Regulatory Policy Internship - Summer 2026 - PAID

Company Overview

The American Action Forum (AAF) is a forward-looking, non-profit policy institute dedicated to keeping America strong, free, and prosperous. It seeks to promote common-sense, innovative, and solutions-based policies that will reform government, challenge outdated assumptions, and create a smaller, smarter government that will serve its citizens better. As a unique, fast-paced “action” tank, we use the modern tools of communications to deploy ideas; engage Americans in the debate over the boundaries of government policy, personal freedoms, and market incentives; and educate and challenge the media to explore these issues and shape the next generation of political leaders.

Internship Summary

As an intern in the regulatory policy issue area, you will report directly to Dan Goldbeck, the Director of Regulatory Policy at AAF. The regulatory team at AAF focuses their research on examining the rulemaking efforts of administrative agencies and Congress. Their work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Hill, Reuters, and The Washington Post, among other publications.

The team publishes a weekly regulation roundup and ongoing regulatory burden database on the American Action Forum website. The regulation issue area often interacts with other Forum issue areas heavily impacted by federal rulemakings, such as health care, environmental, and labor policy.

A few examples of projects completed by previous interns in the Regulatory Policy Internship Program include:

• Published article on cost-benefit changes of federal rules in Regulation Magazine
• Aided with formal comment letters to administrative agencies
• Helped to expand Regulatory Policy data tools such as RegRodeo.com
• Monitored important regulatory votes and hearings in the House and Senate

Responsibilities and Duties

As part of the internship, your responsibilities will include but are not limited to the following:

• Research assistance: Interns will provide research assistance and data collection for their issue area director
• Event attendance: Interns will attend Capitol Hill hearings, private speaker events, and events held by other DC think tanks to analyze and report on the information presented
• AAF event support: Interns will help promote, run, and evaluate all AAF events
• Semester portfolio and presentation: Interns will create a portfolio to showcase their work completed at the Forum and give a brief presentation on a topic of their choice

Qualifications and Skills

• Prerequisite of macroeconomic and microeconomic courses
• Excellent writing ability and communication skills
• An interest in the politics and policies of center-right conservatives
• Self-starting attitude
• Strong quantitative skills are highly desired

Hours and Compensation

• Interns must be available to work 20 to 29 hours per week in-person in Washington, D.C.
• Interns will earn an hourly wage
• Interns will use their own computer/equipment
• This is a part-time, paid internship

How to Apply
Please include in your application a resume, cover letter, and writing sample of less than 1,000 words.

• Documents must be submitted as a PDF file with the following file name:
  • Resume: LastName_Resume_Regulatory
  • Cover Letter: LastName_CL_Regulatory
  • Writing Sample: LastName_WS_Regulatory
  • (Example: Jane Doe’s Resume – Doe_Resume_Regulatory)