The Center for Renewing America is a right-leaning nonprofit organization created by Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget under former President Donald Trump. The organization’s work focuses on opposing censorship of conservatives big tech companies, opposing the spread of critical race theory, and advocating for stricter security measures in U.S. elections.

Background

The Center for Renewing America is a conservative think tank founded by Russell Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget during the Trump administration. Vought founded the center with a Capitol Hill area office about a week after leaving office in January 2021, initially with eight paid staffers. ^[1]

Former President Donald Trump has endorsed the Center for Renewing America. ^[2] The staff includes several former Trump administration officials. ^[3]

The center has an advocacy arm, Citizens for Renewing America. ^[4]

Policy Issues

The center’s key policy areas are taking on big tech, opposing the teaching of critical race theory in schools, supporting election integrity, advocating for secure borders, “ending endless wars,” opposing big government, and supporting “healthy communities.” ^[5]

Citizens for Renewing America created a 33-page handbook as an “A to Z guide” to stop the teaching of critical race theory in schools. The handbook, titled “Combatting Critical Race Theory in Your Community,” is meant to be a resource for both parents and state legislators. ^{[6] [7]}

Leadership

Russ Vought is the founder and president of the Center for Renewing America. He was previously director and deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Donald Trump. ^[8] Before working for the Trump administration, Vought was the vice president of Heritage Action for America. He was previously the policy director for the House Republican Conference under then-chairman Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) and was the executive director of the Republican Study Committee. ^[9]

Ashlea Frazier is the chief operating officer of the Center for Renewing America. She was previously the chief of staff for the OMB under Vought. Before that, Frazier worked for Hillsdale College’s Washington, D.C., campus and for The Heritage Foundation. ^[10]

Wade Miller is the executive director of Citizens for Renewing America, which is the advocacy arm of the center. Miller, an Iraq war veteran in the U.S. Marines, previously worked for Heritage Action for America and was the political director for Senator Ted Cruz’s 2018 re-election campaign. ^[11]

Rachel Semmel is the communications director for the Center for Renewing America. She was previously the communications director at the OMB under Vought. ^[12]