Who signed? In a post on X that immediately went viral, the Heritage Oversight Project released findings of its investigation into whether President Biden, or an autopen, signed official documents. The conclusion: 

• “We gathered every document we could find with Biden’s signature over the course of his presidency. All used the same autopen signature except for the announcement that the former President was dropping out of the race last year,” read the post, titled “Whoever Controlled the Autopen Controlled the Presidency.” 

Click here to see the post on X. 

A time for choosing: America has been on the path of declining marriage rates, record-high cohabitation, and record-low levels of commitment for decades. It’s time to change course, Heritage research makes clear. 

• “The path that Americans choose will determine the future of the country,” write Research Fellows Rachel Sheffield and Delano Squires in an extensive report examining these long-term trends. 
• In three separate reports, Jonathan Abbamonte, recently promoted to policy analyst, shows how delayed marriage has led to low fertility rates, which, in turn, led to an aging population and could also lead to a dependence on immigration. 
• This is not all by choice. “Many Americans have not been able to have the number of children that they would ideally like to,” writes Abbamonte. 

Read more here on the state of the American family and what can be done to save it. 

Money problems: Heritage’s latest Index of Economic Freedom shows that the Biden administration’s economic policy wreaked havoc on the U.S. economy, pushing the country to its lowest ranking since the Index launched 31 years ago. 

• There’s still hope: “The reelection of Donald Trump has placed our country at the dawn of a new era. Today, by that dawn’s early light, we can already see the prosperous, cheerful, energetic future it portends,” said Heritage President Dr. Kevin Roberts. 

See the rankings of all 184 countries here. 

250 years young: Heritage has launched a special round of the Innovation Prizes ahead of America’s 250th anniversary to recognize and provide substantive financial awards that, in total, amount to $250,000 to non-profits for projects focused on themes relating to the Semiquincentennial in 2026. We welcome projects that focus on the following: 

• Celebrating America’s 250th anniversary 
• Building civic awareness and encouraging Americans to engage in civic life 
• Inspiring patriotism 
• Educating citizens about America’s founding principles 
• Teaching Americans about our government’s foundational tenets 

Applications for America’s 250th Anniversary Innovation Prizes are open through May 1. For more information and to apply, please visit our website.

Peace in our time: After billions upon billions of American tax dollars spent supporting the Ukrainian war effort, Americans and President Trump have had enough. It is time for peace.

• Heritage President Dr. Kevin Roberts wrote in a letter to the Wall Street Journal, “Mr. Trump’s approach is a necessary break with years of passivity from the White House, whose plan to support Ukraine ‘for as long as it takes’ hardly amounted to a real strategy and led to…a bloody stalemate.”

Read more here.

Say what? In shocking testimony before the House Homeland Security Committee, Michael Pillsbury, senior fellow for China strategy, told lawmakers that multiple federal agencies have programs designed to help China—started when China was seen as a friendly nation—that aren’t authorized by Congress. 

• Pillsbury called on Congress to regularly review what each government agency is doing related to China.  

Watch a clip of his testimony on Heritage’s X page. 

President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by Elon Musk, has reignited interest in reining in out-of-control government spending.  

• Many Americans don’t know about the insane projects that the federal government funds with their hard-earned taxes. 
• That’s why we created The Heritage Foundation DOGE Survey.

Help Heritage to advance policies that will cut the federal budget, remove burdensome regulations, and restore sanity to the country’s finances. Take the survey here.

The sky isn’t falling: Heritage Research Fellow EJ Antoni recently joined radio host Vince Coglianese to discuss President Trump’s new tariffs.

• Applying tariffs in the right way can have numerous benefits for the American people, he said.
• “When it comes to tariffs, [President Trump] is not only looking at this in terms of ‘let’s try to level the playing field,’ he’s also looking at this as another way to raise revenue,” said Antoni.

Listen to the segment here.

Boots on the ground: In addition to Dr. Pillsbury's testimony, two other Heritage experts testified on the Hill this week, which makes seven times in two weeks.

• John Fabbricatore, visiting fellow in the Border Security and Immigration Center, testified before the House Oversight Committee on the danger of sanctuary cities.
• Simon Hankinson, senior research fellow in the Border Security and Immigration Center, testified on how ICE could track illegal aliens more effectively.

Fighting for the future: America’s brightest high school students aren’t waiting on the sidelines—they’re stepping up to fight for the future of our country. The Lloyd and Bea Smith High School Fellowship equips young conservatives with the knowledge and skills they need to defend America’s founding principles and actively engage in building tomorrow’s conservative movement.  

• Real-world policy experience. Fellows don’t just study conservative ideas; they engage directly with policymakers, scholars, and experts at Heritage.  
• Leadership training. From public speaking to professional networking to projects developing policy ideas, students gain the skills to lead confidently and advocate conservative values.  
• Be part of the movement. Connect with like-minded conservative students who share your passion.    

Applications are open through April 11, 2025.  Apply today!  

Skin deep: The FACE Act—ostensibly created to combat violence by pro-life activists—is in essence an ideological weapon incompatible with the Constitution and Supreme Court precedent, say Heritage scholars.  

• “From the very beginning, the FACE Act’s legislative trajectory made its weaponization against ordinary pro-life activity and expression almost inevitable,” write Heritage’s Senior Legal Fellow Thomas Jipping and Senior Research Associate Seth Lucas.

Read the full analysis here.

From Special Relationship to Strategic Partnership: The Future of U.S.-Israel Relations 

 

With the current 10-year Memorandum of Understanding with Israel expiring in 2028, Washington needs to take the opportunity to consider how to grow and transform the bilateral special relationship into a true partnership. Join The Heritage Foundation to hear recommendations from critical voices on the future of U.S.-Israel relations. 

 

March 12, 10 a.m. Register here. 

• Here’s What Congress’ No. 1 Priority Should Be After Trump’s Speech—Kevin Roberts, Ph.D., and Ryan Walker
• Report: Educating the American Citizen: Changes in Schools as Assimilators of Immigrants—Jay Greene, Ph.D., Lindsey Burke, Ph.D., Adeline Kaufman, Isabella Vennare, and James Shuls
• Report: Nullifying DEI at DOD—Paul J. Larkin and GianCarlo Canaparo
• NPR and PBS’s Impending Reckoning with DOGE—Mike Gonzalez
• Report: A Road Map for Rebuilding America’s Nuclear Arsenal—Robert Peters
• The Strategic Stakes of Modi’s U.S. Visit: Shaping the Future of Warfare—Jeff Smith
• Ukraine’s Zelenskyy Thought He’d Look Like a Tough Guy. He Had Another Thing Coming from Trump and Vance—Victoria Coates, Ph.D.
• Report: It’s Time to End Special Trading Privileges for China—Bryan Burack
• Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s Unheeded Warning About the Collapse of the Black Family—Delano Squires
• Report: Homeschooling, Homesteading, and the Renewal of American Citizenship—Rachel Alexander Cambre, Ph.D.

Executive Vice President Derrick Morgan appeared on Fox Business to explain why American energy dominance is good for American jobs, good for energy prices, and good for America’s allies. Watch the clip here.