Policy Papers
SCOTUS Term Preview
KEY TAKEAWAYS The recently begun Supreme Court term is the first full term since Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the court, and there are many opportunities for major decisions. The court is scheduled to hear a case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, that could overturn Roe v. Wade. There are also major Second Amendment and religion cases on the docket that could reshape those doctrines for decades to come. The Supreme Court started its new term on October 4, the first full... Continue Reading
October 21, 2021
Government Price Controls: A Threat to Innovation and Cures
KEY TAKEAWAYS Democrats are pushing to have the federal government set prices for prescription drugs. Their heavy-handed, bureaucratic plan would have devastating consequences for Americans, causing more suffering and earlier deaths. Democrats’ proposal would lead to as many as 342 fewer new medications over the next two decades and would slash research by as much as 60%. Democrats are determined to have the federal government set drug prices. While they try to spin their radical... Continue Reading
October 21, 2021
Biden's Strategic Failures in Foreign Policy
KEY TAKEAWAYS President Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan was a strategic failure, but so are many of the administration’s actions around the globe. U.S. foreign policy during the Biden administration has abandoned allies, strengthened adversaries, and put U.S. national security at risk. President Biden’s proposed defense budget was woefully inadequate for a successful strategy in our competition with China, and Democratic leader Chuck Schumer has yet to say when the Senate... Continue Reading
October 20, 2021
The Coming IRS Dragnet
KEY TAKEAWAYS President Biden’s Treasury Department wants to expand the reach of the IRS in a scheme that would capture most Americans in a new dragnet of bureaucracy. Under the proposal, the IRS would collect account data on all Americans who have just $600 in total transactions flowing in or out of their bank account in a year. Even if Democrats end up raising the program’s dollar threshold or implementing various carve-outs, Biden’s plan still means more sensitive... Continue Reading
October 12, 2021
September 2021 Jobs Report
Unemployment Rate: 4.8 percent Jobs Created: 194,000 Employment and Unemployment The Department of Labor reported the unemployment rate decreased 0.4 percentage point to 4.8 in September. Nonfarm jobs increased by 194,000 in September, lower than expectations and below last month’s payroll gain of 366,000 jobs. In July and August, job gains were higher on net than first reported. The department revised the change in nonfarm jobs for those months up by a combined 169,000 jobs. The U-6... Continue Reading
October 7, 2021
Fact Check on Democrats' Reckless Tax and Spend Spree
KEY TAKEAWAYS Democrats are in disarray over their $3.5 trillion reckless tax and spend spree. Senator Manchin has laid out a case for why the approach other Democrats are taking is dangerous. He’s right. Democrats have been in a mad rush to ram through their $3.5 trillion reckless tax and spend spree before the American people realize what’s in it. As most of the party caves to its extreme left wing, their ire has been focused on the few Democrats in Washington who have... Continue Reading
October 6, 2021
Defining the Limits of Executive Privilege
KEY TAKEAWAYS A major legal fight is brewing over the potential use of executive privilege to prevent disclosure of information to the House select committee investigating the January 6 riot. Executive privilege is a collection of different rights, united by the general principle that the president and key advisers must be able to have internal discussions without fear of exposure. Courts have not determined precisely how much power former presidents have to assert executive privilege or... Continue Reading
October 5, 2021
Biden's Broken Promise on Infrastructure Double Dipping
KEY TAKEAWAYS During negotiations over the Senate-passed bipartisan infrastructure bill, President Biden promised that Democrats would not “double dip” on infrastructure funding. Now the left is breaking that promise and trying to increase or include funding for its partisan priorities in the Democrats’ reckless tax and spending spree. Democrats are focused on increasing funding for their liberal wish list of items, such as $10 billion for transit, $10 billion for high-speed... Continue Reading
October 5, 2021
Social Media and Mental Health
KEY TAKEAWAYS Social media use can lead to severe mental health problems, including sleep disorders, depression, and suicide. Internal research conducted by Facebook shows that its Instagram product may be particularly harmful, especially for young people. Senators from both parties have expressed concern with the harmful effects of social media on mental health, and the Commerce Committee is investigating Facebook’s research. Social media has transformed many people’s lives in... Continue Reading
October 5, 2021
Democrats' Spending in Context
Seemingly unconstrained by the guardrails of economic prudence, Democratic leaders continue to march forward on their reckless tax and spending spree. Having rammed a $2 trillion law through in March, they quickly proposed spending another $3.5 trillion. They have aspirations to raise annual discretionary spending by hundreds of billions of dollars as well. The unprecedented magnitude of their plans can be easy to lose sight of. Americans might not realize that Democrats’ $3.5 trillion... Continue Reading
October 4, 2021
A "Zero" Dollar Spending Spree?
