A weekly roundup of news, commentary, research, events, and more
from The Heritage Foundation.
Sep 12, 2022
Heritage Grades All 50 States on Education Freedom
Passing and failing: Heritage released the first-ever Education Freedom Report Card <[link removed]>, which ranks all 50 states on four key measures.


- The report card grades states on education choice, regulatory freedom, transparency, and the ROI for education spending.
- Florida gets the nation’s highest education freedom grade, and Washington, D.C., is at the bottom of the class.
- Heritage held an event in Florida featuring Gov. Ron DeSantis.



Why it matters: “As a fifth-generation educator, I know firsthand the importance of giving parents more choice in their children’s education, and how much of an advantage a quality education gives to those fortunate enough to receive it,” said Heritage President Kevin Roberts.

Major coverage: The Education Freedom Report Card is drawing plenty of attention. Among the coverage:


- The Wall Street Journal broke the story <[link removed]>.
- Fox News featured it prominently <[link removed]>.
- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ press secretary tweeted about it <[link removed]>.



Check it out: Find out where your state ranks on education freedom, and why, here <[link removed]>.
A Blueprint to a Balanced Budget
A plan of attack: Heritage released its latest Budget Blueprint, which includes more than 230 policy reforms that would balance the budget in 10 years while cutting taxes.


- Five charts show the impact of the Budget Blueprint on spending, taxes, wealth redistribution, and more. Check them out here. <[link removed]>
- The Budget Blueprint also prioritizes defense spending.



Undoing the damage: “We’re seeing firsthand what happens when too much power, money, and control are concentrated in Washington,” writes David Ditch, a policy analyst with Heritage’s Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget.

Go deeper: The entire Budget Blueprint is available here <[link removed]>.
Exposed: Team Biden and Big Tech Worked Together to Censor Conservatives
New evidence: The past few weeks of whistleblowers and court discovery have revealed evidence of the Biden administration’s deliberate weaponization of the power of Big Tech. Among the revelations:


- More than 45 administration officials communicated with social media platforms about “misinformation.”
- Facebook employees took direct orders from government officials on which accounts to act against.
- Twitter de-platformed a reporter after White House officials explicitly requested his removal.



It will get worse: After President Biden declared war on 70 million “MAGA Republicans,” Americans can be certain that this censorship campaign will only grow.

Our take: “Only the force of law will be enough to restore integrity to political life online,” writes Jake Denton, a research associate at Heritage’s Tech Policy Center. Read more here <[link removed]>.
ALWAYS ON OFFENSE
Heritage’s Oversight Project Sues Biden Administration for Trump Raid Docs
Demanding documents: The Oversight Project filed lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Justice and the National Archives and Records Administration.


- Heritage filed a FOIA request for documents related to the FBI’s raid on President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home, and the Biden administration has refused to comply.



Our take: “Biden’s DOJ and FBI raided Mar-a-Lago over a document dispute. Now, they have a document dispute with us,” said Mike Howell, director of the Oversight Project.

Go deeper: Check out our press release here <[link removed]>.
EVENTS
Will the Supreme Court Clarify Which Waters Are Regulated Under the Clean Water Act? Sept. 14, 2 p.m.

The Supreme Court’s first case of the new term, Sackett v. EPA, is critical for private property rights and federalism. Speakers include:


- Damien Schiff, senior attorney and lead counsel for the Sacketts, Pacific Legal Foundation
- Daren Bakst, Heritage senior research fellow



Register here. <[link removed]>
Countering Foreign Malign Influence While Protecting Civil Liberties, Sept. 19, 1 p.m. Hosted by Heritage President Kevin Roberts. Speakers include:


- Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio
- Rep. Trent Kelly, R-Miss.
- Craig Singleton, senior fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
- Victoria Coates, Ph.D., Heritage senior research fellow
- Dustin Carmack, Heritage research fellow



Register here. <[link removed]>
Supreme Court Preview of the 2022-2023 Term, Sept. 27, 2 p.m. 

Speakers include:


- Paul Clement, partner, Kirkland & Ellis, and 43rd U.S. solicitor general
- Jeffrey Wall, partner, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, and former acting U.S. solicitor general



Register here. <[link removed]>
NEW RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
- ‘Seven Decades of Service’: British Policy Expert Reacts to Queen’s Passing, Explains What’s Next for Monarchy <[link removed]>
- Gorbachev Tried To Do The Impossible: Reform A Potemkin Village <[link removed]>
- The Latest Jobs Numbers Seem Impressive—Until You Look Closer <[link removed]>
- Why Medicare Advantage Is the Basis for Medicare Reform <[link removed]>
- Biden Ignores China’s Infiltration of U.S. Universities <[link removed]>
- After Flare-up of Violence, Future of Iraq at Crossroads <[link removed]>
- Congress Prepares To Step Up on Taiwan Policy <[link removed]>
- U.N.’s Gender Czar Ends Examination of U.S. With Bleak Report <[link removed]>
- The Federal Gov’s Bungled Census Is Bad News for Red States. Here’s Why <[link removed]>
- It’s Time for Corporate Media To Tell the Truth About America’s Crime Problem <[link removed]>
- Bike Lanes Don’t Make Cycling Safe <[link removed]>
HERITAGE PODCASTS
“The Kevin Roberts Show”: Carrie Lukas, mother of five and president of Independent Women’s Forum, joins the program to talk about how conservatives can go on offense against radical gender ideology that is threatening women’s sports. Listen here. <[link removed]>

“Heritage Explains”: This week, Ian Artinger, director of digital communications at Heritage Action for America, explains what ESG is and how this liberal scoring system hurts us all. Listen here <[link removed]>.


Check out Heritage’s complete lineup of podcasts here <[link removed]>.
HERITAGE IN THE NEWS
Nile Gardiner, director of Heritage’s Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom and Bernard and Barbara Lomas fellow, was on several news programs, including Fox Business, talking about the life and impact of Queen Elizabeth II. Watch one of these clips here <[link removed]>.

Other Media Hits


- Biden's Student Loan Forgiveness Disaster Is Going To Be Paid By Everyday Americans—Kevin Roberts on Fox News <[link removed]>  
- Preparing Students for Real World Has Been Declining for Some Time—Jonathan Butcher <[link removed]>  
- Policymakers Must End Their Reckless Spending To Alleviate Supply Chain Issues and Combat Inflation—Diana Furchtgott-Roth on C-SPAN’s “Washington Journal” <[link removed]>
- The IRS is being purposely deceptive about the 87K new agents doing more audits—Joel Griffith on the Lars Larson Show <[link removed]>
- The Biden Administration Created The Worst Border Crisis In Our History and It Worsens Every Day—Tom Homan on the Guy Benson Show <[link removed]>
POLICY PICTURE
Follow The Heritage Foundation <[link removed]> and The Daily Signal <[link removed]> on Instagram.

Email us your thoughts and questions at [email protected] <[link removed]>.

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