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To ‘restore the Earth,’ tap the free market <[link removed]> – Voluntary cooperation for economic and environmental good also extends beyond
America’s borders. Freer trade is a critical tool that increases productivity, generates efficiencies and leads to the innovation and transfer of cleaner technologies. As emphasized by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, “Open markets can improve access to new technologies that make local production processes more efficient by diminishing the use of inputs such as energy, water and other environmentally harmful substances.” This planet has its environmental challenges. But it is a place filled with talented innovators who want to make the world a better place. The role of public policy should be to unleash their creativity rather than stifle by closing off economic opportunity. Heritage experts: Nick Loris <[link removed]> and Joel Griffith <[link removed]>

Biden’s Business Tax Hikes Would Be a Self-Inflicted Mistake for American <[link removed]> – Raising taxes on employers just while the economy is
beginning to recover would be a self-inflicted mistake. The negative effects would be felt by real Americans. Rather than harming the country through tax hikes, a pro-growth agenda to promote prosperity for all households in the United States is to keep taxes low, and spending in line with revenue. Heritage expert: Joel
Griffith <[link removed]>

State Education Officials Must Restore a Sense of National Character in Public Schools <[link removed]> – The new Biden Administration promptly reversed the Trump Administration’s ban on training the federal workforce in
the ideology of Critical Race Theory (CRT). CRT has its intellectual origin in Critical Theory, a philosophy based on applying Marxism to every area of life—counter to America’s promise of freedom and equality under the law. CRT teaches that America is racist at its core, and that the existing societal institutions must be dismantled. The reversal of the ban sent the momentum for combatting CRT to the states, where legislatures and governors are currently considering the impact of CRT’s Marxist roots and intolerance of other ideas on K–12 curricula. State education officials must resist the ever-increasing application of CRT in public schools in order to restore a sense of national character.
Heritage experts: Jonathan Butcher <[link removed]> and Mike Gonzalez <[link removed]>
Yes, Russia Is a Threat to the United States <[link removed]> – The fact that Russia considers the actual employment of nuclear weapons to achieve its ambitions should be a major concern to the U.S. If Russia feels threatened by the U.S., a nuclear strike in the future cannot be definitively ruled out. So yes, the threat is real. The United States should respond in three ways: Keep supporting its NATO allies and international partners; beef up its own nuclear weapons to provide a credible deterrent to future Russian nuclear calculations; never trust Putin to be a trustworthy partner. The U.S. must take the Russian threat seriously and not let down its defenses. Now, as in Palmerston's day, the Russian bear is ever on the prowl, seeking to go "as fast and as far as the apathy or want of firmness of other Governments would allow." Heritage expert: Alexis Mrachek <[link removed]>
Using defense funds to 'reduce the role of nuclear weapons' irresponsible <[link removed]> – Critics like to quote estimates that nuclear modernization will cost $400 billion. Yes, that’s a lot of money, but it’s spread out over 30 years. Talking about 30-year life-cycle costs when the topic is a one- to five-year budget is highly misleading. In fact, nuclear modernization costs less than what North Americans will pay for Netflix over the next 30 years. Netflix has about 74 million subscribers in North America who spend, on average, $13.32 per month. Taken over 30 years and adjusted for inflation, that’s more than $500 billion. While President Biden says he’s committed to both addressing growing global threats and maintaining a strong nuclear deterrent, the budget will ultimately speak louder. A budget that does not fully support modernization at a time when nuclear threats are growing would be nothing less than irresponsible. Heritage expert: Patty-Jane Geller <[link removed]>
The Pentagon Can’t Afford to Go Green at the Warfighters’ Expense <[link removed]> – Recent actions give rise to worries the Biden administration may return to the failed
experiments of the Obama administration in trying to pursue a greener Department of Defense faster than what current technologies and costs allow. First, Biden’s team is committed to replacing the entire federal government’s fleet of vehicles, some 645,000 cars, with electric vehicles. The down payment on such an acquisition will cost upwards of $20 billion. Of the 645,000, the Department of Defense alone operates approximately 170,000 non-combat vehicles. More important, however, will be how the Biden administration’s environmental policies affect the Pentagon’s actual military
capabilities. After all, past attempts to be environmentally conscious in defense operations have been incredibly costly, without much to show for them. Heritage expert: Maiya Clark <[link removed]>

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