chhattisgarh State Electricity Regulatory Commission (Grid Interactive Distributed Renewable Energy Sources) (Third Amendment) Regulations, 2026 (http://cserc.gov.in/CSERC_LIVE/upload/upload_news/22-09-2026_17900781841.pdf)
* * *
The Union Territory of Chandigarh issues a 4th Amendment to the Chandigarh Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy, 2022. The amendment discontinues the cash subsidy under its Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy, 2022, while retaining other incentives, including exemptions on road tax and registration fees.
Source: Hindustan Times (https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/chandigarh-administration-ends-subsidy-under-ev-policy-101790367620813-amp.html)
In detail: 4th Amendments to the Chandigarh Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy, 2022 (https://www.chandigarhev.com/admin/components/whats_new/assets/documents/new-1790312756.pdf)
* * *
Finance
Nothing critical to report this week.
Industrial Policy and Business Regulations
Haryana reimburses 50 percent of eligible expenditure incurred by micro and small enterprises on branding, digital marketing, e-commerce listings, and export promotions. The assistance is capped at $10,433 (INR 10 lakh) per year. Support is being provided under the "PADMA" Designing, Branding, Marketing & Exports Promotion Scheme, part of the state's five-year program to Accelerate Development for MSME Advancement (PADMA).
Source: Times of India (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/haryana-to-foot-half-of-msmes-branding-marketing-bill-to-push-products-into-global-markets/articleshow/134396775.cms)
In detail: Program to Accelerate Development for MSME Advancement (PADMA) (https://cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in/s3f48c04ffab49ff0e5d1176244fdfb65c/uploads/2024/03/20240312190873903.pdf)
* * *
Karnataka approves a Sustainable Data Center Policy 2026-2031. Under this policy, the state will target 1 Gigawatts (GW) of cumulative Data Center IT load and 10-12 percent of India's AI-ready Data Center capacity by 2031.
Source: The Print (https://theprint.in/india/governance/karnataka-cabinet-approves-rs-1300-cr-data-centre-policy-pli-centred-blue-bioeconomy-roadmap/3047214/)
* * *
Karnataka approves the Karnataka Marine Biotechnology Policy 2026-2031. The five-year framework aims at unlocking the economic potential of the state's "Blue Bioeconomy" along its 211 mile (340 km) long coastline.
Source: The Print (https://theprint.in/india/governance/karnataka-cabinet-approves-rs-1300-cr-data-centre-policy-pli-centred-blue-bioeconomy-roadmap/3047214/)
* * *
Land Acquisition and Labor Regulations
Maharashtra announces the Global Workforce Mobility Policy 2026. The policy aims to prepare the state's skilled workforce for employment opportunities in international markets through country-specific training, language courses, certification, and a more secure recruitment process. A key feature of the policy is the proposed development of country-wise "Skill Passports," which will map the manpower requirements and skill needs of different countries.
Source: HRKatha (https://www.hrkatha.com/news/maharashtra-unveils-global-workforce-mobility-policy-2026-to-prepare-skilled-talent-for-overseas-jobs/)
* * *
Infrastructure and Governance
Andhra Pradesh restores higher rates of Additional Quantum of Pension and Family Pension (AQP). The additional old-age pension will apply for eligible pensioners who have reached ages 70 and 75. The revised rates will raise the additional pension from 7 percent to 10 percent at age 70 and from 12 percent to 15 percent at age 75.
Source: Money Control (https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/personal-finance/andhra-pradesh-government-restores-10-and-15-additional-pension-for-those-aged-70-and-75-14036383.html)
In detail: Additional Quantum of Pension and Family Pension Order (https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:VA6C2:a6c5caac-57ae-4f89-be34-1ee65dd2ea9e)
* * *
Bihar approves the 'Mukhyamantri Gaudhan Vikas Rin Yojana' (Chief Minister's Cattle Wealth Development Loan Scheme) for 2026-27 to 2028-29. Under the scheme, the state will pay full interest on bank loans taken for the purchase of 3 improved-breed cows or 2 buffaloes -- farmers will only need to repay the loan principal.
