Here is the Heritage Take on the top issues today.Please reply to this email to arrange an interview.

HR1 imperils free and fair elections <[link removed]> – H.R. 1, the deceptively entitled "For the People Act," has arrived in the U.S. Senate after a party-line vote in the House of Representatives. It is without doubt the most dangerous and irresponsible election bill I have ever seen. If it becomes law, it will interfere with the ability of states and their citizens to determine the qualifications and eligibility of voters, to ensure the accuracy and validity of voter registration rolls, to secure the integrity of elections, and to participate
and speak freely in the political arena. H.R. 1 is an 800-page monstrosity that would usurp the role of the states. It would not only eliminate basic safety protocols, but mandate new, reckless rules and procedures. Heritage expert: Hans von Spakovsky <[link removed]>

'Biden’s Border Catastrophe’ Immigration Policy Tracker <[link removed]> – This administration has wasted no time creating a new border crisis, and what’s worse, it is a crisis
that everyone warned would happen. As this tracker shows with stark clarity, the Biden team has gutted America’s immigration system. It has torn up carefully negotiated agreements with Central American partners and abandoned the effective ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy, which was vital in reducing fraudulent asylum claims. Internally, it has nearly eliminated ICE’s ability to deport those here illegally, even those suspected of horrific crimes. The president has pledged not to build ‘another foot’ of border wall, despite Border Patrol agents saying that this type of security is critical in slowing the flow of illegal migration. The White House is fueling the COVID pandemic by encouraging mass illegal migration and releasing COVID-positive illegal aliens into our communities. This crisis is hurting Americans and making a joke of our laws – it is heartbreaking that the administration is so committed to this failed strategy. Heritage expert: Lora Ries <[link removed]>

The Equality Act would cancel religious freedom <[link removed]> – Since the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision creating a right to same-sex marriage, the Equality Act has said that Religious Freedom Restoration Act
“shall not provide … a basis for challenging the application or enforcement of” any Equality Act provision. This does not simply change RFRA’s legal standard so that government can more freely do what it wants in the areas covered by the Equality Act. This slams the courthouse door to anyone who would even make an argument that government actions under the Equality Act burden their religious freedom. By excising RFRA from the legislation equation altogether, the Equality Act gives government free rein to restrict, compromise or even eliminate the fundamental right to practice religion in pursuit of
the Equality Act’s political agenda. It says that what Obama called an “essential part of human dignity” must always give way to the Equality Act’s political agenda. Heritage experts: Tom Jipping <[link removed]> and Sarah Perry <[link removed]> 

Why Congress Must Stop Adding to National Debt <[link removed]> – Washington added $4.5 trillion to the national debt over the last year alone. This brings the total debt level to $28 trillion, or roughly $225,000 per U.S. household. Unfortunately, even that might not be enough to get congressional leaders and the Biden administration to pump the brakes on the spending spree. A planned infrastructure spending package could top $2 trillion, and there is little appetite to pay for it. There are plenty of reasons why Congress should avoid another bloated spending deal. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office issued a report last week detailing one of the most important reasons: our nation’s finances are rapidly heading into dangerous territory. Heritage expert: David Ditch <[link removed]> 


Corporate Diversity Skates the Legal Line in a ‘Mea Culpa’ Age <[link removed]> – With all the corporate politicking and my-way-or-the-highway
“diversity” initiatives, it’s no wonder that Gallup’s latest annual Mood of the Nation poll found growing dissatisfaction with the size and influence of major corporations. Indeed, the public satisfaction rate for mega-corps has tumbled from 41 percent to 26 percent in just one year. Still there is no sign that self-flagellating corporate wokeness will wane anytime soon. While companies like Amazon made massive donations in the wake of the George Floyd riots to Black Lives Matter and other social justice organizations, they have also suddenly and without explanation banned highly successful books with a right-of-center orientation while at the same time benefitting from Chinese contracts with organizations like Dahua, the security camera company that alerts
police when its facial recognition software identifies members of the persecuted Uighur ethnic group. Perhaps Big Business ought to spend some time cleaning the house before concerning itself with how many women or minorities are on its boards of directors. Heritage expert: Sarah Perry <[link removed]>

The Many Ways Biden Has Kicked Culture Wars Into Overdrive <[link removed]> – Is Biden, in fact, rolling back the culture wars? Biden’s first executive order directs the
entire federal government to adopt an “equity agenda” and to “embed equity principles, policies, and approaches across the Federal Government.” Equity is a nice-sounding word, but it’s actually a masquerade for government-mandated inequality, and it’s on the frontlines of the culture wars. Wherever you see “equity,” you’ll see Lady Justice without her blindfold and a government denying the people equal treatment under the law. Besides requiring the entire government to commit to an “equity agenda,” Biden has further inflamed the culture wars in more than two dozen other executive
actions. And we’re less than two months into his presidency. Heritage expert: GianCarlo Canaparo <[link removed]>

The end of the pandemic is in sight <[link removed]> – America
should be looking forward to the end of the pandemic. Vaccinating all adults by May 1 is a good way to build on gains already made. The goal should be nothing less than the full reopening of every state or territory in America. Not only would this be better as a matter of leadership, it would also be more prudent in its own right. The administration’s timid vision is not without its own harm, separate from the real dangers of COVID-19. The economic harm of lockdown measures is readily seen in any downtown area, but less visible is the deteriorating mental health of Americans, particularly in children. Heritage expert: Bob Moffit <[link removed]>

Improving Civics Education Means Preserving America’s Character <[link removed]> – Schools are a reflection of culture and national character and should transmit these ideas through the teaching of history and
government. Generally considered “civic” instruction, this subject is sorely neglected—an opinion shared by both sides of the partisan divide. A new initiative called Educating for American Democracy wants to improve civic education in schools by increasing federal spending and U.S. Department of Education activities; revising state academic standards and civics curricula; and blending progressive priorities, such as climate change, race and class-consciousness, and gender identity, with history and civics. These proposals are not a compromise between conservative and progressive approaches to teaching, but an attempt to expand the federal footprint in education while adding instructional techniques soaked in Critical Pedagogy. Heritage expert: Jonathan Butcher <[link removed]>

Joe Biden Wants a Culture Warrior at HHS. That's a Big Mistake. <[link removed]> – As America grapples with the continued challenges of a global pandemic, vaccination rollout, school reopenings, and economic recovery rightly are at the forefront of the pandemic response. And other policy concerns – like health care reform, immigration, life, and religious freedom, loom large. Becerra is simply not qualified for the position he’s been nominated to fill. Even if he were, his years of hostility to fundamental rights of conscience and free speech demonstrate a clear record that is incompatible with leading an agency whose role includes protecting those very rights. Heritage expert: Melanie Israel <[link removed]>
America cannot afford to have the defense budget at the same levels <[link removed]> – Fiscal stewardship becomes more important as the challenges to our national security grow more
sophisticated, as one of us has observed while leading the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities. Our adversaries have in recent years steadily chipped away at our advantage on technology that are relevant to our warfighters, whether it is forced business transfers, simple traditional stealing, or even the indigenous development of new abilities. Now is not the time to coast on our advantage but to reinforce this. That strategy of the Reagan administration to achieve peace through strength has shown to be a strong deterrent to our adversaries. Congress and the president must set our warfighters for success with sufficient funding for the Defense Department. A flat budget could not achieve that. Heritage expert: Jim Carafano <[link removed]>
<[link removed]>

-