Red-handed: After President Trump ordered that all federal DEI positions be terminated, The Heritage Foundation asked the American Battle Monuments Commission why it continued to list a chief diversity officer on its website. Following our inquiry, the commission announced that it placed the officer, Priscilla Rayson, on administrative leave. 

• “It’s unclear why the commission had not complied with Trump’s order to terminate all DEI offices and chief diversity officer positions, or if it had, why it had not made that information public,” writes Senior Legal Fellow GianCarlo Canaparo. 
• “After Heritage’s inquiry, the agency put its DEI statement behind a password protected webpage,” wrote Canaparo, giving rise to further questions as to the sincerity of their adherence to the executive order. 

Read the story here. 

Forward looking: Heritage released recommendations for a new memorandum of understanding, to elevate the United States’ relationship with Israel, a crucial partner.  

• “[T]he United States should re-orient its relationship with Israel to an equal strategic partnership over the next two decades,” writes the team at the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy. 

Read the report here and press release here.

Failing grade: The Department of Education’s reduction in force is long overdue, according to Heritage research.

• “The Department of Education does not educate a single child in America. It does not run a single school,” says Lindsey Burke, Ph.D., director of Heritage’s Center for Education Policy.
• Ultimately, the department needs to go, writes Senior Research Fellow Jonathan Butcher. 

Read the press release 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.

Golden Era: The U.S. Senate confirmed former Heritage Distinguished Fellow Steve Bradbury as deputy secretary of transportation, where his expertise in infrastructure and his patriotism will serve the nation well. 

• “He understands that strong infrastructure isn’t just about roads and bridges—it’s about restoring the American Dream and ushering in a new Golden Era,” said Heritage President Dr. Kevin Roberts. Read more here. 

Related: Heritage has great confidence in former Visiting Fellow Joseph Edlow as director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). 

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.

Back to basics: In an exclusive new report, Heritage experts explain the importance of returning power to parents to encourage schools to assimilate immigrants.

• Heritage education experts argue that parents and the American public still believe in assimilating immigrants in schools, despite resistance from the education elites. 

Read the report here.

Drain the swamp: President Trump’s efforts to root out the “fourth branch of government” are essentially a reversal of FDR’s New Deal.

• “What Trump is now attempting is a restoration of the status quo ante with regards to some things…combined with the shattering of some institutions and practices, and a deep redrawing of the two political parties,” writes Senior Fellow Mike Gonzalez.

Read the full article here.

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!  

We’re so back: Despite legacy media alarm that the economy is weakening by the minute, Richard Stern, director of the Hermann Center for the Federal Budget, is here to tell the truth.

• “We actually lost federal government jobs—10,000 fewer government jobs stealing from the American taxpayers—and still had robust private-sector growth. That’s real economic growth,” he says.

Watch the video here.

Free to Defame? Revisiting NYT v. Sullivan’s Actual Malice Standard in Libel Law 

Co-Hosted with The Claremont Institute

 

In 1964, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark decision in NYT v. Sullivan, constitutionalizing certain aspects of libel law. Join us for a discussion of this important issue with leading libel litigators and First Amendment scholars. 

 

March 19, 12 p.m. Register here.  

• Report: If You Tax Them, They Will Run—Preston Brashers
• Does D.C. Have Standing to Sue the Federal Government? Probably Not—Zack Smith
• It’s Time to Reform Veterans Affairs—Wilson Beaver and Ka’Von Johnson
• Protect American Workers: How Trump’s Team Can Fulfill His Promise—Diana Furchtgott-Roth and Patrick Pizzella
• The Clock Is Ticking on Arming to Ensure Peace—Brent Sadler
• Report: A Missile Defense Review for the United States—Robert Peters
• Dear Taiwan: Spend on Defense, Not Climate Change—Wilson Beaver
• America Needs Taiwan to Win the Semiconductor Race—Michael Cunningham
• Report: ‘B’ Is for Broadband: The Alarming Cost of Subsidizing Internet Access for Preschools—Annie Chestnut Tutor
• Four Tough Questions for Four ‘Sanctuary City’ Mayors—Simon Hankinson
• Trump Speech Lays Out Roadmap to Prosperity—EJ Antoni
• Breaking the DEI Trance—Mike Gonzalez
• Radical DEI Activists Are Increasingly Isolated—Jonathan Butcher

Heritage President Dr. Kevin Roberts appeared on Newsmax to discuss a new “morning in America” and how the administration is fulfilling its promises to the American people. Watch the clip here.