Poor Policies
What to Know: The Congressional Budget Office says the federal deficit is much, much higher than it was just last summer.
The TPPF Take: Deficits are always and everywhere a spending problem.
“It’s time to return to the proven, pro-growth policies that worked during the Trump administration, along with an essential missing factor then of spending restraint by Congress,” says TPPF’s Vance Ginn. “Doing so will provide a solid foundation for more opportunities to let people prosper.”
For more on the economy, click here.
Rolling Blackouts
What to Know: The U.S. could see rolling blackouts this summer because of an over-reliance on unreliable power.
The TPPF Take: Texas should have enough power to avoid outages this summer, but the 3-to-5-year picture is looking increasingly dire unless market reforms are implemented now.
“As millions of Texans who suffered through the February blackouts learned firsthand, market-distorting policies that incentivize the overbuilding of wind and solar at the expense of reliable generators and weather resiliency measures are stretching the ERCOT grid to its breaking point,” says TPPF’s Brent Bennett. “In order to maintain affordable and reliable electricity for all Texans over the next decade, the Public Utility Commission must implement a strong statewide reliability standard to ensure all electric generators can provide power when Texans need it most.”
For more on the electrical grid, click here.
Floodgates
What to Know: The Biden administration continues to look for ways to lift Title 42 restrictions at the border, one of the few remaining limits on an open border.
The TPPF Take: The Biden administration’s approach continues to leave everyone in limbo.
“Title 42, a pandemic health provision facilitating the rapid expulsion of migrants back to Mexico, was scheduled to be lifted May 23,” reports TPPF’s David Agren, Senior Fellow in Mexico Policy, who is based in Mexico and reported from the border city of Reynosa. “But federal Judge Robert Summerhays issued an injunction against its removal May 20. Migrants converged on the borderlands in advance of its scheduled lifting, joining the thousands of potential asylum-seekers already waiting in cities such as Reynosa for the opportunity to present their petitions to U.S. officials.”
For more on Title 42, click here.