Government-backed solar companies have taken a beating over the last few months, with Solyndra garnering most of the attention. But since the solar company’s bankruptcy in late August, another sector of the “green economy” has moved to the edge of a financial cliff: the renewable electricity grid. Like Solyndra, a number of “smart grid” companies have received taxpayer backing. But federal financing was not enough to keep Beacon Power, a manufacture of flywheel energy storage technology, from going bankrupt. They may not be the last smart-grid company consigned to that …
The United States should cut its nuclear weapons capabilities to contribute to deficit reduction, writes Michael O’Hanlon, director of research in foreign policy at the Brookings Institution. O’Hanlon qualifies this opinion by stating that “our strategic forces should remain as large as Russia’s.” Yet these two statements are mutually exclusive, as the United States is already below Russia’s numbers—considering Russia’s advantage in nuclear short-range systems. Cutting funding for the nuclear weapons complex would only make the situation worse, both qualitatively and quantitatively, as the Russians are vigorously modernizing their nuclear …
In a November 15 op-ed in The Age, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced that she would push her Labor Party to overturn its ban on selling uranium to India when the party meets next month. The unexpected announcement is a testament to the growing importance that Australia attaches to ties with India and should lead to a significant deepening of their bilateral partnership. In 2008, Australia’s Labor Party government reversed a decision by its predecessor to end the ban on export of uranium to India on the grounds that …
Tuesday in South Bend, Indiana, Governor Mitch Daniels (R) faced a question that’s been bubbling to the surface in the Hoosier State: Is making Indiana a “right to work” state a priority for his last year in office? It’s an issue that came to the fore in New Hampshire this year, too, where the state legislature passed a right-to-work law, only to see it vetoed by the governor. An override vote may succeed, and the measure could come up before the end of this year’s legislative session. And in Ohio, …
Want to hear something disturbing? China has increased its defense budget by double digits every year for the last 20 years. Just as China seems to be gearing up for some undefined enterprise, the U.S. is winding down its defense budget at a similarly rapid pace. Despite the obvious contrast, President Obama said recently that reductions in U.S. defense spending “will not—I repeat, will not—come at the expense of the Asia-Pacific.” Yesterday, Obama visited Australia to announce a renewed U.S. troop presence in coming months, part of a new security …
Congress this week finds itself in a predicament of its own making. To show how serious they are about solving America’s deepening fiscal crisis, Republicans insisted that the 2011 Budget Control Act require the House and the Senate to vote on a balanced budget amendment (BBA) before the end of the year. Yet from a range of BBA options—from weak to mild to robust—the House has chosen to vote on a version that does little to ensure less spending and lower taxes. This is no way to amend the Constitution …
On November 16, President Barack Obama and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced their intention to increase U.S. Marine Corps and Air Force training in Australia. The expanded U.S. military presence is meant to enhance allied interoperability and reassure friends and allies in the region worried over an increasingly assertive China. The new joint initiative lends credence to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta’s promise last month that Washington would maintain or even expand its military commitment to Asia. Whether the United States is able to deliver on those promises in …
On Tuesday November 22, The Heritage Foundation will co-host a GOP primary debate on foreign policy and national security along with the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and CNN. There are several ways you can interact with Heritage on the night of the debate. Click here to join our live “Lunch with Heritage” chat. We are taking your questions about what defense and homeland security threats we should take more seriously, and how we should engage in foreign policy. Lunch with Heritage feat. Jim Carafano
Republican leaders this week unveiled a new mobile app that helps Americans follow the action of the House of Representatives from the palm of their hand. The app is available on the iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, and Android phone and tablet. The app, called WhipCast, is the first government app to be simultaneously released on all three major mobile platforms. The project was spearheaded by House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who stars in the promotional video. “Prior Congresses wrote and passed legislation in the dark of the night,” wrote Brian …
The debt-limit deal this summer guaranteed a vote on a Balanced Budget Amendment this year. As the House and Senate prepare to vote, there is concern among conservatives that lawmakers will act on a proposal that includes weaker language than others. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) spoke at Heritage today about the importance of enacting the strongest possible version, one that caps federal spending at 18 percent of the economy and requires a super-majority vote in Congress to increase taxes. Following his speech, Cornyn spoke to us about the debate over …
