Apr 13, 2020
Good morning. To those who celebrated Passover and Easter in the last few days, I hope your celebrations were blessed and peaceful. So many people are eager to get back to work. At Heritage, we launched the National Coronavirus Recovery Commission, which released a five-phase plan for reopening America. You can read more about the plan below. Americans across the country are wondering if the measures we are taking to fight coronavirus are not worth the economic costs. Heritage President Kay C. James explains that this isn’t the right way to look at the matter: saving lives and livelihoods must be a two-fold goal. Read her latest op-ed. Meanwhile, the Left is attempting to use this opportunity to change the voting process to their advantage. Heritage legal expert Hans von Spakovsky explains why we must be vigilant to protect election integrity. Here in D.C., Heritage headquarters is still closed, but social distancing isn’t stopping us from hosting great events that you can “attend” online! Check out our list of upcoming webinars to find an event that interests you. Lastly, don’t forget that you can find a full collection of Heritage’s research on the coronavirus here: heritage.org/coronavirus <[link removed]>
National Coronavirus Recovery Commission Announces Plan to Reopen America <[link removed]>
The National Coronavirus Recovery Commission held its first meeting Thursday, bringing together 17
experts whose mission is “save lives and livelihoods.” At the conclusion of Thursday’s meeting, the commission announced a five-phase plan for when and how to begin to get Americans’ lives “back to normal” again. Commission Chairwoman Kay C. James, president of The Heritage Foundation, said we must prioritize getting people back to work, but only as soon as it is safe enough to do so. “Americans want to ensure their families are kept safe and healthy,” James said. “The commission agrees that it is critically important to build the American people’s confidence that we can safely return to some semblance of normal soon. The way to build that confidence is to adopt a phased approach that mitigates the spread of the coronavirus, vastly improves testing, expands our capabilities to quickly find treatments and possibly a cure, and ensures we are better prepared to confront future pandemics.” Read more to find out the details of the commission’s five-phase plan <[link removed]> and stay up to date by visiting CoronavirusCommission.com <[link removed]>.
Is the Cure to the Pandemic Worse Than the Disease? <[link removed]>
Our nation faces a once-in-a-generation challenge. Yet our efforts to stem the coronavirus pandemic have left some wondering if the cure is worse than the disease. By practicing extended social distancing and shutting down major parts of the economy, are we being asked to make a choice between saving hundreds of thousands of lives or saving our jobs and our economy? According to Heritage President Kay C. James, the dilemma we face is actually different. “A nation decimated by disease cannot have a functioning economy, and a catastrophic loss of jobs wreaks horrific damage on both mental and physical health. Thus, the disease and the economic damage ravaging America are twin foes, and we must defeat them both,” James writes in her new op-ed for USA Today. Read more about how we can defeat those foes <[link removed]>.
Election Integrity Could Be at Risk Amid This Pandemic <[link removed]>
The recent coronavirus relief package will provide $400 million to states for the 2020 elections. Beware: If this pile of money isn’t spent wisely, the integrity of the elections will be at risk, according to Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow in Heritage’s Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies. “Residents of some states may not be able to vote in person and may be forced to vote using absentee or mail-in ballots as long as the current emergency continues, with social distancing being the norm and schools, businesses, offices and government facilities closed. But no one should forget that absentee-ballot voting is vulnerable to intimidation, fraud and chaos as all-mail elections move behind closed doors beyond the oversight of election officials,” von Spakovsky writes along with J. Christian Adams and Cleta Mitchell of the Public Interest Legal Foundation. Read more to find out how government officials could protect election integrity during the COVID-19 crisis <[link removed]>.
Activate Your Heritage Foundation Membership <[link removed]>
Take your place among more than half a million fellow conservatives who stand for free enterprise, limited government, individual liberty, traditional American values, and a strong national defense when you activate your Heritage Foundation membership today <[link removed]>.
HAPPENING AT HERITAGE
The National Coronavirus Recovery Commission convened its first meeting virtually last week. We snapped this photo of the commissioners and staff at work. See the full list of the 17 top experts and thinkers who make up the commission <[link removed]>. The next meeting will take place April 20 when the commission will consider public comment. You can submit your ideas and recommendations here <[link removed]>.
Vice President Mike Pence retweeted <[link removed]> the National Coronavirus Recovery Commission launch announcement. “Thank you for acknowledging the important work of the [Commission],” responded <[link removed]> Heritage President Kay C. James. “We are committed to helping our nation navigate through this crisis and toward recovery!”
Heritage Foundation President Kay C. James participated in the University of Pennsylvania’s Global Think Tank Town Hall, hosted by the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program. She spoke alongside Gen. John Allen, president the Brookings Institution, about the role of think tanks during the coronavirus pandemic.
In partnership with Heritage’s Resource Bank Meeting <[link removed]>, our annual conference for leaders of conservative movement organizations, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Heritage experts hosted a webinar to discuss COVID-19 and what to expect after the CARES Act. Watch the webinar <[link removed]>.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Monday at 2 p.m., Heritage will host a webinar on the food supply during the pandemic. Featured speakers include Doug Baker, vice president of Industrial Relations at FMI, The Food Industry Association; Thomas Madrecki, vice president of Supply Chain at Consumer Brands Association; and Brent Hutto, chief relationship officer at Truckstop.com. Register for the webinar <[link removed]>.
Wednesday at 11 a.m., Carrie Filipetti, deputy assistant secretary for Cuba and Venezuela at the U.S. Department of State, and Heritage experts will examine the Trump administration’s recent actions on Venezuela. Register for the webinar <[link removed]>.
Thursday at 10:30 a.m., Heritage will host a virtual discussion to discuss pandemic ethics and the type of society America wants to be. Featured speakers include Farr Curlin, Josiah C. Trent professor of Medical Humanities at Duke University School of Medicine and Divinity School; Melissa Moschella, assistant professor of philosophy and Heritage visiting fellow; Robert P. George, McCormick professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University; and Tyler VanderWeele, John L. Loeb and Frances Lehman Loeb professor of epidemiology at Harvard University. Register for the webinar. Register for the webinar <[link removed]>.
Thursday at 8 p.m., the Intercollegiate Studies Institute will host a webinar on the attack on free speech featuring Arthur Milikh, director of Heritage’s Kenneth B. Simon Center for Principles and Politics, and Hadley Arkes, Edward N. Ney professor in American institutions. Register for the webinar <[link removed]>.
Friday at noon, Heritage will host a webinar to discuss how to lead nonprofit organizations through difficult times. Featured speakers include Ann Fitzgerald, president of AC Fitzgerald, and Scott Walter, president of the Capital Research Center. Register for the webinar <[link removed]>.
HERITAGE PODCASTS
This week on the “Heritage Explains” podcast, James Carafano, vice president of Heritage’s Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy and E.W. Richardson fellow, talks about how we will know when life can return to normal. Listen to the podcast <[link removed]>.
HERITAGE IN THE NEWS
Here are highlights from Heritage experts on TV. This week they talked about the coronavirus, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, South Korea, and more. Watch the clips <[link removed]>.
POLICY PICTURE
While there are many unknowns right now and the outcome is uncertain, we’ve survived far worse, and together, America will do so again. Do you agree? Email us at [email protected] <[link removed]>

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