Dear {name}:

Given this is our first email of 2026, I want to take the opportunity to wish you a happy and prosperous new year!

In my New Year's Eve address, I stated that 2026 was going to be rough and tumble, and if the first two weeks have been any indicator, I may have underestimated just how rough things may eventually get. The uncovering of massive fraud in the state of Minnesota in which much of what has been uncovered to date is being perpetrated by Somalis; large-scale uprisings against deportations of illegal aliens in cities such as Minneapolis, New York and Los Angeles that appear to be largely funded by shadowy foreign state and transnational actors; a pause in immigration from 75 countries; a precision raid on Venezuela that signals a return to the Monroe Doctrine. These developments, along with the replacement of globalization with a form of mercantilism, inform me this could be the year when many simmering societal and economic issues burst into plain sight.

The Trump administration is going to have its hands full as it maneuvers through treacherous geopolitical currents while minimizing the impact of self-inflicted wounds and preventing the loss of the House in the mid-term elections. We too are going to have our hands full, but we are off to a good start.

Last year we began speaking to clubs at colleges and universities on the harm being done to our recent STEM graduates (especially computer science majors) by the STEM OPT program that grants a three-year work authorization to foreign students who graduate with STEM degrees. We spoke at two colleges at the end of last year and have a goal to speak at six this year. I am proud to say we already have three lectures scheduled.

Several bills will be introduced in the House in the coming months that were inspired by our policy work. Speaking of policy, our definitive tell-all on the H-1B visa was published in the winter edition of the American Affairs Journal. Be sure to check it out.

You can expect a lot from us in 2026 and consequently, we are going to expect a lot from you. When speaking truth to power, we have proven to be unflinching, calling things as we see them. But that comes at a price. Over the years we have frustrated one large funder after another who either asked us to pull a punch or go with the popular over the ground truth as I saw it. As a result, we rely more on individual donors than ever.

By becoming a sustaining donor for $20 a month, for the cost of a cup of coffee a week, you can keep us in the fight. So please donate.

Onward,

Kevin Lynn

Executive Director, Institute for Sound Public Policy

Founder, U.S. Tech Workers