Source: Daily Excelsior (https://www.dailyexcelsior.com/bihar-cabinet-approves-mata-sita-ramdhari-singh-dinkar-universities/)
In detail: Cabinet Decisions (https://state.bihar.gov.in/cache/1/Smart%20City/Cabinet%20Decisions/Press%20Cabinet%2023.09.2026.pdf)
* * *
Gujarat announces its Gujarat State Child Protection Policy 2026. The policy aims to ensure a safe and dignified childhood, with access to education, healthcare, holistic development, and the right to express their views.
Source: The Print (https://theprint.in/india/gujarat-unveils-child-protection-policy-2026/3043635/)
In detail: Press Release (https://cmogujarat.gov.in/en/latest-news/gujarat-state-child-protection-policy-2026-announced-by-gujarat-cm)
* * *
Jammu and Kashmir approves six free domestic Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) refills a year. The free refills apply to eligible 'Antyodaya Anna Yojana' (Food Scheme for the Upliftment of the Poorest) households.
Source: Kashmir Life (https://kashmirlife.net/jammu-kashmir-govt-approves-six-free-lpg-refills-annually-for-aay-families-453530/)
In detail: JK LPG Scheme notification (https://jknewstoday.com/jk-cabinet-approves-six-free-gas-cylinders-per-year-for-aay-families/)
* * *
Punjab announces an 8 percent increase in Dearness Allowance (DA). The revised DA is expected to take effect from September 1, 2026, taking the total DA rate from 42 percent to 50 percent.
Source: Outlook (https://www.outlookmoney.com/news/punjab-da-hike-state-government-employees-pensioners-to-get-8-increase)
In detail: DA Notification (https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:VA6C2:dd08797c-607c-4bda-b3bb-dfda98a38354)
* * *
Odisha publishes draft Odisha Pedestrian Safety Rules 2026. The rules aim to improve pedestrian safety across the state, proposing mandatory footpaths, safer crossings, stricter enforcement against encroachments, and protection of vulnerable road users.
Source: Times of India (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/govt-frames-draft-rules-for-pedestrian-safety/amp_articleshow/134486520.cms)
In detail: Odisha Pedestrian Safety Rules, 2026 (https://ct.odisha.gov.in/sites/default/files/2026-09/12101_1.pdf)
* * *
Water and Sanitation
Nothing critical to report this week.
Center - State Relations
The Union government extends "disturbed area" status in specified areas of Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, and Manipur for another six months from October 1, 2026. The extension is ordered under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958.
Source: New Indian Express (https://www.newindianexpress.com/india/2026/Sep/25/mha-extends-afspa-in-parts-of-manipur-nagaland-arunachal-pradesh-for-another-six-months)
In detail: AFSPA Notification - Arunachal Pradesh (PDF); AFSPA Notification -Manipur (https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/assam-approves-rules-for-compulsory-registration-of-muslim-marriages-12095620); AFSPA Notification -Nagaland (https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:VA6C2:b513fc2c-49e2-4843-977a-ed6de6173fe5)
* * *
Any Other
Assam approves the Assam Muslim Marriage Registration (Compulsory) Rules, 2026. The rules call for all Muslim marriages to be registered by civil-registrar officials.
Source: NDTV (https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/assam-approves-rules-for-compulsory-registration-of-muslim-marriages-12095620)
* * *
Original text here: https://www.csis.org/analysis/states-weekly-september-30-2026
[Category: ThinkTank]
* * *
Big News: Goa publishes a Policy for Life-Course Immunization 2026-2036; Karnataka approves a Sustainable Data Center Policy 2026-2031; Karnataka approves the Karnataka Marine Biotechnology Policy 2026-2031; Maharashtra announces the Global Workforce Mobility Policy 2026; Odisha publishes draft Odisha Pedestrian Safety Rules 2026; and more.
