The 2026 midterm elections will reshape the political landscape in Washington. What will the results mean for how America engages with the world? As a new Congress prepares to take office, lawmakers will confront consequential choices about U.S. priorities and engagement abroad. Join SPP's Foreign Policy, Strategy and Statecraft (FPSS) Program for a conversation with experts from across the political spectrum on what the election results mean for Washington and the next Congress. Moderated by Professor and FPSS Director Josh Shifrinson, the discussion will explore the choices ahead and what they could mean for U.S. foreign policy and America’s role in the world.
Featured Guest Speakers:
Ryan Morgan, Knight First Amendment Institute
Ryan Morgan is the policy fellow at the Knight First Amendment Institute. Morgan joined the Knight Institute after nearly seven years on Capitol Hill, where he worked as a policy advisor to Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (MN-05), serving as her chief foreign policy advisor and also covering a legislative portfolio that included immigration, the military, veterans issues and homeland security.
Prior to working for Congresswoman Omar, Morgan worked for Witness for Peace as the co-director of their Mexico and Honduras programs, as well as serving as a court advocate at the Center for Community Alternatives in Brooklyn. Originally from Colorado, he is a graduate of Hunter College and Columbia University and resides in Washington, DC.
Katherine Thompson, Cato Institute
Katherine Thompson is a senior fellow in defense and foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute. Her research focuses on U.S. defense and foreign policy decision-making and process, congressional war powers and U.S. alliance structures.
Prior to joining Cato, Thompson was the deputy senior advisor to the under secretary of war for policy and performed the duties of the assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, overseeing U.S. defense policy for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. She also spent over six years working on Capitol Hill, serving as National Security Advisor to Senator Mike Lee (R‑UT) and Foreign Policy Advisor to Senator Josh Hawley (R‑MO).
Her work has appeared in the Federalist and National Review. She is a candidate for an M.A. in War, History and Diplomacy from King’s College London and holds a B.A. in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from the King’s College NYC.