Opinion and commentary on news, politics, culture, and policy impact.
The Republic of Kosovo and New York-based power generator ContourGlobal signed a deal Wednesday for the U.S. company to build a 500-megawatt, coal-fired power plant, the first major energy project in the Balkan country in more than two decades. Under the $1.5 billion contract, the power plant would replace the “Kosovo A” plant, built in…
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which is expected to be signed into law today, would reform the tax code by lowering federal marginal rates for most households, corporations, and small businesses. We have revised our previous estimates of the House and Senate versions of the bill to reflect changes made by the conference committee….
A charter member of the “Greatest Generation”—that stoic cohort of Americans who faced down the Great Depression and defeated fascism, Japanese imperialism, and communism—left us this week. Edward L. Rowny, known as the “scholar general,” died peacefully Sunday, we learned from his family. He played a part in all of the aforementioned events during his…
Before the question, how about a few statistics? The 20th century was mankind’s most brutal century. Roughly 16 million people lost their lives during World War I; about 60 million died during World War II. Wars during the 20th century cost an estimated 71 million to 116 million lives. The number of war dead pales…
Which skill is more important, knowing how to run your business or knowing how to get the government to stymie your competitors? The case of a paper mill in Washington state shows the sad answer is “not clear.” Thirty years ago, you would have been holding a newspaper in your hands while reading this commentary….
The economy is booming, the nation is en route to “energy dominance,” the Environmental Protection Agency’s war on coal is over, and that’s not all. Speaking to reporters Tuesday, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders shared the big accomplishments the Trump administration achieved in 2017. As December winds down, I thought this would be…
The House’s disaster aid bill, at $81 billion, is nearly double the Trump administration’s request of $44 billion. These costs are not offset by spending cuts elsewhere. So much for fiscal responsibility. Contained within this bill is an expansion of already excessive handouts to the cotton industry. Using the cover of a disaster bill to…
Once again, an unelected judge is trying to undo the Trump administration’s actions. Late Friday, a federal judge in Pennsylvania, Wendy Beetlestone, issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from implementing rules that would have provided much-needed relief to those with religious or moral objections to Obamacare’s Health and Human Services mandate, which requires…
The House of Representatives is expected this week to debate H.R. 1370, which would fund national defense through the remainder of fiscal year 2018 and extend funding for all other discretionary programs until Jan. 19 via a continuing resolution. It would also provide funding extensions to several mandatory programs and potentially add more supplemental funding…
On Tuesday, The Heritage Foundation announced that its next president would be Kay Coles James, who previously served on President Donald Trump’s transition team and who was director of the Office of Personnel Management in the George W. Bush administration. Genevieve Wood interviewed James Tuesday about her background, why she cares about policy, and what…
I love “Star Wars.” It makes sense, then, that this time of year is fraught with competing emotions—hope (thanks, Jyn and Cassian) and worry (thanks, J.J. Abrams). As a fanboy who grew up watching the original six films and reading the Expanded Universe novels—not the airport newsstand fodder that Disney now insists is canon—I walked…
Liberals are saying tax reform will benefit big businesses and rich Americans, not middle-class and lower-income Americans. Heritage Foundation tax policy analyst Adam Michel shares the facts, and we look at what two business owners have to say about tax reform.
The Trump administration’s new national security strategy emphasizes the importance of a strong economy to enhance national security. “America’s central position in the global energy system as a leading producer, consumer, and innovator,” the report says, “ensures that markets are free and U.S. infrastructure is resilient and secure.” As a global energy leader already, the…
Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which has proved vital for keeping the U.S. safe from terrorists, is set to expire at the end of this year. Section 702 has been described as the “crown jewel” of U.S. intelligence for its intelligence gathering on foreign actors, most notably terrorists. In a recent Washington…
President Donald Trump’s new national security strategy is a significant and positive break with the recent past on many political and security issues. It is also relatively and appropriately conventional on some other matters—like the importance of alliances and American engagement in the world. But the area of international trade, the strategy, which presidents are…
The Heritage Foundation’s Nile Gardiner joins us to discuss why President Donald Trump’s national security strategy, released today, matters—and how it differs in its treatment of Islamist terrorism from President Barack Obama’s strategy. We also discuss the long-ranging cultural implications of the tax bill, and why Chick-fil-A is once again the hero.
The prospect that Congress might zero-out Obamacare’s individual mandate penalty in the pending tax bill has sent Obamacare defenders into flights of pessimistic rhetoric, up to and including the charge that “thousands will die” as a result. The argument by which that attention-grabbing conclusion is reached runs something like this: Health insurance coverage reduces mortality….
A new report on a government spying operation conducted by partisan bureaucrats should outrage and scare Americans everywhere. It shows what can happen when, as the report says, partisans “weaponize” a government agency and use its powers to advance “political goals.” Americans already have seen that when federal bureaucrats such as Lois Lerner or Samantha…
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is the most sweeping update to the U.S. tax code in more than 30 years. The recently released conference report would lower taxes on business and individuals, and unleash higher wages, more jobs, and untold opportunity through a larger and more dynamic economy. The conference report is a serious…
You may not know what to buy for your family, but we know where to buy! #AnywhereButTARGET is the holiday rallying cry of our friends at 2nd Vote, who want to keep the heat on the retailer for its radical agenda. “Fed up with the liberal assault on common sense and decency in our schools and workplaces?” they…