Health
Delhi revises its MCD Health Empanelment Policy. Under the new Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 -- The Center for Strategic and International Studies issued the following States Weekly - September 30, 2026, news wrap up: * * * Big News: Goa publishes a Policy for Life-Course Immunization 2026-2036; Karnataka approves a Sustainable Data Center Policy 2026-2031; Karnataka approves the Karnataka Marine Biotechnology Policy 2026-2031; Maharashtra announces the Global Workforce Mobility Policy 2026; Odisha publishes draft Odisha Pedestrian Safety Rules 2026; and more. Health Delhi revises its MCD Health Empanelment Policy. Under the new Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD)policy, regular employees and dependents will get cashless indoor treatment at empaneled hospitals at Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) rates.
Source: ANI (https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/delhi-mcd-revises-health-policy-for-employees-pensioners-and-senior-citizens20260920080914/)
* * *
Karnataka launches the Karnataka State Multisectoral Action Plan for Salt Reduction and Promotion of Healthy Dietary Habits. The Action Plan specifies measures to cut salt intake by 30 percent by 2030.
Source: Deccan Herald (https://www.deccanherald.com/india/karnataka/karnataka-launches-action-plan-to-reduce-salt-intake-by-30-by-2030-4156242)
* * *
Goa publishes a Policy for Life-Course Immunization 2026-2036. The policy aims to strengthen protection against vaccine-preventable diseases across adulthood.
Source: Express Healthcare (https://www.expresshealthcare.in/news/goa-launches-life-course-immunisation-policy-for-adults/455263/)
In detail: Press Release (https://www.goa.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/646.pdf)
* * *
Nagaland simplifies the registration mechanism for medical, dental, AYUSH, pharmacy, nursing, and allied healthcare practitioners seeking to practice in Nagaland. The Health and Family Welfare Department has dispensed with the requirement of obtaining a "No Objection Certificate" (NOC) from the Council where they are currently registered.
Source: Morung Express (https://morungexpress.com/nagaland-drops-noc-rules-for-healthcare-practitioners)
In detail: Press Release (https://ipr.nagaland.gov.in/nagaland-simplifies-registration-of-healthcare-practitioners-dispenses-noc-requirement0926)
* * *
Climate Change and Energy
Bihar publishes draft BERC (Renewable Purchase Obligation, its Compliance and REC Framework Implementation) (1st Amendment) Regulations, 2026. The regulations, issued by the Bihar Electricity Regulatory Commission (BERC) propose to introduce a storage-linked component into the Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO), requiring a specified share of the obligation to be met through solar and wind energy along with or through energy storage systems.
Source: Saur Energy (https://www.saurenergy.com/solar-energy-news/bihar-proposes-25-4-storage-linked-rpo-through-fy30-12574658)
In detail: Bihar Electricity Regulatory Commission (Renewable Purchase Obligation, its compliance and REC Framework Implementation) (1st Amendment) Regulations, 2026 (https://berc.co.in/rules-requlations/regulations/draft-regulations/3445-draft-regulations-on-berc-renewable-purchase-obligation-its-compliance-and-rec-framework-implementation-1st-amendment-regulations-2026)
* * *
Delhi approves their 'DURGA' e-Auto Scheme. Under the scheme, 1,170 "pink" electric autorickshaws will be allotted to women and 130 to transgender beneficiaries, with a maximum of 90 women-allotted and 10 transgender-allotted autos per revenue district.
Source: Indian Express (https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/delhi-cabinet-clears-durga-scheme-e-autos-for-women-transgender-persons-10891299/)
In detail: Press Release (https://newsonair.gov.in/delhi-cabinet-approves-durga-scheme-1300-pink-e-autos-to-be-allotted-to-women-transgenders/)
* * *
Tamil Nadu launches the Tamil Nadu Rooftop Solar Subsidy Scheme. Under the scheme, consumers eligible for the Union government's subsidy from August 5, 2026, will receive an additional subsidy from the State.
