The quotes are by individuals associated with the organizations, it doesn't appear to be the official position of the think-tanks. I think it is unfair to call the Brookings Institute a "right-wing pay-to-play lobbying group" but you are just sourcing from a left-leaning activist group.

My intention was to highlight the sources of funding for each -- not to make a pedantic left v right argument -- and people should question _all_ DC think tanks. Re: Brookings Institute, it's clear that their foreign sources of funding should cause pause:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brookings_Institution#Funding_...

Brookings and Rand are considered centrist, Rand sometimes center left, and Cato is conservative. I linked them because the case has already been made on the left, the case is usually being made to the right, so conservative sources would be relevant here.