Here is the Heritage Take on the top issues today.Please reply to this email to arrange an interview.
Joe Biden’s Afghanistan Speech Proves He Will Be President Chaos <[link removed]> – The White House may have thought abandoning Afghanistan was
low-risk. Biden may have thought Americans didn’t care — but he forgot that Americans also don’t like to be lied to. They don’t like to be humiliated. They don’t like to have their safety and security jeopardized. Maybe they didn’t care before Biden’s folly, but they care now. If Biden does not address their concerns and deliver real fixes to the real mayhem he has created, they may conclude he’s just not up to the job.
Afghanistan Disaster Is ‘Unconscionable, Shocking, & Unacceptable’ <[link removed]> – It is unconscionable that the Biden
administration accelerated this withdrawal without having plans in place to get all American citizens and allied Afghan partners who assisted American forces out of the country first. It is shocking that there was no contingency planning in place to respond to the worst-case scenario. And it’s unacceptable that the leader of the free world took days to face the American people and explain his decisions and those of his administration.  
Don’t Blame Trump For Afghanistan’s Collapse. Blame Barack Obama. <[link removed]> – This is the Obama-Biden playbook. Disengage in dangerous situations, and hope everything doesn’t go to hell in a handbasket. And when those fond hopes don’t pan out? Time to make excuses; shift blame; do anything but deal with the problem—unless there is absolutely no alternative. In the face of America’s enemies, the default position of Obama-Biden foreign policy default is accommodation and appeasement. Unfortunately, the bad guys are not stupid. They had eight years to study the Obama playbook, and they know what to do with it: Exploit the deliberate self-weakening. Heritage expert: Jim Carafano <[link removed]>

Biden and critical race theory – how to fight back amid admin's confusing mixed signals <[link removed]> – Educators should guide students as they wrestle with ideas, even ideas with which they disagree, yet no one should be compelled to affirm that they are owed something before they can hope to succeed. No one should be compelled to believe or defend racial prejudice. While progressives decide how to explain away critical race theory’s bigotry, parents and policymakers should call the theory what it is – discrimination – and reject it. We can get that settled before kids go back to school. Heritage expert: Jonathan Butcher <[link removed]>

Federal Judge Reinstates ‘Remain in Mexico,’ Ruling Biden Broke Law in Terminating Policy <[link removed]> – To remedy the Biden administration’s unlawful conduct, Kacsmaryk vacated the administration’s termination of the Remain in Mexico policy. He also ordered the administration to restart enforcement of that policy and to file monthly reports proving that it is doing so. Kacsmaryk stayed his order for one week to allow the administration time to file an emergency appeal, if it wished. Kacsmaryk deserves praise not only because he meticulously and
rigorously applied the law here, but also because he did so in record time. This case went from filing to trial and judgment (with a 53-page opinion) in exactly four months. The federal judiciary is chock-full of brilliant, hardworking judges, but Kacsmaryk accomplished something incredible even by their high standards. Heritage experts: GianCarlo Canaparo <[link removed]>
High Gasoline Prices and Biden’s Confusing OPEC Request on Oil Production <[link removed]> – In less than a decade, the U.S. went from projections in the early 2000s of energy shortages to being the largest producer of oil in the world. The U.S. exported more petroleum than it imported in 2020. That hasn’t happened since 1949, and it’s hard to overstate how revolutionary that is for domestic and international oil markets. This revolution was thanks to innovation in the private sector to develop economic directional drilling and hydraulic fracturing, private property rights and regulatory reform at the state level, and
Congress’ 2015 removal of the oil export ban. In 2012, President Barack Obama said that we can’t drill our way to lower gasoline prices. In 2021, the Biden administration routinely says by its actions that you shall not drill your way to lower gas prices. Although Americans can’t control everything that goes into the price of gasoline, the president’s approach will cause self-inflicted wounds. Instead, Biden should lean into the space
where Sullivan ended: “competitive energy markets will ensure reliable and stable energy supplies.” Heritage expert: Katie Tubb <[link removed]>
The prospects for a real “China Bill” <[link removed]> – The clock is running out on meaningful congressional action this year. But it’s not yet impossible to pass a solid, comprehensive bill addressing the China challenge. For that to happen, lawmakers will have to look beyond narrow constituent interests. They will also have to start taking their own constitutional powers more seriously. There is a process for producing responsive, responsible legislative outcomes. It’s called the “regular order.” This means marking up legislation in committee. And then — here’s the most important part — allowing members to vote on amendments for which the outcome is not preordained. That’s the only way proposals like the RSC’s have a chance to be considered. The rough edges can then be worked out in negotiations between the two Houses. Barring such an approach, Congress will have to wait another couple of years to pass something real on China. Given current polling data, the RSC package could very well be the starting point for the new debate. That would be a positive thing. Heritage expert: Walter Lohman <[link removed]>

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