Member Briefing
Friday, March 22, 2019
I appreciate your engagement in policy debates, current events and how The Heritage Foundation is having impact. I also value your feedback on issues that make the headlines.
Do you think it would be good for the country to have the Left not only pick new members for the Supreme Court, but to “pack the court” by increasing the total number of justices from nine to 15?
What about the proposal being discussed to lower the voting age in the United States to 16? Is that a good idea?
Or how about abandoning the electoral college system, thus allowing high-population states like New York and California to effectively steamroll over the voting power of Iowans or West Virginians? How about that idea?
If you said “no” or “that’s insane” to any or all of these questions, believe me, you’re not alone. Make no mistake, these proposals are designed to expand the Left’s political power. It is important for us to tell our friends and neighbors about the dangers of these proposals and how they would harm the integrity of our democracy. I strongly encourage you to check out Daily Signal contributor Jarrett Stepman’s articles on these issues as they will help you effectively debunk them one by one.
Meanwhile, Heritage health care expert Bob Moffit was busy this week educating Senate staff about the dangers of the Medicare for All proposal, which would eliminate private health insurance and pave the way for single payer health care. Keep reading for Bob’s thorough analysis of this bill.
On a much more cheerful subject, I’d like to invite you to welcome Dr. Charmaine Yoest to Heritage! She will serve as our new vice president of the Institute for Family, Community, and Opportunity. Dr. Yoest previously served in the Trump administration and is an accomplished conservative who began her career working in the White House for President Ronald Reagan and later served as a senior adviser to Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee during his presidential campaign. Please leave her a note of welcome in the comments section!
In closing I would like to share with you highlights of the great media coverage Heritage has recently received. Please take a look and don’t forget to use the comments section to tell me what you think!
Thank you for being part of the Heritage family and know that we always look forward to hearing from you.
All the best,
Kay Coles James
President
Pack the Court? Lower the Voting Age? How to Respond to Far-Left Proposals
Packing the Supreme Court, lowering the voter age, and scrapping the Electoral College are just a few of the proposals that have gained traction recently – and are being taken seriously.
If you hear friends and family talking about these issues and would like to rebut bad ideas with common sense solutions, read these three articles by Daily Signal contributor Jarrett Stepman, whose reporting on these topics is both persuasive and fact-based.
The Left Is Doubling Down on Schemes to Pack the Supreme Court
Young People’s Embrace of Socialism Shows Why We Shouldn’t Lower the Voting Age
Effort to Abandon Electoral College Gains Steam. Here’s What It Would Ruin for America.
Click here to tell us: Which leftist proposals are you most concerned about?
Heritage Expert: Medicare for All Bill is ‘Profoundly Authoritarian’
Liberal House members just unveiled H.R. 1384 – The Medicare for All Act of 2019, which has 106 co-sponsors. This comprehensive bill threatens to abolish virtually all private health plans – including employer-sponsored coverage – and impose total federal government control over Americans’ health care.
Heritage health care expert Bob Moffit briefed Senate staff members this week as a guest of the Senate Republican Policy Committee. He explained to them why this bill is highly authoritarian, unrealistically expensive, and would surely replicate the pattern of long waiting lists, care delays, and denials that British and Canadian citizens struggle with in their own single-payer health care systems.
Bob has written extensively about Medicare for All, with recent op-eds appearing in the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Newsday, among other publications. Get up-to-date on his analysis of Medicare for All here:
House Democrats Unveil Plan to Bring Total Government Control Over American Health Care
‘Medicare for All’ Would Ruin the Care Americans Already Like
Why ‘Medicare for All’ Would Be Bad News for Everyone
Don’t forget to read Heritage’s new Explainer: The Right Way to Overhaul Our Health Care System
Click here to tell us: How do you think we should respond to Medicare for All?
Heritage Welcomes Dr. Charmaine Yoest
The Heritage Foundation Board of Trustees this week approved the appointment of Dr. Charmaine Yoest as vice president of the Institute for Family, Community, and Opportunity. In this role, she will be responsible for providing strategic guidance in the domestic policy areas of health care, welfare, education, life, marriage, and religious liberty.
Yoest brings to Heritage years of experience in public policy and government. She most recently served in the Trump administration as an associate director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. Prior to her White House role, Yoest was assistant secretary for public affairs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“We are excited to welcome such a talented leader, dedicated conservative, and policy scholar to our best-in-class team at Heritage,” said President Kay Coles James. “Charmaine joins our leadership team at a critical time for America. As we confront challenges and formulate policy solutions, she will be at the forefront of helping us make a tremendous impact.”
Click here to read the full news release.
Click here to send a note to Dr. Yoest!
Reaching more Americans with the conservative message is one of Heritage’s top priorities. That’s why Heritage experts are regularly advocating for conservative principles and policies in the media. Each week our Communications team assembles the “Best in the Press” of our television interviews, op-eds, and media mentions.
Popular articles this week include an op-ed by Paul Winfree, director of the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies, explaining problems with the notion of a universal basic income, and an article by Daily Signal reporter Kevin Mooney on allegations of political bias levelled at Apple for their decision to remove an app that countered climate alarmism. Read these and other top stories here:
Universal basic income programs and their dirty little secrets
Geologist accuses apple of political bias in removing app countering climate alarmism
See all the media hits here.
Donate to Heritage | Follow on Twitter | Connect on Facebook
The Heritage Foundation | 214 Massachusetts Avenue, NE
Washington, D.C. 20002 | (800) 546-2843