Conservatives closed 2019 with a number of policy victories and The Heritage Foundation played an influential role in all of them.
In 2019, Heritage published 233 reports, had more than 1,800 op-ed placements in major news outlets, appeared in over 5,000 broadcast media interviews, had over 8,000 media mentions.
“As we enter a new decade, we are primed and ready to keep up the pace and secure even more victories for the American people,” said Heritage Foundation President Kay James.
Here is a look at just some of Heritage’s policy impact in 2019.
Heritage Foundation Policy Victories in 2019
Immigration Loopholes Were Closed
The Trump administration replaced “catch and release” with “catch and return,” sending asylum seekers back to Mexico to await their court date. The administration started denying asylum claims of those who pass through another country but don’t seek asylum there. And it superseded the Flores settlement, which led to the separation of parents and children at the border. Heritage argued for all of these changes.
The Courts Shifted Further Right
Heritage educated Americans on constitutional originalism and on the qualifications of specific judicial nominees. Heritage’s online judicial tracker shows that more than 187 of Trump’s federal judicial appointees have been confirmed.
New Abortion Restrictions Saved Lives
The administration stripped tens of millions of taxpayer dollars from Planned Parenthood via the Title X program and worked with Heritage experts to craft new restrictions on federal funding for research that uses fetal tissue from elective abortions.
A Pro-Brexit Prime Minister Stepped In
In the U.K. in July, Boris Johnson replaced Theresa May as prime minister and announced his intent to push hard for Brexit. Heritage is a friend of Johnson’s and the first U.S. think tank to call for Brexit and for a U.S.-U.K. free trade agreement.
U.S. Withdrew from the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty
This Obama-era treaty was meant to control arms exports, but would, over time, threaten Americans’ Second Amendment rights. Heritage was the only think tank to recommend “unsigning” it.
Free Speech Protected on Campus
Heritage helped create model legislation that five states (Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, and Wisconsin) used to protect free speech on campus.
School Choice Marched On
Six states now have Education Savings Account (ESA) programs, and we are closer than ever to achieving a federal military ESA program—an idea pioneered at Heritage.
Congress Said 'No' to the Green New Deal
Heritage did more than any other think tank to expose the unfeasibility and socialist aims of the failed Green New Deal.
The Administration Withdrew from the INF Treaty
Heritage was the only think tank in Washington urging the U.S. to leave the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which the Russians had violated.
Military Rebuilding Continued
The Senate’s 2020 National Defense Authorization Act adopted many of Heritage’s recommendations for defense budgeting, modernization, and more. Meanwhile, the Marine Corps’ commandant and Army’s chief of staff shared two of Heritage’s Rebuilding America’s Military Project reports on the future of the Army and the Marine Corps.
Bipartisan Agreement Reached on the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement
This trade deal strengthens protections for intellectual property rights and opens up new markets, while continuing the tariff-free treatment of many goods and services. Heritage experts played a major role in fine-tuning early drafts of the deal.
