Republicans and Democrats alike are voicing their concerns over the Clean Energy and Security Act that includes a renewable portfolio standard, federal spending for clean energy technology, and above all else, a cap-and-tax program that would attempt to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Introduced by Chairman Henry Waxman (D–CA) of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and Chairman Edward Markey (D–MA) of the House Energy and Environment Subcommittee, the bill would have devastating long-term economic effects, which in turn, is causing Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle to …
DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano is tentatively scheduled to testify before the United States Senate Judiciary Committee about DHS immigration enforcement policies on May 6, 2009. Given Secretary Napolitano’s novel interpretations of federal law, the Heritage Foundation will be posting a series of questions (and suggested answers) for the Secretary. Labor unions have recently come out in favor of an amnesty for illegal immigrations while continuing to adamantly oppose the expansion of legal worker programs. Will the Obama Administration take on its powerful union supporters by not supporting an amnesty and …
Congratulations. If you are a U.S. taxpayer, you will soon be a part owner of a car company. Under the latest reorganization plan released by General Motors, Uncle Sam would take ownership of 50 percent of the challenged automaker in return for forgiveness of $10 billion of debt now owed to the Treasury. The deal would give Washington controlling ownership of a major industrial corporation for the first time since Conrail was sold in 1986. And the first time the U.S. has ever owned an automaker — joining China and …
This morning, the editors of the Washington Post once again highlighted the need to give disadvantaged families the power to choose the right school for their children: The Supreme Court will hear arguments today about the use of public money for the private schooling of children with special needs. It’s interesting to note what’s not at issue: namely, that when a public school system is unable to provide an appropriate education, it is obligated to pay the costs of private school. Too bad poor children don’t have that unassailable right; …
Markets are weighed down by worries over the new swine flu and the ongoing stress flu; the former from Mexico, the latter from the Treasury Department. Recently, Treasury added markedly to market uncertainties by suggesting it would convert federal capital injections from preferred shares of banks to common shares. This makes little sense unless Treasury’s goal is to unsettle markets further and dilute the holdings of existing shareholders. Treasury’s stress test examinations of the nation’s largest banks to determine if they have the capital to survive a major economic downturn …
There is often a lot of talk in America about ‘single payer health care systems’ but what does that really means? To put it simply, a single payer health care system is one in which the federal government is the only ‘payer’ to doctors, hospitals and other health care providers with no existing private insurance companies or competitors. Essentially, it is the cornerstone of ‘Universal Health Care’. Why is this important? Because this is essentially what President Obama promises will not happen. The President has repeatedly told audiences that if …
Today at 2:15 the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations will hold a confirmation hearing for State Department Legal Adviser nominee Harold Koh. While Koh has an impeccable academic resume, his opinions opinions regarding the role that rulings of foreign courts should play within the U.S. legal system raise serious national security and constitutional questions. Heritage fellows Steven Groves and Ted Bromund have identified some questions the American people deserve to be addressed before Koh is confirmed, including: Since the U.S. ultimately dropped all charges against most of the Marines involved …
The Russians are coming! – to Capitol Hill, led by propagandists and PR experts. What on earth is going on here? Today the 28th Annual World Russia Forum opened in Washington DC. Attending the forum will be numerous Russia experts, diplomats, lobbyists, businessmen, scholars and US politicians. The forum will analyze the state of US-Russian relations and potential avenues and strategies for their improvement. However, judging by the majority of their panelists, the forum is aimed to advance a “Russia-first” foreign policy agenda. One of the most problematic speaker is …
In The New York Times‘ week in review published April 25, William Broad long-time science writer for the paper, discusses the debate over the effectiveness of the North Korean missile launch April 5. The article purports to represent the state of debate on North Korea missile developments. The analysis ignores basic facts known about the test. In a recent public address, Lieutenant General Patrick O Reilly, director of the Department of Defense’s Missile Defense Agency stated that the most recent analysis of the North Korean flight indicates that the first …
According to the Washington Post the only speed bump left in the Senate-House budget reconciliation process is Blue Dog insistence that pay-as-you-go budget rules (PAYGO), that supposedly would prohibit new initiatives that increase the annual budget deficit, be enshrined in federal law. We appreciate the Blue Dogs desire to rein in federal spending. After all, they did cave in and vote for President Obama’s $787 billion economic stimulus and a $410 Omnibus spending bill, but as Heritage fellow Brian Riedl details, PAYGO rules are no substitute for saying ‘No’ to …
