Nov 01, 2021

Greetings from Washington, D.C.! This week, we present a redesigned Agenda that is designed to make it easier to read and to navigate. Let us know what you think by replying to this email.

Biden’s Vaccine Mandate Isn’t Legal

You might be among the 80 million working Americans whom the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, under the direction of President Joe Biden, is about to require be vaccinated.

Here’s the catch: OSHA doesn’t have the legal authority to impose a vaccine mandate.

How will this play out? According to Heritage senior fellow Doug Badger and senior legal research fellow Paul Larkin Jr., it’s not going to go well for OSHA. “OSHA sent a draft mandate to the White House on Oct. 8. Once the White House completes its review, OSHA will issue the order. And then get sued,” they write in their latest commentary.

Learn more: Read the full commentary. There’s also a virtual event on this at Heritage this week.

Garland Weaponizes the Justice Department Against Concerned Parents

In the news: Attorney General Merrick Garland said he’d continue to sic federal law enforcement on parents who speak out against radical ideology in schools, even after the National School Board Association apologized for the letter that supposedly prompted Garland’s action.

What we’re doing: Heritage President Kay C. James decried the “shameful politicization of the Department of Justice to harass and threaten parents who are simply speaking out on behalf of their children.”

Next steps: Heritage has a list of tools Congress can use to hold the Biden administration accountable for this outrage. Read more: Our statement, and the to-do list, is here.

China’s Hypersonic Missile Just Upped Global Threat Level

China successfully ran two tests of a new weapon that deploys a “hypersonic glide vehicle” capable of carrying nuclear weapons to any target in the world.

Why it matters: This is an entirely new weapon that travels at least five times the speed of sound and is highly maneuverable, which means it has:

• unlimited range, complicating the ability to defend against it
• cuts warning and response time
• could be difficult to acquire and track

The big picture: This all comes on top of news in the past few months about other disturbing developments in China’s nuclear posture.

Go deeper: A commentary by senior research fellow Peter Brookes lays out the stakes. And in case you missed it, senior research fellow Dakota Wood breaks down the situation on the “Heritage Explains” podcast.

Preparing the Next Generation

A lifetime has gone into planning your family’s financial security, but are the value of entrepreneurship and good financial habits properly being passed down?

Learn from family wealth expert Tom Rogerson in this three-part lecture series from Heritage how you can start to build, sustain, or recover a cohesive family culture that will advance your legacy and help loved ones to be better prepared for life’s challenges.

DID YOU KNOW?

Political candidates regularly turn to our “Solutions” guide when addressing America’s biggest issues. We’ve revamped this popular Heritage product and made it even more accessible. Check it out today.

Disappointing  U.S.  economic data released last week  reflected the Biden administration’s heavy-handed mismanagement of the economy.  “This administration has proven that everything it touches costs the American people more money and more freedom,” says Joel Griffith, research fellow in the Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at Heritage. Read his full statement.

Rachel Greszler, a research fellow in Heritage’s Grover M. Hermann Center, testified before Congress at a hearing titled, “Help Wanted: A Stronger Labor Market for Robust Growth.” Learn more.

Policy Pulse: The Expansion of the Opium Trade in Afghanistan, Tuesday, 11 a.m. The featured speaker is Lawrence Baumeister, former supervisory special agent at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Register for this event.

The Margaret Thatcher Freedom Lecture, Wednesday, 11 a.m. The featured speaker is Nikki Haley, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

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Empowering Parents to Protect Children: Responding to Critical Race Theory and Transgender Ideology, Wednesday, noon. Featured speakers include:

• Mike Gonzalez, the Angeles T. Arredondo E Pluribus Unum senior fellow at Heritage
• Jay Richards, the William E. Simon senior research fellow at Heritage
• Quisha King, Moms for Liberty spokesmom and education advocate

Register for this event

What's Wrong with President Biden's COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate, Thursday, 10:30 a.m. Featured speakers include:

• Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis.
• Doug Badger, senior fellow for domestic policy studies at Heritage
• Paul J. Larkin Jr., the John, Barbara, and Victoria Rumpel senior legal research fellow at Heritage
• Dr. Martin Makary, professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Carey Business School and editor of Medpage Today

Register for this event

This week on “Heritage Explains,” Nile Gardiner, director of Heritage’s Thatcher Center for Freedom, explains why Britain can’t stand President Joe Biden.

Listen to the podcast.

Critical Race Theory Is Unpopular in Schools
Jay Greene, Ph.D., a senior research fellow in Heritage’s Center for Education Policy, joined Fox News to discuss critical race theory in the news and his new report on chief diversity officers in K-12 public schools. Watch it here.

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