Source: New Indian Express (https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2026/Sep/22/tn-launches-solar-subsidy-scheme-targets-1-lakh-homes)
* * *
Chhattisgarh issues CSERC Third Amendment to the Grid Interactive Distributed Renewable Energy Sources Regulations, 2019. The draft regulations, issued by the Chhattisgarh State Electricity Regulatory Commission (CSERC) seek to update the regulatory framework in line with emerging technologies, including battery energy storage systems (BESS), while addressing operational issues raised by renewable energy developers, distribution licensees, and the State Load Dispatch Center.
Source: Solar Quarter (https://solarquarter.com/2026/09/24/cserc-proposes-5-battery-storage-mandate-for-new-renewable-projects-above-5-mw-from-april-2027-in-chhattisgarh/)
In detail: Draft Chhattisgarh State Electricity Regulatory Commission (Grid Interactive Distributed Renewable Energy Sources) (Third Amendment) Regulations, 2026 (http://cserc.gov.in/CSERC_LIVE/upload/upload_news/22-09-2026_17900781841.pdf)
* * *
The Union Territory of Chandigarh issues a 4th Amendment to the Chandigarh Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy, 2022. The amendment discontinues the cash subsidy under its Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy, 2022, while retaining other incentives, including exemptions on road tax and registration fees.
Source: Hindustan Times (https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/chandigarh-administration-ends-subsidy-under-ev-policy-101790367620813-amp.html)
In detail: 4th Amendments to the Chandigarh Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy, 2022 (https://www.chandigarhev.com/admin/components/whats_new/assets/documents/new-1790312756.pdf)
* * *
Finance
Nothing critical to report this week.
Industrial Policy and Business Regulations
Haryana reimburses 50 percent of eligible expenditure incurred by micro and small enterprises on branding, digital marketing, e-commerce listings, and export promotions. The assistance is capped at $10,433 (INR 10 lakh) per year. Support is being provided under the "PADMA" Designing, Branding, Marketing & Exports Promotion Scheme, part of the state's five-year program to Accelerate Development for MSME Advancement (PADMA).
Source: Times of India (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/haryana-to-foot-half-of-msmes-branding-marketing-bill-to-push-products-into-global-markets/articleshow/134396775.cms)
In detail: Program to Accelerate Development for MSME Advancement (PADMA) (https://cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in/s3f48c04ffab49ff0e5d1176244fdfb65c/uploads/2024/03/20240312190873903.pdf)
* * *
Karnataka approves a Sustainable Data Center Policy 2026-2031. Under this policy, the state will target 1 Gigawatts (GW) of cumulative Data Center IT load and 10-12 percent of India's AI-ready Data Center capacity by 2031.
Source: The Print (https://theprint.in/india/governance/karnataka-cabinet-approves-rs-1300-cr-data-centre-policy-pli-centred-blue-bioeconomy-roadmap/3047214/)
* * *
Karnataka approves the Karnataka Marine Biotechnology Policy 2026-2031. The five-year framework aims at unlocking the economic potential of the state's "Blue Bioeconomy" along its 211 mile (340 km) long coastline.
Source: The Print (https://theprint.in/india/governance/karnataka-cabinet-approves-rs-1300-cr-data-centre-policy-pli-centred-blue-bioeconomy-roadmap/3047214/)
* * *
Land Acquisition and Labor Regulations
Maharashtra announces the Global Workforce Mobility Policy 2026. The policy aims to prepare the state's skilled workforce for employment opportunities in international markets through country-specific training, language courses, certification, and a more secure recruitment process. A key feature of the policy is the proposed development of country-wise "Skill Passports," which will map the manpower requirements and skill needs of different countries.
Source: HRKatha (https://www.hrkatha.com/news/maharashtra-unveils-global-workforce-mobility-policy-2026-to-prepare-skilled-talent-for-overseas-jobs/)
* * *
Infrastructure and Governance
Andhra Pradesh restores higher rates of Additional Quantum of Pension and Family Pension (AQP). The additional old-age pension will apply for eligible pensioners who have reached ages 70 and 75. The revised rates will raise the additional pension from 7 percent to 10 percent at age 70 and from 12 percent to 15 percent at age 75.
