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

Biden's Infrastructure Grab Bag Would Strangle Economy, Americans With Debt, Taxes <[link removed]> – While the Biden administration has repeatedly claimed that it will only seek to raise taxes on the wealthy, a government of the size that
it’s seeking would require amounts of money that can only be generated through steep across-the-board tax increases on middle-class Americans. Regardless of whether those taxes are levied tomorrow or in a few years, they would be an inevitable part of expanding the size and scope of the federal government. Rather than continuing down the path of centralized power and socialism, lawmakers should recognize the costs associated with endless federal spending and chart a course toward financial responsibility and prosperity. If they don’t, it will be the public’s duty to hold them accountable. Heritage expert: David Ditch <[link removed]>

Washington Should Steer Clear of Tax on Vehicle Miles Traveled <[link removed]> – Cheerleaders for an ever-larger federal government should have to explain why it’s a good idea to make the
nation more reliant on an increasingly dysfunctional Congress. A Vehicle Miles Traveled tax would also be vulnerable to bureaucratic micromanagement, especially if it’s done with a GPS system. The federal government could charge different rates per mile, based on location, time of day, or traffic volume, and thus politicize the way we drive by playing favorites. Those who promote the new tax-and-spend mega-package will insist that the only choices are voting for their progressive grab bag or allowing our roads and bridges to fall apart. That’s a false choice. Rather than allowing the federal government to take over the funding of roads, bridges, trains, school construction, and water lines, we should reduce federal power and control. Heritage expert: David Ditch <[link removed]>

The Left’s “Jim Crow” Rhetoric Is Absurd, Insulting, and Dishonest <[link removed]> – The idea that Georgia is somehow doing something nefarious by preventing gift-giving at the polls is
bizarre, and ignores the unfortunate, long history we have of this type of corruption and undue influence being used in our elections. By the way, unmentioned in the hysterical criticisms is new language making it ok for poll officials to make “self-service water from an unattended receptacle” available to “an elector waiting in
line.” The Georgia bill that was just signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp has many provisions intended to protect the security and integrity of the election process, not prevent eligible individuals from voting or from succumbing to thirst while waiting in line to vote. Heritage expert: Hans von Spakovsky <[link removed]>

On Electoral Redistricting Panels, HR 1 Would Require Racial, Gender Discrimination <[link removed]> – People often complain about gerrymandering by state legislatures when they
draw the political lines after every decennial census. But legislators at least are accountable to voters, who can vote them out of office if the voters are not satisfied with the job the legislators do. That’s certainly not true with the appointed members of government commissions. Yet that is exactly what HR 1 creates. It would abrogate the authority of state legislators to draw the boundary lines of congressional districts and transfer it to so-called independent redistricting commissions, which in states such as Arizona and California have not proven to be very “independent.” Heritage expert: Hans von Spakovsky <[link removed]>

Liberals’ Employer Tax Scheme in Lieu of $15 Minimum Wage Is as Crazy as It Is Convoluted <[link removed]> – Policymakers should stop wasting time on tortuous attempts to
provide select workers with shortcuts to wage gains and instead focus on policies that would provide lasting income gains without hurting others. Education and experience, coupled with technological innovation, are what help workers climb the income ladder. Since a $15 minimum wage makes getting an education less
attractive to young workers, and makes employers more likely to hire only already-experienced workers, it goes against the grain of real and lasting income gains. Not surprisingly, that’s why the Congressional Budget Office estimated that a $15-an-hour minimum wage would result in 1.4 million lost jobs, lower total family incomes, reduced
productivity, higher prices, and a smaller economy. Heritage expert: Rachel Greszler <[link removed]>
We Must Open Schools Now <[link removed]> – For months, research has demonstrated that schools are not super-spreaders, so educators should be looking for ways to offer in-person learning for all students. With thousands of students missing during the pandemic and estimated lower incomes for students later in life because of ad hoc online district programs, districts are putting students at a disadvantage if they continue to only offer virtual options. Meanwhile, more than half of private schools including nearly all Catholic schools have been open for in person classes since the beginning of the school year without major outbreaks—every child should have opportunities to choose how and where they learn in this way. Heritage expert: Jonathan Butcher <[link removed]>
In a Rebuke to Teachers Unions, School Choice Is Going Gangbusters in the States <[link removed]> – In addition to these nine states, dozens of other are considering measures to expand
education freedom and opportunity to students. An unprecedented 29 states have already introduced similar measures this year that will to create or expand vouchers, tax-credit scholarships, and education savings accounts, according to the Educational Freedom Institute. According to EdChoice, more than 20 of those states have introduced education savings account options specifically. For families, these proposals represent lifelines to opportunities previously unavailable to them in their public school. These measures are a swift rebuke to the teachers unions, who have not only stood in the way of education access during the pandemic, but have been the primary obstacles to education choice for decades. Heritage
expert: Lindsey Burke <[link removed]>
Iran and China sign 25-year cooperation agreement <[link removed]> – China is one of Iran's key trading partners, but Iran is a minor Chinese partner. Therefore, Beijing has most of the leverage in this relationship. There is some evidence, from Iranian reporting, that there are concerns in some Iranian quarters about the impact of the scale of the agreement, that Iran may be surrendering parts of its sovereignty to China. Given the scale of investment, including in the oil and natural gas infrastructure, and the likely dependence on Chinese information and
communications equipment, as well as Chinese timing signals from the Beidou satellite constellation, this project likely would tie Iran firmly to China for decades. Heritage expert: Dean Cheng <[link removed]>
The Reality of Gun Violence in America Is Complicated <[link removed]> – The reality is more complex than “more guns mean more overall death.” As just one example,
Americans are far more likely to kill themselves with firearms than are their European counterparts, but our overall suicide rate is comparable to — and even lower than — that of many other countries with far more restrictive gun laws. Some historical perspective is also warranted. We experienced an unprecedented spike in gun violence during 2020. But the evidence suggests this was due largely to COVID-19-related societal stressors and abrupt changes in policing practices, not rising gun sales. Rates of gun crime and gun homicide remain much lower today than in the early 1990s, despite the presence of far more guns per capita and loosened restrictions on public carry in many states. Heritage expert: Amy Swearer <[link removed]>
Chemical Abortion: A Review <[link removed]> – In September 2000, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved the use of mifepristone—an abortion pill—commonly known as RU-486 or its brand name, Mifeprex. Its entrance on the U.S. market was mired in controversy for reasons including its approval process, inadequate oversight of adverse effects as a result of its use, and the simple fact that it is an abortifacient. The drug remains no less contentious 20 years later. The annual percentage of chemical abortions grows larger every year. Pro-abortion activists, as well as state and federal lawmakers, are agitating to remove safety standards guiding the drug’s usage—or even make it available over the counter. U.S. policymakers must address the alarming impact of this dangerous drug. Heritage expert: Melanie Israel <[link removed]>

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