Mother and Grandfather Mourn Death of Family Lost to ‘Border Crisis’

• Yesterday, The Heritage Foundation released a documentary showing the trust cost of the Biden border crisis.
• The documentary tells the heartbreaking story of Maria Alvarez and her 7-year-old granddaughter Emilia Tambunga, who were killed in Texas when a human smuggler smashed into their car. Unfortunately, their story is one of many that show the deadly consequences of this administration’s refusal to secure the border and allow criminals to roam free in the United States.
• As the lawless situation at our southern border has turned from crisis to catastrophe, deadly consequences have been felt across the country. Illegal immigration has taken lives, pushed fentanyl into communities in every state, and used human trafficking to make cartels rich.
• The federal government’s chief priority is ensuring the safety and security of the American people. Congress must address the border crisis before spending another dime from taxpayers.

Schedule an Interview: Virginia Allen, Lora Ries, and Mark Morgan

Senate Spending Package Is Full of Wasteful, Outrageous Earmarks

• This week, the Senate will be debating—and will likely vote on—a package of spending bills that covers the departments of Agriculture, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development.
• While some of the funding is necessary, far too much is devoted to bureaucracies and programs that directly benefit, or have been captured by, the Left.
• Many of these accounts are set to be cut in the House, but the Senate is using an inflated spending limit to maintain the bloated levels of the last omnibus package.
• There are two opportunities for legislators to stop these insults to American taxpayers: Senators can offer amendments to strip the earmarks and the House can fight against the Senate’s earmarks when it comes time to produce the final bicameral spending bills.

Schedule an Interview: David Ditch and Richard Stern

2023: The Year of Education Freedom

• Some 55% of adults say they are dissatisfied with K-12 education today, a figure that has seen a steady increase since 2020. The reasons are many—including that reading and math test scores have fallen to historic lows.
• Surveys find that Americans do not want children taught radical ideas about “gender” in school, nor do they want boys participating on girls sports teams. Polls find that parents do not want their children taught that America is defined by slavery or that their skin color is the most important thing about them.
• In 2023, more state lawmakers empowered parents and students with new K–12 education opportunities by creating education savings accounts and account-style options.
• Legislators in several states have adopted new parent bills of rights that affirm mothers and fathers as their children’s primary caregivers.
• As explained in The Heritage Foundation’s new report, state lawmakers made this school year one of new, creative opportunities for millions of families around the U.S. 

Schedule an Interview: Jonathan Butcher and Jason Bedrick