Dan Lips

In the @FT today, I explain how President Trump, the Treasury Department, and @SenJoniErnst are working to save tens of billions by strengthening the Do Not Pay system, which President Obama created in 2010. This reform should have bipartisan support. @SenatorDurbin @RonWyden @SenGaryPeters sponsored similar reforms last year.

Congress transformed 529 accounts into lifelong learning accounts. Now states can make them work for every child, especially those whose families struggle to save. FREOPP's @DanLips on how ⤵️ freopp.org/whitepapers/st…

This tracks what our DC Civil Rights Advisory Committee investigation found in DC: DCPS was rationing private placements and special education services based on who could hire lawyers to issue due process complaints.

TLDR: State policymakers can help promote equal opportunity for children living below median income and wealth. Establishing policies or programs to contribute funds into 529 accounts is an excellent first step. Read the full report by @DanLips 👇 freopp.org/whitepapers/st…

@EduIndependence One way to do this would be to transfer unspent funds into 529s which are owned by the student. Approximately 16M Americans already have $500B in 529s. Unlikely these accounts will be tightly regulated or used as a compliance tool in the future.

@DanLips Thoughtful design matters. But historically, every government funding mechanism expands over time. What could begin as a savings tool becomes a compliance framework. The family that conserves well today may find those funds restricted/regulated tomorrow.

K-12 ESA's should be designed to allow families to conserve $ and save funds for future use (including future tutoring, enrichment, college, job training costs etc) to prevent tuition inflation

I rang the bell! My middle child Betsy and sweet wife @AprilPonnuru were there to celebrate with me.

Ramesh's final chemotherapy treatment is tomorrow. In your charity, please pray for @RameshPonnuru this week--that his health will be completely restored. He is deeply loved, as our friends and family have demonstrated so well over these last eight months. ❤️🙏

"Full-spectrum" education choice has the potential to close wealth gaps, expand access to tutoring and enrichment, and give every American a real stake in their own human capital. @DanLips and @mctoth on what that looks like in practice 👉 nationalaffairs.com/publications/d…

One of the most powerful education savings tools in America is almost entirely out of reach for families living below median income and wealth. @DanLips writes: State policymakers have the tools to close that gap so all American children can thrive. freopp.org/whitepapers/st…

Americans hold $500B+ in 529 accounts — but ownership among households below median income is just 0.3%. New @FREOPP whitepaper: here's how states can close the gap and make education savings work for everyone.

Check out the full breakdown from @FREOPP by @DanLips: freopp.org/whitepapers/st…

Full commentary here: dailysignal.com/2026/04/14/for…

1/2 @DanLips is head of policy and a senior fellow at @JoinFAI, a senior fellow at @FREOPP, and a @FreeConTalk signatory. Lips has spent decades working in public policy, including stints with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Heritage Foundation, the Cato Institute, and the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. He also helped birth the concept of ESAs. In a recent @NationalAffairs piece coauthored with Michael Toth, Lips presented an agenda for “full-spectrum school choice” that includes expanded child-savings accounts, job training programs, lifelong-learning accounts, and other reforms. Giving parents and students a wide range of options “creates new opportunities for teachers, school leaders, and entrepreneurs to provide high-quality instruction, learning models, and other services that have the potential to dramatically increase the return on taxpayers' investment in public schooling,” Lips and Toth wrote. “And as vehicles for administering public benefits, education accounts have the further potential to achieve broader public-policy goals, including promoting lifelong learning, encouraging job training, and even reducing wealth inequality and promoting retirement security. “In the future, these accounts may serve as the primary policy lever for promoting the development of human capital and intergenerational social mobility.” Link in the comments. #FreeCon

The school choice debate used to be about where kids go to school. Now it's about where, when, and how Americans learn at every stage of life. FREOPP's @DanLips and @UT_Civitas's @mctoth lay out the full policy architecture in a must-read piece. nationalaffairs.com/publications/d…

Three big policy movements are reshaping how Americans build skills and wealth: ✅ K-12 education choice ✅ Child savings accounts ✅ Job training vouchers They've been working in parallel. @DanLips and @mctoth say it's time to align them. 🔗 nationalaffairs.com/publications/d…

American elementary and secondary education is in the process of radical reform. In an essay jointly authored with @DanLips, Civitas Institute research director @mctoth details the latest changes in education access, from the expansion of Child Savings Accounts to the continued development of lifelong learning programs. Read the @NationalAffairs essay here: nationalaffairs.pulse.ly/hz7a8jvivm

7 in 10 low-income D.C. 4th graders score below basic in reading. A new federal scholarship program could fund private school, tutoring, and enrichment for the kids who need help. The only question: will @MayorBowser let DC kids benefit? @FREOPP

The new human-capital infrastructure is taking shape: - State-level K-12 ESAs - Expanded 529 accounts - CSAs and Trump Accounts -Job Training Accounts Millions of Americans stand to benefit. Whether policymakers seize the moment is the question. @mctoth and I make the case in the new issue of @NationalAffairs 👇