Author profile

Follow author updates

Michael McKenna

Michael McKenna, a columnist for The Washington Times, is the president of MWR Strategies. He was most recently a deputy assistant to the president and deputy director of the Office of Legislative Affairs at the White House. He can be reached at mike@mwrstrat.com.

Columns by Michael McKenna

The case for DeSantis over Trump

As the Republican primary contest becomes more crowded, and in the wake of the indictment of former President Donald Trump, it might be worth taking a look at the results of recent opinion research.

June 24, 2023

Yes, Sen. Cramer, you do support a tax on energy

A few days ago, four Republican senators joined four Democrats and Sen. Angus King, Maine independent, to introduce legislation that would set the federal government down the path of imposing a tax on carbon dioxide.

June 22, 2023

Liberals have become increasingly dissatisfied over last several decades

For a number of years, academics have developed and examined data that clearly indicates that those Americans who identify politically as liberals are less happy than those who identify as conservative.

June 17, 2023

Much obliged: Gratitude binds us to one another

A friend recently paid off her student loans after 10 long years. That thankless journey to some semblance of financial independence seemed to be an occasion worth marking with some sort of token, and so it was.

June 14, 2023

Recycling is better for the environment than electric vehicles

It turns out that curbside recycling actually provides more environmental benefits than many of the most sacred cows of the environmental left -- including, most notably, electric vehicles.

June 9, 2023

Running on his record: Donald Trump is no longer an insurgent candidate

A few days ago, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis promised that he would replace Christopher Wray, the current director of the FBI, on his first day in the event he is elected president.

June 7, 2023

Real test of Fiscal Responsibility Act will be sturdiness of spending targets

Without taking sides on the wisdom of the debt limit increase (unironically named the "Fiscal Responsibility Act"), a couple of features of the deal and the surrounding conversation are worth noting.

June 2, 2023

Be wary of early poll results

Now that the field for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination is starting to settle, it seems an auspicious moment to offer the usual warning about the results of opinion research.

May 31, 2023

Forget the ‘obituary test’: Live instead to prepare for God’s judgment of your life

Last week, as part of a lovely graduation ceremony, the dean of a business school encouraged graduates to pursue things that give life relevance outside of the workplace.

May 28, 2023

Durham’s history term paper fails to produce any justice

John Durham, the special counsel appointed back in October 2020 to examine the origins of the claims that Russia had somehow involved itself in the 2016 election, finally closed up shop a couple of weeks ago.

May 24, 2023

Gorsuch: Coronavirus policies ‘the greatest intrusions on civil liberties’ in peacetime

In a Supreme Court decision last week, Justice Neil M. Gorsuch offered a scathing rebuke to how the U.S. handled COVID-19 both legally and policy-wise.

May 23, 2023

The hazards of permitting reform in getting energy projects built on time

As Sen. Tom Carper gets ready to add to the melange of proposed permitting legislation, it might be worth thinking about whether the current batch of permitting reform may do more harm than good.

May 20, 2023

In wake of a budget deal, Republicans should get ready for longer fight

As we head toward what seems to be a deal on the debt limit and associated spending reforms, it is worth thinking about what we can learn from this experience.

May 17, 2023

Biden is coming for your cars, all of your cars

As part of the propaganda surrounding the White House's effort to ban gasoline-powered cars, President Biden implies that there will be a seamless exchange where current cars and trucks are traded for shinier, more hip, better electric cars and trucks.

May 14, 2023