May 09, 2022

On the Agenda: Heritage weighs in on what lies ahead for the pro-life movement in the wake of the unprecedented leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion. Meanwhile, Biden’s new “disinformation” department raises alarms. We also scored a big win against a Biden mandate that would have forced insurers to cover the cost of transgender treatments and surgeries. There are events, podcasts, and more you don’t want to miss in this week’s Agenda.

What Comes Next on the Dobbs Case?

Release the Dobbs ruling: The disgraceful leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion overturning Roe v. Wade consumed Washington, D.C., last week. “The leak is a nakedly political attempt to get the justices to back down,” writes Melanie Israel, a policy analyst with the DeVos Center for Life, Religion, and Family. “The court must issue its Dobbs decision without delay.” Read her commentary here.

Find the leaker: John Malcolm, vice president of the Institute for Constitutional Government, and legal fellow Zack Smith argue that “The chief justice could ask all the law clerks, and anyone else who had access to [Justice Samuel] Alito’s draft opinion, to sign a statement saying that they were not the source of the leak.” They note the leaker could face criminal prosecution. Read more here.

What comes next: “The real headline here is that we are on the cusp of making this a pro-life nation once again,” President Kevin Roberts said on a conference call with more than 16,000 members of Heritage and Heritage Action for America. “We have a lot of work ahead of us.” Read his statement here.

Pro-life progress report: Overturning Roe would turn the tide on last year’s setbacks for the pro-life movement. “The 117th Congress and the Biden administration have repeatedly undermined the cause of life,” notes Heritage’s annual Pro-Life Progress Report. Read the progress report here.

Biden’s ‘Ministry of Truth’ Should Scare Us All

What’s news: President Biden recently announced a new “Disinformation Governance Board” that will operate out of the Department of Homeland Security.

Blowback: The announcement was greeted with an avalanche of attacks, despite reassurances from the Biden administration that the board won’t monitor U.S. citizens.

Our take: “This latest move by the Biden administration—trying to control the flow of information to Americans—sums up its entire agenda: to maintain power at all costs and silence any opposition to the administration’s progressive narrative,” writes Erin Dwinell, a senior research associate with Heritage’s Border Security and Immigration Center. Read the rest here.

IMPACT: Heritage Halts Biden’s Radical Transgender Agenda

What this is about: Unbeknownst to most Americans, the Biden administration has been trying to mandate that health insurance cover experimental drugs and surgeries to appease a radical transgender agenda.

Calling a halt: But the U.S. Health and Human Services Department stripped this mandate out of a broader rulemaking. So, Americans won’t be forced to pay higher insurance premiums to cover puberty blockers, hormone treatments, and surgeries.

Why it happened: Roger Severino, vice president of domestic policy at The Heritage Foundation, rallied conservative groups to file comments against the mandate. Rather than respond to these comments—as required by law—HHS simply dropped the transgender mandate.

The impact: “We take credit for making the Biden administration hit the brakes on an LGBT initiative for the first time,” Severino said. Read more here.

NEW RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

• Utah Republicans Fight Credit Rating Company’s “Political Rating System”

• New Administration Policy Further Undermines Trust in Military Commanders

• Why Economic Freedom Is More Integral to Foreign Policy Than Ever

• China’s Ongoing Persecution of Christians and the Case of Pastor Wang Yi

DID YOU KNOW?

The Heritage Foundation’s 2021 annual report is now available. It details the impact we had on a broad swath of issues and where Heritage is headed under new leadership. You can read and download the report here.

Gender Now and Then: Critical Theory vs. the Judeo-Christian Tradition, Wednesday, May 11, 11 a.m. Speakers include:

• Abigail Favale, professor of English and dean of the College of Humanities at George Fox University
• John Grabowski, professor of moral theology/ethics at The Catholic University of America

Register here.

Last Exit to Freedom? Britain After Brexit and the Future of Conservative Politics, Thursday, May 12, 11 a.m.

UK Minister of State Lord David Frost reflects on the political and economic situation of Britain two years after the country’s exit from the European Union.

Register here.

Classical Education and the Pursuit of Truth in an Age of Folly, Wednesday, May 18, 11 a.m. Speakers include:

• Anika Prather, founder, Living Water School
• Soren Schwab, vice president of partnerships, Classic Learning Test
• Robert Bortins, CEO, Classical Conversations
• Robyn Burlew, head of upper school, Veritas School

Register here.

Another Republican Revolution? Lessons from the 1994 Congressional Triumph, Wednesday, May 18, 5 p.m. Speakers include:

• Dick Armey, former House majority leader
• Phil Gramm, former U.S. senator
• Ed Feulner, Heritage founder and past president

Register here.

“The Kevin Roberts Show”: This week’s guest is best-selling author Peter Schweizer, whose latest book exposes how our nation’s political and business elites have been secretly aiding and abetting Communist China. Schweizer calls it the “scariest investigation ever.” Listen to the podcast and find out why.

“Heritage Explains”: This fall, New Jersey public school second graders will be getting lessons related to gender identity under state sex education guidelines. Jonathan Butcher, Heritage’s Will Skillman fellow in education, explains the state’s lesson plan, where else this is happening, and what parents can do about it. Listen to the episode.

Heritage President Kevin Roberts spoke to Fox News about the Federal Reserve’s decision to raise interest rates to fight inflation, pointing out that even with this decision, the next several years are going to be hard on Americans thanks to Biden’s economic policies. Watch it here.

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