Pollster Scott Rasmussen joined us “In The Green Room” to discuss Obamacare on the eve of its one year anniversary. We discussed how the law has remained consistently unpopular—from about 54% of Americans favoring repeal one year ago to 53% still favoring repeal nearly one year later. As Mr. Rasmussen pointed out, this is still an issue on the minds of many voters, especially among seniors who are likely impacted most by the new law. While admitting that attention to this issue may not always be this high, Mr. …
The resignation of U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Carlos Pascual, under pressure from President Felipe Calderon, is bad news for the Obama Administration. There is little doubt that this is a “blow to U.S.-Mexico relations, in that the personal overcame the institutional.” It will damage joint U.S.–Mexico efforts to fight organized crime in Mexico and protect U.S. security at home by turning a common fight against a real enemy into a political contest between national leaders. Since assuming the key ambassadorship in 2009, Pascual played an active role in efforts to …
This Wednesday marks the first anniversary of Obamacare. While advocates spend the week highlighting the new law’s effects on different groups of Americans, we will do the same. A review of the facts on the ground and the conclusions of Heritage research over the past year reveal the far-reaching negative consequences of the new law. Today, the argument is that Obamacare is good for American business. Though there are sure to be those who experience some benefit under the new law, its overall effect will be to cause great harm …
This weekend, Energy Secretary Steven Chu appeared on Fox News Sunday and host Chris Wallace asked him about his desire in 2008 for Americans to punitively pay more at the pump in order to wean them off of gasoline. Shockingly, Chu did not walk back his comments as he has attempted to do in the past. In fact, he embraced the strategy noting that his focus is to ease the pain felt by his energy policies by forcing automakers to make more fuel-efficient automobiles: WALLACE: In that regard, in 2008 …
To most Americans, the phrase “welfare reform” conjures memories of a bipartisan law that President Clinton said would “end welfare as we know it” in 1996. So why – 15 years later – has the situation only gotten worse? First, a little background (watch this quick video, too). The 1996 law replaced a failing program (AFDC) with a new one (TANF) that required able-bodied adults to either work or prepare for work in order to receive benefits. These requirements have helped millions of families become able to provide for themselves …
According to the Obama Administration, the majority of the nation’s schools could be failing. In a statement to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce just over a week ago, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said that under the current No Child Left Behind law, 82 percent of the nation’s schools may not be sufficiently educating students. But this is debatable. It is true that far too many schools in the United States are not providing students with a good, or even remedial, education. Children in the U.S. …
With the recent devastation in Japan, the paragon of earthquake preparedness, Americans are rightfully questioning the readiness of the United States to handle a large-scale national disaster. In spite of the supposed progress the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has made since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, there is wide spread doubt that FEMA could respond effectively and efficiently to a crisis of Japan-like magnitude. In a recent report, Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Richard L. Skinner echoes The Heritage Foundation in his assessment of FEMA’s ability to handle to …
This week marks the first anniversary of Obamacare. In response, Heritage analyst Brian Blase has provided a one-year checkup on the provisions that are already in place and the effects Americans are experiencing as a result. Obamacare’s more popular provisions were supposedly front-loaded, and liberals are taking full advantage of this in the ongoing attempt to build support for the unpopular law. This week, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testified before the Senate Finance Committee on how, in her opinion, Obamacare is already benefiting Americans. But a closer …
As Congress continues the struggle to tame federal deficit spending, some argue that tax hikes and defense cuts are necessary and inevitable. For example, a recent brief from the Concord Coalition on the prospects for the House Majority’s coming budget resolution for fiscal year 2012 makes the case that conservatives will be hard pressed to reduce the deficit without raising taxes or cutting national defense. The Concord Coalition looks at various deficit-cutting strategies that conservatives in the House might embrace and compares the results to those of the President’s own …
On the one-year anniversary of Obamacare, the problems of the health care law remain a constant frustration for doctors around the country. Many go about their lives feeling frustrated, but a few brave doctors are speaking out. Dr. Martha Boone of Atlanta is one of them. She’ll speak on a panel at The Heritage Foundation today at noon about the difficulties doctors face from Obamacare and other entitlement programs. Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX), a medical doctor, will join her along with Gurjeet Guram, a student at Harvard Medical School. Click …
