Policy Papers
Biden Blackouts Loom
KEY TAKEAWAYS Large swaths of the United States electric grid are at risk for shortfalls this summer, which could lead to blackouts. This increased risk is due partly to the massive shift away from reliable power generation from coal, gas, and nuclear toward renewable sources. Fossil fuels account for 60% of electricity generated in the U.S., but President Biden and Democrats in Congress are working to restrict their use. Consumers are facing soaring energy prices, but Democrats continue to... Continue Reading
July 12, 2022
Looking Back at a Year of Biden's Words
June 27, 2022
Hot Dog, A Cookout is Expensive!
Last summer, as inflation just started to take off, the White House wanted Americans to celebrate a 16-cent “savings” on a Fourth of July cookout. A year later, grocery bills are rising at the fastest pace in more than 40 years, and the Farm Bureau found that same meal will cost a staggering $10.18 more. That’s a 17% increase, and 27% more than before the pandemic. With prices for ground beef up 36% from last summer, chicken breasts up 33%, pork and beans up 33%, pork chops up... Continue Reading
June 24, 2022
Inflation Hits Home
KEY TAKEAWAYS Americans are being squeezed by rising rents, and buying a home is getting more expensive with high prices, low supply, and rising interest rates. The typical asking price for a place to rent jumped nearly 16% in May from a year ago. As of March, home prices were up more than 20% from one year earlier. Democrats’ flawed “solutions” to surging inflation in housing is to spend massive amounts of taxpayer money and expand the federal government. Americans looking... Continue Reading
June 23, 2022
Myth v. Fact: Georgia's Election Integrity Act
KEY TAKEAWAYS The Election Integrity Act enacted last year in Georgia makes it easier for citizens to vote and harder to cheat. Democrats cynically mischaracterized the law as a voter suppression bill and vilified its supporters. The first federal and statewide elections in Georgia since the law was passed had record turnout, short lines, and few problems. Last year the state of Georgia enacted a new law to make it easier for citizens to vote and harder for anyone to cheat. The Election... Continue Reading
June 23, 2022
Biden's Unserious Approach to the Border
KEY TAKEAWAYS The Biden border crisis continues to worsen, with people caught illegally crossing the border a record 239,416 times in May. Despite the historic numbers of crossings, the Biden administration is intent on playing politics rather than trying to solve the crisis. The administration’s “plan” to solve the border crisis involves getting rid of Title 42, diverting law enforcement resources to process illegal crossers, and further burdening an immigration system that... Continue Reading
June 23, 2022
Improving Mental Health Care
KEY TAKEAWAYS Following the tragic mass shooting at a school in Uvalde, Texas, Congress is working to improve the mental health care system. The COVID-19 pandemic also greatly affected people’s mental health, with four in 10 adults saying they experienced at least one symptom of a mental health condition during the pandemic. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act includes funding for certified community behavioral health clinics, which provide round-the-clock access to mental health crisis... Continue Reading
June 22, 2022
Biden's Independence Day Inflation: Less "Bang" for Your Buck
KEY TAKEAWAYS Inflation has skyrocketed since President Biden signed the Democrats’ “COVID relief” stimulus last year, reaching 8.6% in May, the third straight month of inflation over 8%. Persistently high inflation under Biden will cost American families an extra $7,620 in the coming year. With prices exploding across the country, inflation has soared to the top of American’s worries: 94% of Americans are concerned about inflation and 71% disapprove of Biden’s... Continue Reading
June 22, 2022
Reckless Tax Hikes: A Terrible Idea at the Worst Possible Time
KEY TAKEAWAYS Democrats are pushing for tax hikes across the economy, even though federal revenues are already at the highest level as a share of GDP in more than two decades. Democrats’ $2 trillion “COVID relief” stimulus fueled inflation and forced the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates at the fastest pace in decades. The Fed has lowered its expectations for economic growth in 2022, while raising its projections for inflation, interest rates, and... Continue Reading
June 16, 2022
Democrats Have No Plan for Soaring Diesel Prices
KEY TAKEAWAYS While American families are being crushed by high gasoline prices, consumers and businesses are also feeling the pain of high diesel prices. Average diesel prices have climbed at an even faster rate than regular gasoline prices over the last year, up 80% over the past year. Diesel is essential for the movement of freight and people on trucks, buses, trains, and ships, as well as for agricultural and military equipment. Democrats have pitched messaging bills and gimmicks as... Continue Reading
June 16, 2022
Producer Price Inflation Soars
KEY TAKEAWAYS Producer prices remained high in May, soaring by 10.8% from one year earlier. Producer-level inflation has surged since President Biden took office, increasing at double-digit rates for six months in a row. Soaring producer prices reflect inflationary pressures in U.S. production pipelines, and businesses sometimes must pass higher prices on to their customers, which include other businesses and consumers. The Labor Department reported that overall producer prices surged 10.8% in... Continue Reading
June 14, 2022
Status of the Medicare Trust Funds
KEY TAKEAWAYS The Medicare trustees estimate that the Part A trust fund will become insolvent in 2028. The trustees, in their annual report, highlighted several spending and revenue problems that pose risks to the program’s ability to provide beneficiaries’ health benefits. They expect Medicare spending to continue to rise and described the need to quickly address the financial issues to guarantee the program can pay full benefits as promised. On June 2, the Medicare trustees... Continue Reading
June 10, 2022
Inflation by the Numbers
June 10, 2022
Gas is $5?!
