May 23, 2022

On the Agenda: What do the end of Title 42 and the $40 billion Ukraine aid bill have in common? They both put American interests last. We explain. Also, The Heritage Foundation and Heritage Action for America have been recognized for their outstanding work on election integrity. And don’t forget to check out the events, podcasts, and more featured in this week’s Agenda.

Putting America Last, Part 1: Biden Invites New Waves of Illegal Immigrants

In the news: On Friday, a federal judge temporarily stopped the Biden administration's plan to end Title 42, a public health policy used by the Trump administration to keep COVID-19 from coming across our border with illegal immigrants.

Why that matters: The border situation is already a crisis, and the end of Title 42 would likely cause a tidal wave of illegal immigration that could reach up to 18,000 border crossings per day.

Experts weigh in: “This administration could secure our border in a week if they wanted to. They don’t,” says Tom Homan, visiting Heritage fellow and former acting ICE director.

Read more: Read Heritage President Kevin Roberts' statement about the judge's ruling here.  Find out everything you need to know about the border crisis here.

Putting America Last, Part 2: The Bloated Ukraine Aid Bill

More reckless spending: A bipartisan majority in Congress rushed through a deficit-financed $40 billion Ukraine aid bill last week that throws money at things like pension bailouts without any meaningful oversight.

Our take: “Aside from spending billions of dollars we don’t have on a Ukraine aid package that has received almost no debate or review, there’s another major problem—lack of real oversight for how taxpayer dollars are spent,” Heritage President Kevin Roberts tweeted. He was also quoted in a New York Times article on the bill.

Learn more: Read more about our government’s reckless spending on Ukraine here.

Election Integrity: We Are Top Influencers

What: Washingtonian magazine named Jessica Anderson, executive director of Heritage Action for America, and senior legal fellow Hans von Spakovsky, manager of The Heritage Foundation’s Election Law Reform Initiative, as top influencers for their work advancing election integrity.

Why: Heritage and Heritage Action have continued to lead the conservative movement in fighting for honest and fair elections in America.

Read more: Read what the two have to say about this recognition and check out von Spakovsky’s new piece on the latest examples of election fraud.

HERITAGE IMPACT

‘Disinformation’ Board: Last week, the Biden administration “paused” its “Disinformation Governance Board” after getting bombarded with attacks, including from Heritage in commentaries, Daily Signal stories, and social media posts. We stay vigilant for its return and exposed another “ministry of truth” in the Department of Education.

NEW RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

• 3 Ways to Curb Inflation
• 8 Things the COVID Corporate Bailout Gets Wrong
• 11 Examples of Defensive Gun Use Dispel NYC Mayor’s Concerns on Public Carry
• How Policymakers Can Address Baby Formula Shortage
• In Battle Between Religious Liberty vs. LGBTQ Rights, One Case Declares Clear Winner
• Rogue Prosecutors Gascon and Boudin Panicking Over Recall Elections
• The Latest Arrests in Hong Kong Lend Urgency to Extending Refugee Status

DID YOU KNOW?

Heritage experts regularly turn their findings—on everything from inflation to “diversity, equity, and inclusion” bloat at colleges—into interactive data charts, which are housed on our Data Visualizations webpage. Check it out.

Bitcoin and the American Experiment, Monday, May 23, 6 p.m.

Experts discuss how Bitcoin fits into America’s past, present, and future. Speakers include:

• Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Tex.
• Michael Saylor, chairman and CEO of MicroStrategy
• Caitlin Long, founder and CEO, Custodia Bank

Register here.

A Conversation on Readiness with the Secretary of the Air Force, Wednesday, June 1, 11 a.m.

Is the Air Force ready for war? Secretary Frank Kendall discusses key indicators for capacity, capability, and readiness in the U.S. Air Force.

Register here.

“The Kevin Roberts Show”: Josh Hammer, Newsweek’s opinion editor, syndicated columnist, and host of “The Josh Hammer Show,” joins Heritage President Kevin Roberts to share his views on the future of conservatism, Big Tech, the Supreme Court leak, and more. Listen to the podcast.

“Heritage Explains”: With Russian forces struggling to overtake Ukraine, how likely is the Kremlin to escalate the war by using a nuclear weapon? Peter Brookes, Heritage’s senior research fellow for weapons of mass destruction and counter proliferation, explains. Listen to the episode.

Biden’s deadly border policy. Roughly 700 migrants have died trying to cross the border illegally in President Biden’s first year in office. That is “more than any year in my career,” Tom Homan, visiting fellow at The Heritage Foundation and former head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, told Fox Business. Watch the clip.

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Email us your thoughts and questions at [email protected].