In an exclusive interview with The Heritage Foundation, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) sharply criticized President Obama for engaging in class warfare and accused him of shifting the focus away from his own failed policies in advance of next year’s election. “My view is he’ll have a hard time convincing Americans he deserves four more years of this,” McConnell said. “There’s nothing he’s done that the American people approve of, so of course, he’s trying to change the subject.” McConnell addressed a range of issues during the interview, from …
As one of the 12 members of Congress on the Super Committee, Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) had a front row seat for all the negotiations. Since the committee’s announcement late last month that they had failed to reach a deal on at least $1.5 trillion in savings, Toomey has been very vocal that we cannot now ignore our nation’s fiscal crisis and that a deal still much be reached. He visited Heritage this week to discuss the fallout. We caught up with him in his Senate offices to discuss what happened and …
Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) visited Heritage this week to give the annual B.C. Lee lecture, focusing on the importance of American leadership in the Asia-Pacific region. After his speech, he sat down with us for a wide-ranging interview. When asked about President Obama’s handling of foreign policy, Lieberman described his performance as “mixed”: Because we were so focused after 9/11 on the threat of Islamic terrorism in the Middle East, I don’t think President [George W.] Bush got the credit he deserved for a dramatic improvement in our relationship with …
As the Super Committee—tasked by Congress to find at least $1.5 trillion in savings from the federal budget—continues it’s work, many are worried about the implications their actions (or inactions) may have for our national security. Erin Van de Voorde set the scene last month: The situation looks bleak. The military faces hundreds of billions of dollars in defense cuts while being involved in three military engagements. On the horizon is the new Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction—a.k.a. the “Super Committee”—and the possibility of a $1 trillion “trigger” that would …
As the economy continues to struggle, a new report highlights ways the government may be making things worse by imposing bigger burdens on business. Our new video breaks down the facts and highlights the impact of this creeping government red tape. While these costs are often invisible, they are nevertheless very real for taxpayers. Heritage’s James Gattuso and Diane Katz explain:
Shell spent five years and more than $3.5 billion while waiting for the Environmental Protection Agency to grant a permit for drilling in Alaska. Now lawmakers in Congress hope to force the hand of EPA bureaucrats by mandating a six-month deadline to review permit applications. The Jobs and Energy Permitting Act is set for a House vote Thursday and is expected to easily pass with bipartisan support. The White House declined to issue a veto threat Tuesday. There is a companion bill in the Senate, but its fate is uncertain. …
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), ranking member on the Senate Finance Committee, outlined a comprehensive plan for reforming Medicaid yesterday at Heritage. Medicaid is a program for low-income Americans, one of the big three entitlements. Hatch’s vision corresponds with the wishes of more than two dozen Republican governors, who wrote him this week to express their desire for greater flexibility with Medicaid. Democrats, including 41 of Hatch’s Senate colleagues, have publicly voiced their opposition to any meaningful reforms to the program offered by Republicans. Before his Heritage speech, Hatch sat down …
As a member of European Parliament, Daniel Hannan has seen our future, and it isn’t pretty. The fiery British politician (and YouTube sensation) was at The Heritage Foundation last week to discuss his new book, “The New Road to Serfdom: A Letter of Warning to America” and to sound the alarm to Americans of the creeping European-style socialism that is gaining ground among our government. Before his lecture, he sat down with us to discuss his warning to America and made clear that the core principles undergirding Western democracies are under …
As a former service member, Congressman Allen West (R-FL) brings a valuable perspective to his work on the House Armed Service Committee. That knowledge and passion was on display during his speech yesterday at The Heritage Foundation on the importance of having clear foreign policy objectives and a military prepared to tackle any challenge. West’s speech marked the conclusion of Heritage’s 2011 Protect America Month, designed to “showcase why we must commit to protecting America in an increasingly dangerous world.” After his speech, he sat down for a short “In …
As Americans across the country gas up their cars for their Memorial Day getaways this weekend, their wallets will take a bigger-than-usual hit. That’s because gas prices are up $1.06 from last year according to a study by AAA. In fact, prices have more than doubled since President Obama took office. And while the media has been slow to demand answers of the President, he has been busy trying to deflect attention away from his incoherent energy policy with a number of gas price-related myths. Our latest video takes several …
