Here is the Heritage Take on the top issues today.Please reply to this email to arrange an interview.
Biden’s Infrastructure Plan Is a ‘Bad Deal for Americans’ <[link removed]> – Make no mistake, this is not a compromise. President Biden has said he won’t sign it unless he gets 100% of the left’s spending plans on his desk. Democratic leadership has already announced that they won’t pass this plan until they pass more of their own radical, socialist, climate-obsessed legislative priorities and spending through reconciliation. An infrastructure agreement shouldn’t enable trillions in new welfare and entitlement spending that we have no way of paying for. A deal in the interest of American taxpayers—one that charts a path toward fiscal sanity and responsibility—should take precedence over partisan agenda items. Heritage expert: David Ditch <[link removed]>
Supreme Court won't hear dispute over bathrooms for transgender students <[link removed]> – In a heartbreak for many conservative court-watchers, the Supreme Court today denied a petition for writ of
certiorari in the case of Gloucester County School Board v. Gavin Grimm—an appeal from the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals over a biological girl’s access to the boy’s bathroom in one Virginia school district. In so doing, it hands a victory to the former student, Grimm, and concretizes more federal precedent on the ability of students in federally funded schools to use the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity. While the Department of Education has recently made clear through federal guidance that it will interpret Title IX to include sexual orientation and gender identity, it remains to be seen how such guidance will be enforced, and what can be expected for secular institutions that don’t comply with the agency’s interpretation of the statute. Heritage expert: Sarah Perry <[link removed]>
Why Illegal Immigrants Are Being Released Without Court Dates <[link removed]> – Under circumstances at the southern border created by Biden
administration actions, the contentious “catch and release” of illegal immigrants has become a bit more complicated, as the Border Patrol is now releasing thousands of illegal aliens into the country without a court date. Generally, after apprehension, it’s the Border Patrol that processes the illegal border crossers and issues a notice
for them to appear in immigration court. However, with the flood of migrants crossing the border, the Border Patrol instead has begun issuing them a “notice to report” to Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 60 days. Even border hawks are split on its potential effectiveness. A chief complaint is that the Biden administration is engaged in something lacking statutory teeth. On the other hand, the illegal border crossers getting only a “notice to report” will not have an automatic formal status in the country. Now, if illegal immigrants who are released want the quasi-legal status and benefits of a notice to appear—such as a conditional work permit in the United States—they will have to report to ICE
before awaiting adjudication of their asylum claims. Heritage experts: Fred Lucas <[link removed]> and Mike Howell <[link removed]>
Biden is ignoring the Medicare trustees' warnings and the law <[link removed]> – Despite these growing fiscal challenges,
President Biden has ignored the Medicare trustees’ warnings and failed to submit a legislative proposal to shore up the program. Instead, he has proposed expanding Medicare by lowering the age of eligibility from 65 to 60. This would only strain the program further. According to one reputable estimate, it could cost between $40 billion and $100 billion annually. Biden’s proposed financing? General revenues. Soon, the Medicare trustees will once again release a new report on the financial condition of the Medicare program. It is possible that they may reissue a Medicare funding warning. For Washington’s political class, it will be another test. Most will fail it. If they are not going to abide by the law they enacted, they should at least repeal it. That would be better than ignoring it and making a mockery of the rule of law. Heritage expert: Bob Moffit <[link removed]>
Illinois needs meaningful election reform <[link removed]> – The state has yet to enact other common-sense election safeguards, such as prohibiting vote
trafficking or verifying the citizenship of voters. Vote trafficking — allowing third-party strangers to pick up and deliver absentee ballots — puts voters at risk of being pressured, intimidated, and coerced in their homes by candidates, campaign staffers, party activists, and political consultants to vote for the candidate that they prefer, not the candidate that the voter prefers. And putting ballots in the hands of such individuals who have a stake in the outcome of the election is an unwise, reckless policy. That is why so many other states other than Illinois have banned the practice. Until Illinois legislators pass these sensible measures, elections in the state will be anything but strong and secure. Gov. Pritzker should take a page from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ playbook and back immensely popular, meaningful election reform. Heritage expert: Zack Smith <[link removed]>
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