KEY TAKEAWAYS Wary of public concern about their reckless spending, Democrats have tried to suggest their $3.5 trillion plan will cost “nothing.” Even with all their budget tricks and gimmicks, the Democrats’ plan is estimated to add as much as 16% to the national debt over time. The cost for all this spending will be borne not just by the rich, but by millions of Americans on every rung of the socioeconomic ladder. In an attempt to deceive anxious Americans, President... Continue Reading
September 29, 2021
Democrats Plot Massive Government Handouts
KEY TAKEAWAYS Democrats’ reckless tax and spending spree will vastly expand Americans’ reliance on government programs. They want to make recently expanded Obamacare subsidies permanent and redesign the child tax credit into a monthly allowance detached from work. Through other programs, Democrats would have Washington exert tremendous control over child care, preschool, and higher education. With their reckless tax and spending spree, Democrats are aiming to do more than... Continue Reading
September 22, 2021
Building the Cybersecurity Workforce
KEY TAKEAWAYS A longstanding challenge to increasing the cybersecurity of the nation is finding enough workers with the right skills. The federal government has launched a variety of education, training, workforce development, and hiring initiatives to help close the country’s cyber workforce gap. States, often in partnership with private-sector technology and cybersecurity companies, have also launched programs to develop a skilled cybersecurity workforce. Increasing the cybersecurity... Continue Reading
September 20, 2021
What's Going On With Roe?
KEY TAKEAWAYS On September 1, the Supreme Court declined to issue an injunction against Texas’ new abortion law, allowing it to go into effect. Since then, there has been a tremendous amount of confusion about the constitutional status of abortion restrictions, including incorrect assertions that Roe v. Wade has been overturned. If the court ultimately overturns Roe, it will be in a future ruling, and possibly as soon as the term starting next month in a case involving a Mississippi... Continue Reading
September 16, 2021
Democrats' Irresponsible Plan to Undermine Medicare
KEY TAKEAWAYS The Biden administration and Democrats in Congress have put forth policies that would distort, disrupt, and undermine Medicare. One proposal calls for lowering the eligibility age from 65 to 60, giving Washington bureaucrats even more control over health care and increasing the burden on taxpayers. The Medicare program is already on shaky financial ground and is projected to reach insolvency within the next four years. Democrats in Congress support lowering the Medicare... Continue Reading
September 16, 2021
August 2021 Biden Border Crisis Report
Southwest Border Encounters August 2021: 208,887 Change from 2020: +158,873 Breakdown of Southwest Land Border Encounters August 2021 Single Adults: 103,129 (up 134% vs. 2020) Unaccompanied Children: 18,847 (up 507% vs. 2020) Individuals in a Family Unit: 86,487 (up 3,086% vs. 2020) In August, U.S. Customs and Border Protection encountered 208,887 people attempting to enter the country illegally, up 318% from August of 2020. Continue Reading
September 15, 2021
Biden's Failure in Afghanistan
KEY TAKEAWAYS President Biden’s botched withdrawal from Afghanistan left American citizens and allies behind while emboldening our enemies, diminishing our counterterrorism capabilities, and damaging trust with our allies around the globe. The administration has sought to blame the Afghans and President Trump for a failure that belongs to President Biden. The Biden administration’s botched withdrawal from Afghanistan left behind American citizens and allies to face the wrath of the... Continue Reading
September 13, 2021
Democrats Plot Tax Hikes Across Entire U.S. Economy
KEY TAKEAWAYS President Biden and Democrats in Congress plan to raise taxes across every facet of our recovering economy to help pay for their sweeping liberal agenda. Democrats are pushing ahead on reckless tax increases even as the Congressional Budget Office predicts revenues as a share of the economy will continue to match the 50-year average in the coming years. Democrats’ tax hikes will hit small businesses, family farms, and the paychecks and retirement plans of working Americans,... Continue Reading
September 13, 2021
Democrats Hitch Climate Plans to Reckless Tax and Spend Spree
KEY TAKEAWAYS Democrats have made clear their reckless tax and spend spree will impose their radical climate agenda. Their proposals – from a carbon import fee to a national clean energy standard – threaten to undermine American energy jobs and reliability, and would mean higher prices for consumers. The left is pursuing this partisan path despite Senate passage of comprehensive, bipartisan infrastructure legislation that would provide billions of dollars for renewable energy and... Continue Reading
September 10, 2021
Fall 2021 Policy Calendar
aa aa July 31 – The 2019 suspension of the debt limit expired, and the debt limit was reset at the current level of debt outstanding: $28.4 trillion. Treasury began using “extraordinary measures” to temporarily avoid passing the limit. aa aa September 6 - Temporary, enhanced federal unemployment benefits expired, including the extra $300 weekly payment. September 15 – FY 2022 budget deadline for House and Senate committees to submit their recommendations for... Continue Reading
