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Democrats’ Budget Resolution Likely to Worsen Inflation, Increase Americans' Reliance on Government – Congress has already damaged the economic recovery through excessive unemployment benefits that make it hard for businesses to find workers. The budget resolution that the Senate is preparing will enable the largest tax-and-spend bill in history: $3.5 trillion, or $27,000 per household. Meanwhile, the bipartisan infrastructure deal would help enable the catastrophic tax-and-spend package, destroying countless jobs and discouraging investment when we need it most. It includes hiring an army of IRS agents that would enforce the forthcoming tax hikes. The spending will be used to create an unprecedented cradle-to-grave welfare state, making Americans more reliant than ever on the federal government. It is urgent that Congress avoid such a radical step toward socialism and centralized federal power. Heritage expert: David Ditch

It’s not racist to support election integrity laws –  The left wants to federalize elections, turning over the rulemaking from accountable state legislators to unelected federal bureaucrats. They are trying to pass bills like HR 1 and S1 (the For the People Act) and HR 4 (the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act) and put the federal government in charge of state elections so that many reforms become impossible. It’s a recipe for corruption. Certainly, there was a time in America when some states had laws that deliberately discriminated against minorities. There was a need for the federal government to intervene. But that’s not what’s happening today. The left would have us believe that we are still living in the 1960s segregated South. Many politicians and many in the media continue to spread the lie that racism keeps people from voting, even though election results and census numbers clearly show that Blacks and other minorities are showing up to elections in increasingly record numbers. It would be a great irony and a great tragedy if the promise of the civil rights movement and the sacrifice of all those who fought and even died to protect our right to vote were undone because the left successfully cloaked its efforts in the name of civil rights.
Fact-Checking 6 Big Claims in Biden’s Partisan-Tinged Speech on Voting  – “This year alone, 17 states enacted 28 new laws to make it harder for Americans to vote,” Biden said. Although numerous states have passed election reforms, it’s not clear that any made it more difficult to vote. The president referred to Georgia and what he called its “vicious anti-voting law.” Georgia’s law requires a valid identification card for individuals who wish to cast absentee ballots. A voter would need to provide a driver’s license number or other state identification number on the form requesting an absentee ballot. The law also requires voters to request absentee ballots no later than 11 days before an election. Previously, the law allowed voters to request ballots by the Friday before Election Day, typically four days ahead. However, Georgia’s new law also allows for expanded early voting, as reported by Georgia Public Broadcasting, creating an additional mandatory Saturday and formally codifying Sunday voting hours. Previously, some rural counties didn’t provide for early voting. Heritage experts: Hans von Spakovsky and Zack Smith

Biden should call for 2022 Olympics to be moved out of Beijing – An athlete boycott a la 1980 would serve little purpose and affect the athletes far more than anything else. But making noise about a boycott—on both sides of the Atlantic—combined with a concerted effort to move the Olympics would seriously unsettle Beijing, even if the effort failed. Further, it would establish the precedent for a broad diplomatic boycott (where public officials refused to attend) and commercial sponsorship boycott of the Olympics… and that would really send an important message to Beijing and the world. Heritage expert: Olivia Enos

4 Reasons Why Federal Government Shouldn’t Permanently Expand Jobless Benefits – Expanded unemployment insurance benefits have arguably been the most flawed—and damaging—component of the federal government’s COVID-19 economic policy response. The systematic failures, widespread fraud, and unintended economic effects of unemployment insurance expansions should serve as a red flag to policymakers who want to bake these problematic expansions into the cake. It’s important for Americans to have the financial security to weather unexpected events, such as a loss of income. But instead of forcing workers to pay higher taxes to fund bureaucratic programs that put politicians in charge of deciding who qualifies for benefits and how much they can receive, policymakers should let Americans keep more of their own money and allow them to save in a single, simple, and flexible Universal Savings Account that could be accessed whenever they need their money, without early-withdrawal penalties, and not subject to double taxation. Heritage expert: Rachel Greszler

Biden’s ‘Competition’ Executive Order Realizes a Central Planner’s Dream – Conservatives should call out the hypocrisy of the administration and the far left who claim to want to promote competition while simultaneously pushing policies that will hurt competitors and the consumers who benefit from competition through lower prices, increased choices, and higher-quality goods. Most of all, conservatives should recognize that this is an incredible opportunity to distinguish ourselves from the far left by promoting our core principles. Wealth is created by the American people, not the government. The government’s role is to create an environment where individuals and businesses can compete and earn success on their own merits, not to intervene to pick winners and losers, or to dictate what competition should look like. Cronyism and corporate welfare, which are the antithesis of competition and our free enterprise system, need to be rooted out. It’s time to proactively push a specific agenda to achieve those ends. The Biden administration has shown its hand. Now, it’s time for conservatives to do the same. Heritage expert: Daren Bakst

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