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Senate Panel Turns to Defunct Constitutional Amendment Phyllis Schlafly Helped Defeat 40
Years Ago - <[link removed]> The Equal Rights Amendment has been a topic of debate in the halls of Congress <[link removed]> on and off for 50 years. On Tuesday, the controversial amendment will again be up for debate during a Senate committee hearing.  Despite the deadline for ratification having expired—depending on who you ask—in either 1979 or 1982, the Senate Judiciary Committee <[link removed]> is set to hold a hearing to consider removing the ratification expiration date on the ERA altogether. The Equal Rights Amendment <[link removed]>, or the ERA, would guarantee that “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” But, now as then, opponents of the
amendment argue it would harm women’s rights by removing all distinctions between men and women. Heritage Experts: Tom Jipping <[link removed]> and Emma Waters <[link removed]>
 
Biden’s Misleading New Asylum Rule Is a Gimmick Atop a Shell Game <[link removed]> - Now, in anticipation <[link removed]> of even higher numbers of illegal alien encounters with the coming termination <[link removed]> of the Title 42 public health authority used to expel migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic, the departments of  Homeland Security and Justice have proposed a joint rule to avoid more bad optics. In it, the departments “encourage” illegal aliens to “avail themselves of [the] lawful, safe, and orderly pathways” the Biden administration created, or “seek asylum or other protection in countries through which they travel.” Heritage Expert: Lora Ries <[link removed]>
DHS Flouts Law on Student Visas and D.C. Circuit Judges Yawn <[link removed]> -  The Immigration and Naturalization Act, 8 U.S.C. § 1101 <[link removed]>, is the law governing student visas <[link removed]> and it’s very specific. It stipulates that the Department of Homeland Security can issue student visas to a “bona fide student qualified to pursue a full course of study” who “seeks to enter the United States temporarily and solely for the purpose of pursuing such a course of study” (emphasis added). Yet despite the clear language of this provision that permits foreign students only to study in the U.S., DHS <[link removed]> promulgated a new regulation <[link removed]> in 2016. It amended similar, existing regulations first issued in 1992 to allow foreign students to remain and work in the country for up to a year after their studies end.  DHS also allows students in science, technology, or engineering to work while remaining in the U.S. for an additional 24 months. Heritage Experts: Hans von Spakovsky <[link removed]> and Cully Stimson <[link removed]>
Biden’s Student Loan “Forgiveness” Plan Is a Raw Deal for Taxpayers <[link removed]> - Biden’s student loan debt cancellation plan is an abuse of power and a costly one, which must be stopped. This program punishes Americans who decided not to go to college or who responsibly paid off their student loans—forcing them to take on the debt of others who willingly took out loans. Biden’s student debt cancellation is based entirely on a 20-year-old statute (the HEROES Act) that has never been used to forgive any student debt and nowhere mentions a unilateral executive
power to cancel debt. A strong decision from the Supreme Court holding that the Constitution gives the power of the purse to the legislature alone might stop presidents from treating the federal budget like a slush fund. Canceling student loan debt overwhelmingly benefits the wealthiest Americans at the expense of the poor and working class. More than half (56%) of student loan debt is held by households whose borrowers earned graduate degrees. Canceling these loans will make college more expensive, as schools hike tuition because future loan cancellations are factored into students’ financial decisions. Heritage Experts: Jack Fitzhenry <[link removed]>, GianCarlo Canaparo <[link removed]>, Adam Kissel  <[link removed]>
 
Index of Economic Freedom Reveals ‘How Fragile the World’s Economy Has Become,’ Even as Taiwan Rises <[link removed]> - Taiwan’s economic freedom ranking has risen to an all-time high, according to The Heritage Foundation’s 2023 Index of Economic Freedom <[link removed]> released on Monday. The index ranks Taiwan No. 4 <[link removed]> with an overall economic freedom score of 80.7 and No. 2 out of the 39 economies in the Asia-Pacific region. The region’s average overall economic score is 58.2 while the world’s average is 59.3, or “the lowest it has been over the past two decades,” according to the index’s executive summary. Heritage Expert: Samantha Aschieris  <[link removed]> 
 
‘Too Important to Screw Up’: Trump USAID Chief Explains Need for Oversight of US Billions for Ukraine  <[link removed]>- Aid to Ukraine is an important priority for the United States, and that’s why there must be congressional oversight <[link removed]> of it, the former chief of international humanitarian assistance during the Trump administration says.  “The response to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s invasion of Ukraine <[link removed]>, by USAID and the rest of the U.S. government, is too important to screw up,” John Barsa, who was acting administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development, told The Daily Signal. But he added, “Nobody or no cause should get a pass” when it comes to scrutiny of how tax dollars are spent. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, the United States has given $113 billion <[link removed]> in humanitarian and military assistance to Ukraine <[link removed]>. On Tuesday, the House Armed Services Committee and the House Appropriations subcommittee on defense held separate hearings into how the money is being spent. Heritage Expert: Fred Lucas <[link removed]>
 
CDC Refuses to Answer House GOP Questions About Codes to Track Reasons Why Americans Turn Down the COVID-19 Jabs <[link removed]> - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told The Daily Signal that it “will not be tracking” the reasons Americans give for refusing to take a COVID-19 vaccine <[link removed]>, after House Republicans demanded answers about a new classification system that tracks the reasons for vaccine refusal. Meanwhile, congressional Republicans told The Daily Signal that the CDC failed to respond to their questions by a deadline last week. “Two weeks ago, we sent a letter to the CDC demanding answers about its new COVID-19 vaccine database,” Rep. Josh Brecheen, R-Okla., told The Daily Signal <[link removed]> in a statement Monday. “The CDC is stonewalling us and refusing to respond. Why won’t the CDC explain why it’s gathering data about Americans’ personal choices? House Republicans are not afraid to use the budgetary process to keep the CDC accountable to the American people,” Brecheen warned. Heritage Expert: Tyler O’Neil <[link removed]>

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