Just as summer begins, the national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline reached $5.00 on June 9. According to AAA, prices have risen $2.60 from the day Joe Biden was inaugurated. They’re up 60 cents from a month ago, and almost a quarter in the last week alone. Families are feeling the pain at the pump – filling up the 14-gallon tank of a Honda CR-V will now cost $70, and gassing up a 26-gallon tank of a popular Ford F-150 will run $130. As of May, regular gas prices were... Continue Reading
June 9, 2022
Putin's Aggression Expands NATO
KEY TAKEAWAYS Russia’s aggression in Ukraine has convinced Europeans to take their security challenges seriously and pushed Sweden and Finland to apply to join NATO. As advanced economies with strong militaries, both could make an immediate contribution to the alliance. A stronger NATO means a more secure Europe, which would support U.S. security and diplomatic interests around the globe. It is clearly in America’s interest to welcome these two countries into NATO. Since the U.S. is... Continue Reading
June 9, 2022
The Federal Trade Commission Goes Rogue
KEY TAKEAWAYS FTC employee morale and trust in senior leadership have declined precipitously. Republican senators have championed legislation to end the practice of “zombie voting” at the FTC, under which votes from departed commissioners are counted for up to 60 days after they leave the commission. The Federal Trade Commission has a long and bipartisan history of protecting consumers and ensuring markets are fair and free from anticompetitive actions. Chair Lina Khan has steered... Continue Reading
June 7, 2022
Gas Prices Up 100% Under Biden
Just as the summer vacation season heats up, the average cost for a gallon of gasoline has doubled since President Biden’s inauguration. As of June 6, the national average cost for a gallon of gasoline was $4.88, an increase of more than 100% from the week Joe Biden took office, when it was $2.39 per gallon. Gas prices have climbed steadily since January 2021, thanks to President Biden’s anti-American-energy agenda. The president started by canceling the Keystone XL pipeline and... Continue Reading
June 7, 2022
Report Card
President Information Name: Joseph R. Biden Number: 46 Address: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Year: 2022 Subject Grade Comments Inflation F The president failed to resist out-of-control spending that kicked off inflation’s climb. In April, the consumer price index was up 8.3% from a year earlier, and inflation has now been 5% or higher for 12 months. The president’s inflation failure is costing families an extra $569 each month. Immigration F The president has... Continue Reading
June 7, 2022
Democrats' Wasteful "COVID" Spending
KEY TAKEAWAYS In their $2 trillion “COVID relief” law, Democrats used the pandemic as a pretext to fund a litany of progressive pet projects. Democrats gave cities hundreds of billions of dollars they did not need, and now taxpayers are funding projects from coast to coast that have nothing to do with pandemic recovery. Their first oversized stimulus fueled four-decade-high inflation, yet they are still focused on restarting their stalled reckless spending spree. Just 45 days... Continue Reading
May 24, 2022
Focusing on Retirement Security
KEY TAKEAWAYS In 2020, about three quarters of working Americans said they have retirement savings in some form, but only 36% thought their savings were on track. Most people with savings have accounts through their employers, such as a 401(k) or 403(b). Congress has previously worked to increase access to savings tools and enhance retirement security, and additional reforms are an area of bipartisan interest this year. One part of the American dream for many people is reaching a point where... Continue Reading