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Connecting today’s news with the research & opinion you need.

Sound Policy

What to Know: The Trump administration has announced new rules for asylum-seekers.

“The new rule, published in the Federal Register, would require most migrants entering through America’s southern border to first seek asylum in one of the countries they traversed – whether in Mexico, in Central America, or elsewhere on their journey,” Fox News reports. “In most cases, only if that application is denied would they then be able to seek asylum in the United States. ‘Ultimately, today’s action will reduce the overwhelming burdens on our domestic system caused by asylum-seekers failing to seek urgent protection in the first available country, economic migrants lacking a legitimate fear of persecution, and the transnational criminal organizations, traffickers, and smugglers exploiting our system for profits,’ Homeland Security Acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan said in a statement, describing the ‘targeted changes’ as critical."

The TPPF Take: The U.S. asylum system is outdated and in great need of reform.

“The most compassionate thing we can do for those truly seeking to escape danger from and victimization by their governments would be to remove the cartels from the equation,” says TPPF’s John Hostettler. “By reforming the asylum application process, we can start to eliminate the enormous backlog of asylum cases with years-long wait times that have invited abuse of the system while failing to give needed protection to those with valid claims.”

Stop the Overreach 

What to Know: A Dallas Morning News editorial urges the city of Dallas to shelve its poorly thought-out mandatory paid sick leave ordinance.

“Meanwhile, the ordinance seems all but certain to crumble under challenge, hopefully without costing taxpayers too much,” the editorial says. “The Texas attorney general’s office has already stalled implementation of Austin's mandatory paid leave ordinance, and San Antonio’s will likely not hold up in court. More important, though, this ordinance could end up hurting workers. Piling costs and fears onto the backs of small business owners doesn’t inspire their interest in growing their businesses."

The TPPF Take: Texas Public Policy Foundation attorneys led the fight against Austin’s ordinance—and won. The Dallas ordinance is equally unlawful.

“The ordinance is merely virtue-signaling on the part of the Dallas City Council’s progressive bloc,” says TPPF’s Rob Henneke. “City government has no business interfering in the employer-employee relationship. We will continue to fight these ordinances in court.”

But We Were Told It Would Work

What to Know: The Affordable Care Act—Obamacare—has been a failure, and that’s why Democratic presidential candidates are now abandoning it for vague Medicare-for-All proposals.

“Millions of Americans lost health insurance plans they liked,” writes former Sen. Jim DeMint for Fox News. “Millions more were priced out of the government-controlled exchanges, and so couldn’t afford the promised ‘affordable’ care at all. And most of the people Obamacare supposedly helped found themselves not with good insurance, but stuck in a Medicaid program so dysfunctional that most doctors don’t even accept it anymore. But if you think this mess might humble Democrats’ confidence in big government and themselves, think again. Today leading liberals are no longer content with politicians and bureaucrats controlling most of the American health care system—they want Washington to take it all.”

The TPPF Take: Medicare-for-All is a bitter pill that won’t cure what ails the U.S. health care system.

“The cost of health care has risen every time government involvement increases and layers of bureaucracy are added,” says TPPF’s David Balat. “Medicare-for-All would mean much more bureaucracy, more costs, and far less care. We need fewer barriers between doctors and patients, not more. Instead of Medicare-for-All, Congress should let states take up health care reform.”