Peanut butter and jelly. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Budget limits and budget cuts. Some things just pair perfectly together. Here at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, I’m sometimes asked why my focus lately has been on budget limits—as seen in our Conservative Texas Budget (the model for which has been adopted by other states)...
As crime rates skyrocket throughout our country’s major cities, President Joe Biden has introduced a plan to combat crime, or “gun violence” as his administration and those on the left like to call it. Set aside that the White House is the wrong place to look for a solution to local crime problems and the...
A predictable pattern has emerged when it comes to radically progressive ideas and their eventual acceptance in policy. The most fringe elements begin talking about an idea that no one would normally take seriously, and then some of the more mainstream groups or individuals begin discussing it tentatively in public, and finally the media and...
“The Way to Stop Discrimination on the Basis of Race is to Stop Discrimination on the Basis of Race” -U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts Texas Public Policy Foundation attorneys, along with America First Legal, struck a blow against government-sanctioned discrimination. A Biden administration program that “prioritized” COVID-19 relief funds based upon the race...
In a recent letter to Health & Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, the leadership of the Committee on Energy & Commerce came together in a bipartisan effort to encourage HHS to step up its enforcement and accountability of the law that requires hospitals to list their negotiated prices in a transparent manner. According to one organization, compliance has...
If there is one thing the New York mayoral race has taught us it is that parental choice in education can be a unifying issue. Maybe the hysteria induced by COVID-19 should be credited for this revelation, but all across America, parents are reevaluating how and what their children are being taught—and seeking better solutions....
Insulin truly is a miracle drug—extending countless lives and expanding the quality of life for millions of Americans. Yet its skyrocketing price, largely the result of pharmacy benefits manager (PBM) practices, is putting it out of reach of far too many patients, including children. According to the Endocrine Society (a global research group), “Novolog, a...
Price inflation in May 2021 was up 5% over May of 2020. At this pace, the general level of prices will double in less than 15 years. The last time inflation was running this high was in 2008, when gasoline first breached $4 a gallon. And inflation expectations for the next year have reached a...
The hope of employment is one of the main reasons unauthorized migrants continue to enter the United States. In Texas, undocumented workers make up 8.5% of the state’s total labor force. In addition to violating the law, employers who knowingly hire unauthorized migrants often take advantage of them by paying extremely low wages, refusing to...
Wall Street has never been too keen on Texas. The bustling streets of progressive Manhattan are a stark contrast to the wide-open plains and freedom-founded principles of the Lone Star State. But until now, coastal elites’ disdain for Texas has been mostly limited to peering down their noses at our state. But today, Wall Street...
In Texas, African-Americans have long celebrated Juneteenth as a pivotal point in our history. It commemorates the day, June 19, 1865, when Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger read aloud Executive Order No. 3 in Galveston, Texas. He gave notice to Texas that all slaves were free—declaring “an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of...
Soon, every Texan will have more opportunity to pursue their dreams, to learn new skills, and to thrive. The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Opportunity Project supported and tracked important legislation that improved workforce development, removed governmental barriers, and reformed safety net programs—all of which will make Texas a more prosperous state. The 87th Texas Legislature...