The Heritage Foundation - Leadership for America

Drilling and Defense Spending are the two big issues this week in Washington.

For years, Congress has banned oil and natural gas drilling on most of America’s Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). On Oct. 1, that ban, along with one that forbids the extraction and development of oil shale in the Mountain West, will expire.

For the past two years, The Heritage Foundation has sought to make the case that America’s global responsibilities call for an adequate defense budget to train, equip, and modernize an all-volunteer force capable of meeting the full range of both conventional and unconventional missions.