*The Cato Institute's Congressional Fellowships have been designed to conform with House and Senate ethics rules.
**Please note that still images, videos, and general descriptions of the Fellowship may be used in future promotional materials.
DATES
Thursday evenings
Thursday, January 9, 2025 - Thursday, March 6, 2025
LOCATION
Capitol Hill Adjacent Restaurant - TBD
Congressional Fellowship
The Cato Institute’s Congressional Fellowship in Tax & Trade Policy
Join us for the Cato Institute's 2025 Congressional Fellowship in Tax & Trade Policy, a nine-week fellowship for congressional staff interested in exploring the practical application of free-market economics. Open to congressional staff of any party or ideology, the fellowship will consist of weekly receptions and discussions featuring experts from various fields of economics.
Through readings, lectures, and discussions, participants will have an opportunity to explore core principles of free market economics applied to issues such as the benefits of lower-rate tax systems, opportunities for tax reforms, the geopolitics of trade, and how trade contributes to domestic prosperity.
Those who are interested in participating can find more information below and are encouraged to submit a statement of interest. Preference will be given to early submissions, and participants must commit to attending no fewer than six of the nine sessions. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at GovAffairs@cato.org.
Sessions will be held on Thursdays from January 9 to March 6 at a restaurant adjacent to Capitol Hill from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be served.
Tentative Schedule
THURSDAY, JANUARY 9
5:30-8:30 PM
Fellowship Opening Reception
Tax Code Basics
THURSDAY, JANUARY 16
6:00-8:00 PM
Understanding the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
Reception and Discussion
THURSDAY, JANUARY 23
6:00-8:00 PM
Radical Tax Reforms
Reception and Discussion
THURSDAY, JANUARY 30
6:00-8:00 PM
The International Perspective
Reception and Discussion
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6
6:00-8:00 PM
Trade Economics 101
Reception and Discussion
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13
6:00-8:00 PM
Presidential Trade Authority
Reception and Discussion
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20
6:00-8:00 PM
Understanding Global Competitiveness
Reception and Discussion
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27
6:00-8:00 PM
Geopolitics of Trade & the China Challenge
Reception and Discussion
THURSDAY, March 6
5:30-8:30 PM
Fellowship Closing Reception
With Cato Scholars, Staff, and Program Alumni
The foundations of economic freedom are personal choice, voluntary exchange, and open markets. As Adam Smith, F. A. Hayek, and Milton Friedman stressed, freedom of exchange and minimally regulated markets provide the fuel for economic progress. Without exchange and entrepreneurial activity coordinated through markets rather than by governments, modern living standards would be impossible. Cato scholars explore policy reforms that could increase growth by strengthening property rights and the rule of law, safeguarding the value of money, reducing excessive taxes and regulations, scaling back government interference with trade and immigration, and reducing federal spending on programs that harm economic productivity.