Source: Money Control (https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/personal-finance/andhra-pradesh-government-restores-10-and-15-additional-pension-for-those-aged-70-and-75-14036383.html)
In detail: Additional Quantum of Pension and Family Pension Order (https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:VA6C2:a6c5caac-57ae-4f89-be34-1ee65dd2ea9e)
* * *
Bihar approves the 'Mukhyamantri Gaudhan Vikas Rin Yojana' (Chief Minister's Cattle Wealth Development Loan Scheme) for 2026-27 to 2028-29. Under the scheme, the state will pay full interest on bank loans taken for the purchase of 3 improved-breed cows or 2 buffaloes -- farmers will only need to repay the loan principal.
Source: Daily Excelsior (https://www.dailyexcelsior.com/bihar-cabinet-approves-mata-sita-ramdhari-singh-dinkar-universities/)
In detail: Cabinet Decisions (https://state.bihar.gov.in/cache/1/Smart%20City/Cabinet%20Decisions/Press%20Cabinet%2023.09.2026.pdf)
* * *
Gujarat announces its Gujarat State Child Protection Policy 2026. The policy aims to ensure a safe and dignified childhood, with access to education, healthcare, holistic development, and the right to express their views.
Source: The Print (https://theprint.in/india/gujarat-unveils-child-protection-policy-2026/3043635/)
In detail: Press Release (https://cmogujarat.gov.in/en/latest-news/gujarat-state-child-protection-policy-2026-announced-by-gujarat-cm)
* * *
Jammu and Kashmir approves six free domestic Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) refills a year. The free refills apply to eligible 'Antyodaya Anna Yojana' (Food Scheme for the Upliftment of the Poorest) households.
Source: Kashmir Life (https://kashmirlife.net/jammu-kashmir-govt-approves-six-free-lpg-refills-annually-for-aay-families-453530/)
In detail: JK LPG Scheme notification (https://jknewstoday.com/jk-cabinet-approves-six-free-gas-cylinders-per-year-for-aay-families/)
* * *
Punjab announces an 8 percent increase in Dearness Allowance (DA). The revised DA is expected to take effect from September 1, 2026, taking the total DA rate from 42 percent to 50 percent.
Source: Outlook (https://www.outlookmoney.com/news/punjab-da-hike-state-government-employees-pensioners-to-get-8-increase)
In detail: DA Notification (https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:VA6C2:dd08797c-607c-4bda-b3bb-dfda98a38354)
* * *
Odisha publishes draft Odisha Pedestrian Safety Rules 2026. The rules aim to improve pedestrian safety across the state, proposing mandatory footpaths, safer crossings, stricter enforcement against encroachments, and protection of vulnerable road users.
Source: Times of India (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/govt-frames-draft-rules-for-pedestrian-safety/amp_articleshow/134486520.cms)
In detail: Odisha Pedestrian Safety Rules, 2026 (https://ct.odisha.gov.in/sites/default/files/2026-09/12101_1.pdf)
* * *
Water and Sanitation
Nothing critical to report this week.
Center - State Relations
The Union government extends "disturbed area" status in specified areas of Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, and Manipur for another six months from October 1, 2026. The extension is ordered under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958.
Source: New Indian Express (https://www.newindianexpress.com/india/2026/Sep/25/mha-extends-afspa-in-parts-of-manipur-nagaland-arunachal-pradesh-for-another-six-months)
In detail: AFSPA Notification - Arunachal Pradesh (PDF); AFSPA Notification -Manipur (https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/assam-approves-rules-for-compulsory-registration-of-muslim-marriages-12095620); AFSPA Notification -Nagaland (https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:VA6C2:b513fc2c-49e2-4843-977a-ed6de6173fe5)
* * *
Any Other
Assam approves the Assam Muslim Marriage Registration (Compulsory) Rules, 2026. The rules call for all Muslim marriages to be registered by civil-registrar officials.
Source: NDTV (https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/assam-approves-rules-for-compulsory-registration-of-muslim-marriages-12095620)
* * *
Original text here: https://www.csis.org/analysis/states-weekly-september-30-2026
[Category: ThinkTank]