Here is the Heritage Take on the top issues today.
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The Top 5 Issues President Biden Should Discuss with Putin at the Geneva Summit – So far, President Biden has held Russia accountable for some of its many transgressions, acts of aggression, and murders, but not all of them—in an effort to “be proportionate” and have a “stable, predictable relationship.” This could appear to be a return to the era of the Obama Administration’s failed “Russian reset.” President Biden needs to keep in mind that, under current conditions, Russia cannot be a partner to the United States, and he should bring up five specific issues during the Biden–Putin summit on June 16, 2021, in Geneva. Heritage expert: Alexis Mrachek
China And The Coronavirus: America Must Uncover The Truth – Any law that classifies gender identity as a protected class under civil rights law denies science. The Equality Act and the Fairness for All Act turn the scientific reality that there are only two sexes into the legal equivalent of racism. America is at its best when all citizens can seek and live according to the truth. Disagreements between gender identity advocates and Americans who know there are only two sexes will continue. Congress should allow them to, by rejecting the Equality Act and the Fairness for All Act that shut down any conversation. Most importantly, Congress should affirm that “science is real.” Heritage expert: Jared Eckert
Will Liberals in Congress Give Health Insurance Industry $200 Billion Windfall? – It’s incongruous that 113 sponsors of so-called “Medicare for All” voted to increase government payments to profitable health insurers through the end of next year. Those same members of Congress appear ready to embrace a Biden administration proposal to make those increased payments permanent. If Congress follows through on the request, it will constitute a $200 billion gift (a $34 billion increase) from the federal Treasury to profitable health insurance companies that participate in the Obamacare exchanges while doing little to reduce the number of people who lack coverage. Heritage expert: Doug Badger
Biden Directive on Mitigating Threats From TikTok, Other Foreign-Owned Apps Is Insufficient – After revoking Trump’s TikTok and WeChat bans, Biden signed a new executive order with vague directions for the Commerce Department to evaluate software related to foreign adversaries. While some sort of evaluation plan is better than none, this executive order only skims the surface of the national security issues that come along with foreign-owned digital platforms. The executive branch needs to articulate the known current threats while realistically preparing for future challenges in this sphere. A risk-based framework is needed to account for national security concerns presented by any app connected to a foreign state tied to national security threats. Heritage expert: Dustin Carmack
Biden Administration Is Forcing the Navy to Make a False Choice – Despite growing threats facing the U.S. Navy every day, the Biden administration will not increase the defense budget to keep up with rising inflation. Instead, the Navy was told to slash base-operating support funds by 5% while funding educational efforts, violence prevention programs (e.g., sexual assault), and an office dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion. This false choice ignores the comprehensive challenges confronting our forces by China and Russia and creates gaps they can exploit. The Biden administration should not force the Navy to choose between investing in future capabilities or building more ships. It is their duty to protect the American people from foreign adversaries, and this means providing the Navy with the resources to compete against growing threats. Heritage expert: Brent Sadler