One of the foremost responsibilities of the federal government is to ensure the security of our nation. It is right there in the Preamble to the United States Constitution: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” This week the U.S. Senate is scheduled to take …
Having returned from its summer recess, Congress will soon construct its legislative agenda for the rest of the year. Given that today marks the eighth anniversary of 9/11, Congress should honor the memory of that tragedy by solidifying its homeland security agenda. That means taking the right steps to keep the nation safe, free, and prosperous. Heritage analysts Jena Baker McNeill, James Carafano, and Matt Mayer outline some dos and donts for Congress’ Protect America Agenda. Congress Should: Amend the Stafford Act. The 1988 Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and …
This past week, we live-blogged about Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano’s admission during a Senate hearing that she still supports the Dream Act, a bill that would grant amnesty to individuals unlawfully in the United States who arrived before the age of 16. Amnesty advocates like America’s Voice are now touting the Secretary’s answer as a sign that the Obama administration will move for a full amnesty this year. Despite its humanitarian pitch, the DREAM Act is bad public policy. Heritage fellow James Carafano wrote in 2007: The bill …
