September marks the second anniversary of Inclusive Abundance. It’s incredible how much the abundance movement – and this organization – have grown during that time.
Last week we co-hosted the second annual Abundance Conference: a sold-out convening featuring lawmakers, thought leaders, funders, and experts from across the political spectrum, brainstorming how we can make progress on everything from energy permitting and innovation to housing and infrastructure.
Derek opened the conference by talking with three Congressional Build America Caucus members about how we can translate the energy of the growing abundance movement into action. For more about the conference, see coverage – featuring Derek! – in Semafor and from Josh Barro, whose takeaway was that “abundance is a bipartisan project.”
For us, abundance isn’t just aspirational – it also needs to be concrete. Here’s the latest on how we’re making that happen:
What We Are Doing
The Congressional Build America Caucus we helped organize and launch this past summer is off to a productive start. In June, Chair Josh Harder and 20 bipartisan House members sent a letter to the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure advocating for clear policies to speed up infrastructure and housing construction in the next surface transportation reauthorization bill.
The caucus also launched a new website and is now pushing for energy permitting reform. At Abundance 2025, Derek moderated a panel with three members of the Build America Caucus – Chair Rep. Josh Harder and Reps. Celeste Maloy and Ritchie Torres.
Credit: Linnea Farnsworth
We’re also excited to add a new member to the Inclusive Abundance Team. Please join me in welcoming Brianna Johnson as Head of Communications! Get to know Brianna via her bio and Meet the Team questionnaire – and reach out if you’d like to connect.
We’ve also been busy:
- Hosting a conversation with Senator Catherine Cortez-Masto about ModSquad, which she leads to support moderate Democratic senators and candidates, and the abundance agenda
- Publishing an article in AFIRE about how energy and real estate investors can work together to unlock abundance in housing, energy, and the economy
What We Are Thinking
Abundance 2025 made clear that enthusiasm for the abundance agenda is growing – but the most important question is how to translate that momentum into real policy change. There have already been huge wins when it comes to housing – for example, Gov. Newsom’s recent signing of two housing reform bills and Senators Tim Scott and Elizabeth Warren’s ROAD to Housing Act passing 24-0 through the U.S. Senate Banking Committee.
While the ROAD to Housing Act moves through the Senate, we see energy permitting reform as the next opportunity for an abundance win at the federal level. Key Republicans and Democrats are both on the record supporting a potential deal to improve our grid and reduce unnecessary delays in permitting – notably, Abundance 2025 featured a conversation between House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Brett Guthrie and Congressman Scott Peters. And pressure will continue to increase ahead of the midterm elections as voters feel the impact of energy rate hikes.
Meanwhile, it’s clear more candidates see abundance as a winning message. Last month, building on our spring conversation with New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill, she released her “Save You Time & Money” agenda to modernize state government to cut delays and costs for residents and businesses – and embraced an all-the-above energy policy.
We look forward to continuing to support bipartisan progress on permitting reform and to help candidates deliver winning messages on abundance.
What We Are Reading
- The Argument, a new publication from Jerusalem Demsas making a positive case for liberalism
- Derek Thompson’s new Substack
- Our own Joshua Seawell’s Finally, a smart solution for downtown LA’s empty skyscrapers
- Matthew Meyers, Victoria Ren & Maxwell Stern on why they founded Students for Abundance
- Rep. Celeste Maloy on why the ‘most important’ issue facing Congress is removing federal barriers to building energy and infrastructure
- Steve Teles’ Varieties of Abundance
What We Are Hearing
- Derek Thompson in conversation with Matt Yglesias about the Politics of Abundance
- The Right of Way Podcast on energy policy and permitting reform from the Foundation for American Innovation’s Thomas Hochman and IFP’s Pavan Venkatakrishnan
SEE YOU THERE!
Sept 14-16, New Haven, CT: YIMBYTown. Derek Kaufman will be in conversation with Arnold Ventures’ Charlie Anderson. Registration is closed.
Oct 21, Washington, DC: The New Liberal Action Summit. Rep. Josh Harder and Baillee Brown will be speakers. Register here.
This newsletter is a product of Inclusive Abundance Action, our 501(c)(4).