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House Republicans’ Next Opportunity to Drain Swamp by Banning Earmarks - Unfortunately, the temptation to use other people’s money for personal gain proved too strong for Washington to resist for long, and last year Congress brought back budget earmarks. These earmarks included reams of woke projects that included funding for left-wing activist groups, initiatives that use the word “equity” as a shield for race-based preferences, and a variety of thinly disguised Green New Deal boondoggles. We also saw a variety of absurdly wasteful items such as $1.6 million for “equitable growth of shellfish aquaculture industry,” $4.2 million for “sheep experiment station infrastructure improvements,” and $3 million for a Gandhi Museum in Houston. Heritage Expert: David Ditch
Why the Lefts’ “more democracy is always better, undemocratic institutions are bad” mindset is misguided - Going into the midterm elections we heard the constant refrain that “democracy is at stake.” Democracy, of course, was not at stake. Democrats’ unified control of government was. This has echoed a theme of theirs, repeated for example in criticisms of the Electoral College and the Supreme Court, that more democracy is always better and that undemocratic institutions are bad. If, before they put the torch to several of our institutions, they pause for a moment to reflect on history, they might decide to temper their rhetoric with a little nuance. Heritage Expert: GianCarlo Canaparo
FERC’s proposed ‘candor’ rule will stifle communications - Enter the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, an agency overseeing the nation’s wholesale energy markets for oil, natural gas and hydroelectric power. In August, the commission announced an expansive “candor” rule subjecting communications from an array of new parties to regulatory scrutiny. The commission explained that inaccurate information frustrates its task of ensuring fair market rates for energy. Thus, the commission deemed it necessary to prohibit communications that were false, misleading, or affected by material omissions. Sounds reasonable, but beneath these anodyne generalities are serious problems with the commission’s rule and its justifications. Heritage Expert: Jack Fitzhenry
These GOP Senators Won’t Say Whether They Support Vital Religious Freedom Amendments - Following the Thanksgiving holiday, the Senate will hold a procedural vote Monday on an amendment, introduced by Republican Maine Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin and others, that alleges to protect religious freedom. Conservative leaders have said that the amendment is not adequate and pushed for Lee’s amendment to be adopted. The Daily Signal repeatedly asked Sens. Collins, Roy Blunt of Missouri, Richard Burr of North Carolina, Shelley Capito of West Virginia, Rob Portman of Ohio, Mitt Romney of Utah, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Todd Young of Indiana whether they will still support the bill without amendments protecting religious freedom. Heritage Experts: Jay Richards and Roger Severino
The United States Must Go to War Against China’s Spies - In late October, U.S. prosecutors charged thirteen Chinese agents for conducting illegal operations in the United States. Unfortunately, only two of the suspects are in custody. The other eleven remain free to continue their espionage and intimidation operations against American victims from the same place they usually operate—China. These cases illustrate how far behind U.S. law enforcement is in its fight to defend America from assaults by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). While indictments against Chinese agents are becoming more common, the perpetrators are rarely brought to justice. Heritage Expert: Michael Cunningham
Heritage Border Security Team Applauds Kevin McCarthy’s Call for Mayorkas Resignation or Impeachment - Heritage Foundation experts released a statement Wednesday in support of Leader Kevin McCarthy’s calling for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to resign for his role in sparking the worst border crisis in American history or face fresh House investigations that could lead to his impeachment. Heritage Expert: Mike Howell
Elon Musk says Apple has ‘threatened to withhold Twitter’ from the App Store - The Left is hell bent on maintaining their control over the flow of information and Musk is a threat to that. Given their positions as global oligopolies, the ability of Big Tech companies to manipulate the flow of information renders their actions transformative. Every American should be concerned about Big Tech’s willingness to shut off direct access to digital information, their demonstrated pattern of information manipulation, and their impact on America’s culture of free speech. Heritage Expert: Jake Denton
KIRON SKINNER And MATEO HAYDAR: China Is Tightening Its Grip In America’s Backyard - Today’s threat is a different one in several ways. China is a well-financed and technologically equipped rival waging economic warfare on the U.S., as an extension of its military and political aggression. In the global south, it is monopolizing access to extractive resources, penetrating public and civil society institutions, and building dual-use facilities like ports and satellite ground stations. Unlike the Soviets, China is particularly effective in gaining buy-in from autocrats and democrats alike and across ideological variations. For example, the outgoing conservative Bolsonaro government initially tried to curtail Beijing’s “buying [of] Brazil” but was met with an aggressive pro-China lobby that pushed it to make concessions. This included allowing the Chinese state-affiliated telecommunications giant Huawei to bid for sensitive 5G spectrum projects. Heritage Expert: Mateo Haydar
California’s News Handmaid’s Tale - Since around 2013, wealthy Chinese nationals have shifted away from traditional birth tourism, whereby a pregnant Chinese woman comes to the United States with the intention of having her baby born here. Instead, they have increasingly relied on American surrogates to bear their children. This is a shocking reversal of the familiar phenomenon of wealthy Americans adopting Chinese children, especially girls. With the expansion of China’s use of American soil and wombs for birth tourism and commercial surrogacy, China is one of the biggest clients of American assisted reproductive technology. The process can cost upwards of $300,000 per child. Commercial surrogacy is illegal in China. Trafficking in sperm, eggs, and embryos is against Chinese law. Heritage Expert: Emma Waters
Revival of Biden’s Child Tax Credit Would Hurt Economy and People It’s Supposed to Help - The Biden child tax credit eventually lapsed in December 2021 because Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., had serious concerns about this lack of work incentives: “There’s no work requirements whatsoever. There’s no education requirements whatsoever for better skill sets. Don’t you think, if we’re going to help the children, that the people should make some effort?” If the Biden child tax credit—or any version of cash payments without firm ties to work and marriage—is made permanent, it will undermine the economy, self-support, social well-being, and upward mobility. Critically, the Biden child tax credit eliminated work requirements and incentives for families, allowing the full cash grant benefit to go to nonworking families for the first time. Heritage Expert: Robert Rector and Jamie Hall
Lame-Duck Omnibus Would Double Down on Stagflation – Unable to agree on fiscal 2023 appropriations, lawmakers earlier approved a Continuing Resolution (CR) funding the government at 2022 levels. That temporary spending bill will expire Dec. 16. Congress must decide whether to extend the CR into next year or pass a full-year omnibus funding bill instead. The latter would be a tragic mistake. The far better option is to pass a clean CR and leave it to the newly elected Congress to craft spending in a way that reflects the will of the people and starts to restore fiscal sanity to Washington. The newly elected House is likely to be more fiscally conservative. The lame ducks of the current Congress should not shove even more reckless spending down taxpayers’ throats as they limp off into the sunset. If House Speaker Nancy Pelosi keeps her promise, an omnibus would seriously aggravate the stagflation currently assaulting the nation. Heritage Expert: Richard Stern