Mar 30, 2020

All of us at The Heritage Foundation hope that you and your loved ones are safe and healthy during this difficult time. Congress passed and President Trump signed the CARES Act to mitigate the pandemic’s impact on the economy. It is the largest stimulus package in the history of the United States. Find out what it means for you and the country. And as cities, states, and the federal government take strong actions to protect public health, many are left wondering where government’s power starts and ends in an emergency. Heritage experts explain what is constitutional and what isn’t. Finally, please read our list of tips on how we can all reduce the spread of the coronavirus. Remember, you can find a complete collection of Heritage’s research on the coronavirus here: heritage.org/coronavirus

The Largest Economic Relief Package in American History
President Trump signed a $2 trillion emergency relief bill in order to assist millions of workers and businesses threatened by the coronavirus pandemic. This is the largest stimulus package in U.S. history. While the CARES Act does provide some helpful relief, it also has numerous harmful provisions that pose a threat to our long-term economic well-being. “As a nation, we are facing a genuine crisis that threatens the lives and livelihoods of many of us. Like everyone, we are deeply concerned for our families, our neighbors, our friends, and the businesses we depend on,” said Heritage Foundation President Kay C. James. “To best accomplish these goals, legislation should be targeted, temporary, and directed exclusively at the coronavirus. Unfortunately, the CARES Act does not pass those tests.” Heritage research fellow Rachel Greszler lists 13 key things you should know about the CARES Act and explains why temporary and targeted support beats sending checks to everyone.

A Constitutional Guide to Emergency Powers
The U.S. government has taken extraordinary measures at both state and federal levels to combat the spread of the coronavirus, restricting travel, business, and even local social gatherings. If the pandemic worsens, however, the government may have to take even more extreme measures and restrict daily life further. Does the government have constitutional authority to do this? According to Heritage senior legal fellow Cully Stimson, the answer is yes, but in specific and different ways at federal and state levels. “Containing the COVID-19 epidemic will require citizens, states, private companies and the federal government to work together,” said Stimson and David Rivkin in an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal. “One may hope the steps that have been taken so far will suffice. But emphasizing the sound constitutional and legal basis of these measures is important in reassuring the public that government can do what is necessary to secure the general welfare.” Read more to find out exactly what emergency measures states and the federal government can legally take to combat this virus and watch Stimson’s latest interview on Fox News.

How You Can Help Slow the Spread of COVID-19
From all of us here at The Heritage Foundation, we hope that you're staying safe and healthy during this unprecedented time in our nation's history. While we have your attention, we'd like to remind you of the best ways that you can do your part in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus. Please remember to:

• Wash your hands with soap and warm water often
• Avoid close contact with others
• Stay home if you are sick
• Cover coughs and sneezes
• Clean and disinfect surfaces

Thank you for your continued readership and support of our work. We are committed during this time to continue to bring you the most important information and policy analysis as it develops from here in Washington.

Heritage Foundation experts have been closely following the coronavirus since January. Now, as the United States leads the world in confirmed cases of COVID-19, Heritage is continuing to analyze the latest developments and formulate policy solutions. Our team has developed a set of foundational principles that will guide Heritage’s work in a time of pandemic.

Lindsey Burke, director of Heritage's Center for Education Policy, hosted an important webinar with educators who are experienced in providing education outside of the classroom. Featured speakers included Sam Sorbo, actress, talk show host, and author of "They're Your Kids"; Derrick Max, executive director and principal of Cornerstone Schools; Robin Lake, director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education; and Kerry McDonald, adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute’s Center for Educational Freedom. Watch them discuss online resources available to you and tips for homeschooling during the coronavirus pandemic.

Last week, Heritage President Kay C. James spoke to Taranjit Singh Sandhu, India’s ambassador to the United States. James tweeted, “As we cooperate on strategic challenges in the Indo-Pacific, we are working together to overcome this pandemic.”

President James reflected on the life and legacy of former Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn, who died Friday. “Tom Coburn was the conservative conscience of the Congress. We're praying for his family and taking a moment to remember his integrity, hard work, and dedication to being the American people's watchdog over their government. He will be greatly missed.”

As the leader of the conservative movement, Heritage is stepping up to help other organizations adapt to the challenges resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. Last week, Heritage’s Andrew McIndoe and Genevieve Wood hosted a webinar for conservative organizations about fundraising and Maria Sousa and Andrew Olivastro led a session with Facebook on using social media effectively.

Wednesday at 11 a.m. Heritage will host a webinar on schools moving to online instruction. The event features charter school leaders who have worked with schools in urban and rural areas to give educators across the country ideas for how to navigate online learning in the next few weeks or even months. Register for the webinar.

Thursday at 3:30 p.m. Heritage will host a virtual conversation on how to survive COVID-19 with a house full of children. Healthcare, national security and education experts will discuss what makes the coronavirus different from the flu, steps you can take to ensure the health and safety of your children, and information on education curriculum and content resources to help families with their children’s education during the coronavirus. Register for the webinar.

Here are highlights from Heritage experts on TV. This week they talked about the coronavirus and China. Watch the clips.