Here is the Heritage Take on the top issues today.Please reply to this email to arrange an interview.

Georgia legislators addressing election vulnerabilities that fueled controversy <[link removed]> – There are many other changes to Georgia law in the House bill on other issues such as early voting and poll watchers, which
are intended to directly address challenges seen across the country in the 2020 presidential election. The bill is a big first step in the right direction to protect both access and security, which should be the key objectives of any state’s election process. Heritage expert: Hans von Spakovsky <[link removed]>

How ‘Equal Pay Day’ Compares Apples and Oranges <[link removed]> – Logical factors, such as occupation, experience, and time out of the workforce explain almost the entirety of gender-based pay differences. A 2020 Payscale.com analysis found that the pay gap declined from 19% to 2% after controlling for different choices men and women make. An analysis by Harvard researchers of a unionized environment with rigid pay scales that prohibited discrimination similarly found that “the weekly earnings gap can be explained by the workplace choices that women
and men make,” with women choosing to take more unpaid leave and to work fewer overtime hours than men. Heritage expert: Rachel Greszler <[link removed]>

Critical Race Theory Would Not Solve Racial Inequality: It Would Deepen It <[link removed]> – Critical race theory is an ideology which maintains that the United States is a fundamentally racist country and that American institutions such
as the Constitution, property rights, color blindness, and equal protection under the law are vestiges of white supremacy, patriarchy, and capitalist oppression—all of which must be overthrown in the name of “antiracism.” Ultimately, critical race theory and “antiracism” policies would deepen racial divisions and undermine the very institutions that are essential to
addressing poverty and inequality across all racial groups. Policymakers concerned about these issues should reject critical race theory and orient public policy toward rebuilding the institutions of family, work, and education, which have been proven to lift Americans of all racial backgrounds out of poverty. Heritage experts: Mike Gonzalez <[link removed]>, and Robert Rector <[link removed]>

The Equality Act Would Unleash Destruction on America’s Children <[link removed]> – By injecting transgender politics into civil rights law, the Equality Act endangers all American children. And the addition of religious exemptions, as in the “Fairness for All” bill, won’t be enough to protect them. The British put a stop to this madness by ruling to protect their children by law. Americans now have the chance to do the same for our children—by exposing the dark truth about the Equality Act before it becomes law. Heritage expert: Jared Eckert <[link removed]> 

U.S. pushes controversial abortion and sexual rights at U.N.'s Conference on Women <[link removed]> – The upcoming Generation Equality Forum, organized by U.N. Women in conjunction with the governments of Mexico and France, features prominently at this year’s CSW. Events on topics like “Bodily Autonomy and SRHR for Generation Equality” and “Generation SRHR! Ensuring universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights” demonstrate the centrality of the abortion agenda to the U.N.’s promotion of gender equality. Unfortunately, the pursuit of gender equality at the UN has
become corrupted by the promotion of abortion, sexual rights and even radical gender theory. The U.S. should buck this trend and champion a real pro-woman agenda that respects women as equal in dignity and entitled to exercise their authentic human rights, and leave abortion out of it. Heritage expert: Grace Melton <[link removed]>


How Robust Education Marketplace Could Combat Learning Loss From COVID-19 <[link removed]> – The successes of vibrant education marketplaces have gained the attention of
many other states. This year, 29 states have already introduced proposals to expand education options for children through tax-credit scholarships, education savings accounts, and private school scholarships. Many of these proposals, such as those in New Hampshire and Iowa, specifically aim to help disadvantaged students who are more likely to be affected by learning
loss. State policymakers hope that allowing families to direct where and how their children learn will help students get back on track. Heritage expert: Jude Schwalbach <[link removed]>

Lies And The Washington Post <[link removed]> – Given the newspaper’s obsessive hostility towards Trump during his four years in office, this should not come as a surprise, we suppose. Similarly, though, nobody should be surprised that broad swathes of the public no longer trust the mainstream media to conduct a thorough inquiry and deliver accurate information, rather than trying to achieve some ulterior goal, such as ensuring that Donald Trump would stay out of the executive office. Heritage expert: Hans von Spakovsky <[link removed]>

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act: 12 Myths Debunked <[link removed]> – Three years after the passage of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, partisan mischaracterizations have left the law deeply
misunderstood. The tax cuts benefited typical American workers through direct tax cuts and higher wages. The changes did not raise taxes on the middle class, did not devastate home prices, and did not reduce charitable giving. Businesses have created domestic jobs, and the new 21 percent corporate tax rate still leaves American employers paying rates higher than most competitors. As the law begins to expire in the coming years, lawmakers will be better able to assess the merits of keeping the tax cuts if they understand 12 common myths. Heritage expert: Adam
Michel <[link removed]>
More Missions, Fewer Resources: Biden Revives a Failed Defense Recipe <[link removed]> – For Congress to properly exercise its power of the purse, it needs to understand what is
necessary to fund the Pentagon’s approved defense strategy. Right now, all the indicators are they will be asked to have more areas of responsibility without any extra resources. Under Obama, this strategy created a readiness hole from which the military is still trying to extricate itself. Lawmakers should not tell our troops to stay in the ditch and start digging deeper. Heritage expert: Frederico Bartels <[link removed]>

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