Heritage Experts Today


Here is the Heritage Take on the top issues today. Please reply to this email to arrange an interview. Yes, it’s a Joe Biden-Created ‘Crisis’ at the Southern Border – The crisis at the border is a direct result of the Biden administration’s radical immigration agenda. It has been created for the purposes of increasing immigration to the United States through illegal means. This is part of the left’s agenda to take over elections and get as many illegal aliens as possible voting or on the path to voting. It’s a purely political play at the expense of American sovereignty, security, and well-being. This agenda of increasing illegal immigration ranges from the loud-and-clear message to those south of the border that the Biden Administration is welcoming them, to the concrete promises of amnesty and the comprehensive undoing of the Trump administration’s successful border security and immigration policies. The Left's immigration policies are endangering children – If the Biden administration and majority leaders in Congress don’t pause, reflect on the current border emergency that developed in mere weeks, and change course to stop the growing flow of unaccompanied alien children to our border, then we’ll know these aren’t unintended consequences. At this point, it’s difficult to conclude it's anything but on purpose. It is certainly inhumane. No longer can Democrats honestly claim they are “for the children.” Biden's border crisis -- here are the top 5 proven steps to regain control – The Trump administration demonstrated that the concerted enforcement of immigration laws deters illegal immigration. Not enforcing the law has the opposite effect. It signals that it is permissible to flout the rule of law. Enforcing existing immigration law would significantly dampen the mounting enthusiasm to rush to the border. Heritage experts: Lora Ries, Mike Howell, and Jim Carafano Seven Steps to Combatting “Critical Theory” in the Classroom – State policymakers and local school board members have a role to play in making sure that public schools teach content that accurately reflects American ideals and rejects the toxic ideology of “Critical Theory” and its offshoots. As institutions that have an obligation to uphold the public’s trust, and as taxpayer-funded entities, schools and the school boards that oversee them should make curricula transparent, provide families with options that fit their needs, and teach civics content that creates a civil society in which everyone, regardless of background or skin color, can pursue the American Dream. Heritage experts: Lindsey Burke and Jonathan Butcher Obama and Democrats: Filibuster for Me, But Not for Thee – Both parties have used extended debate to their advantage when in the minority, and have been frustrated by its use when in the majority. But both have accepted that extended debate not only defines the Senate as an institution, but is a valuable feature of the legislative process. During his four years in the Senate, for example, Barack Obama, D-Ill., voted two dozen times to filibuster bills he opposed. He voted to filibuster the National Defense Authorization Act in 2005, the Securing America’s Borders Act in 2006, and the FISA Amendments Act in 2008. He also voted to filibuster bills to repeal the federal estate tax, to ease the regulation of leases for oil and gas exploration on federal lands, and to prohibit taking a minor across state lines to get an abortion. Heritage expert: Tom Jipping The Left Is Quietly Putting in Place Everything It Needs for a Single-Payer System – The bottom line is this. Recent legislative acts, administrative actions, and proposed bills all have the effect of putting into place many of the mechanisms needed for a single-payer system. The best way to stop these efforts is with a better plan. A plan that protects the policy gains over the last four years, give people—not the government—the power to choose the kind of coverage they want, and gives the states the tools and resources to block federal consolidation and overreach is the only way we can give America the health care system it needs. Heritage expert: Nina Schaefer Obamacare Has Doubled the Cost of Individual Health Insurance – Data on how much Americans paid for health insurance confirm that Obamacare’s mandates and regulations dramatically increased the cost of individual market health insurance in almost all states. The good news is that costs can fall if policymakers provide regulatory relief to allow states to aim subsidies according to the unique needs of the citizens in their states. The initial data from states that implemented Section 1332 waiver programs show that permitting states to apply alternative approaches allowed them to reduce premiums, expand coverage options, and do a better job of focusing available resources on helping high-cost patients. Heritage expert: Ed Haislmaier Debate the Equality Act, but Tell the Truth About It – The Equality Act would do what Religious Freedom Restoration Act does not. It would deny even the opportunity to say that government action burdens the exercise of religion. It’s the very heads-I-win-tails-you-lose, all-or-nothing approach that Congress chose not to follow in RFRA. Congress is known to enact vague, confusing, and just generally messed-up statutes, but neither RFRA nor the Equality Act are among them on this point. What RFRA gaveth, the Equality Act would taketh away. The meaning, application, and broader implications of the Equality Act are profound. Anyone, of course, is free to believe that it should always trounce the constitutional right to exercise religion and, of course, has the obligation to defend that position. But as we debate the Equality Act, we must at least tell the truth that this is what’s at stake. Heritage expert: Tom Jipping Defending Life: Recommendations for the 117th Congress – In the past four years, policymakers have achieved a significant number of pro-life victories. From regulatory policy to agency guidance, executive orders, and legislation, Congress and the Trump Administration advanced the cause of life and implemented many of the recommendations in previous iterations of this Heritage Foundation report. Now, the Biden Administration and a narrow pro-abortion majority in both the House and Senate threaten to roll back key pro-life victories and enact a radical pro-abortion agenda. Policymakers must prepare to push back when possible, maintain existing pro-life and conscience rights riders in appropriations legislation, and conduct robust oversight activity. Heritage expert: Melanie Israel
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