Issue Papers

Pete Hegseth is Unqualified to Lead the U.S. Military

Pete Hegseth is fundamentally unqualified to lead the most powerful fighting force in the world as Secretary of Defense. Yes, he’s a television host with a number of personal controversies and unorthodox political positions. But ultimately, Hegseth’s candidacy to serve as Defense Secretary poses a danger to our national security because of his complete lack of qualifications and experience for such a challenging and consequential role. Read more »


Loose Cannon: Trump is Too Reckless and Impulsive to Keep America Safe

Time and time again, Donald Trump has demonstrated that he lacks the temperament and discipline to serve as Commander in Chief. His actions are rash, erratic, and impulsive. He puts his own petty self-interests above everything else. According to countless former military and civilian advisors who worked in his previous administration, he cannot be trusted to make critical and thoughtful decisions about America’s national security. Read more »


Fact vs. Fiction: Trump’s Biggest Foreign Policy Lies Against Democrats

We all know that Donald Trump has trouble with the truth. He lies about everything – the election, his political opponents, hush money payments, his crooked businesses, and of course, his failed presidency. Read more »


In Case You Forgot: Donald Trump's Foreign Policy Blunders

During his first term in office, Donald Trump abandoned our allies and embraced dictators, undermined democracy at every turn, prioritized his personal interests over those of the United States, dishonored America’s veterans, and made the world a more volatile and dangerous place. Simply put: Donald Trump’s foreign policy made America less safe. Read more »


Trump’s Dangerous Foreign Policy Blueprint: Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025
What will Donald Trump’s policies look like once he is inaugurated in January 2025 ? Project 2025, which counts 140 former Trump officials among its advisors and authors, spends almost 1,000 pages outlining policies that a Trump Administration could undertake during his second term. Read more »


Setting the Record Straight – Trump’s Lies about the Southern Border

Time and time again, Donald Trump has deflected and passed the blame to distract from a harsh reality: he failed to secure the southern border. Read more »


Trump’s VP Pick: Vance’s Record Speaks for Itself

What you need to know about J.D. Vance. Vance has a long record of extreme foreign policy views… Read more »


Protecting Democracy From Trump

Democracy is America’s most precious asset. Donald Trump has consistently undermined it – fawning over dictators, sowing divisions, and becoming the first president to try to block the peaceful transition of power by instigating an attack on the Capitol. Read more »


Trump and Putin: A Dangerous Duo

It’s no secret that Donald Trump has a strange and longstanding obsession with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Ever since he first ran for President, Trump has lavished the Russian dictator with praise, encouraged the pursuit of Putin-friendly policies in the White House and pursued policies that undermine U.S. interests and the interest of our allies while supporting Russia’s. Read more »


SCHOOL’S OUT! We Read Those Trump Admin Memoirs So You Don’t Have To

Who better to illustrate Trump’s approach to national security and foreign policy than some of his (former) trusted advisors?  Below are some of the  juiciest bits of Trump’s outrageous behavior, absurd ideas, reckless trashing of American values, and so much more. Read more »


American Carnage: Taking a Closer Look at a Second Trump Administration’s National Security Agenda

A second Trump Administration would threaten to take America completely off the rails. Trump and his advisors have laid out an alarming list of radical policy proposals that would undermine American democracy, threaten our national security, and torpedo our economy. With fewer guardrails and respected, experienced advisors around to check his ego and erratic behavior, there’s no telling how bad things will get. Read more »


Trump Wants to Go to War in Mexico

Donald Trump, a man who falsely claimed to oppose the Iraq War and has baselessly asserted that the United States was not at war during his presidency, has repeatedly proposed bombing and even invading Mexico – a sovereign state and the top trading partner of the United States. Trump is proposing a reckless and dangerous new conflict that would cost billions of taxpayer dollars and put American lives at risk. Read more »


Democrats’ Concrete Action on Trade Outperforms Trump’s Ineffective Bluster

Donald Trump always said he would negotiate a “better deal” for Americans – but all he has delivered are failed policies that ballooned trade deficits, cost Americans billions of dollars, and lost hundreds of thousands of good-paying American jobs. Worse yet, none of his actions have had any real effect on China’s unfair trade policies, which have been harming American families for decades. Read more »


Trump's Failed Foreign Policy Puts Our Adversaries First and the American People Last

Donald Trump’s foreign policy was defined by chaos, confusion, and corruption. He cozied up to dictators, sold out our closest allies, weakened our standing in the world, and brought us to the edge of devastating conflicts – all while ignoring the advice of military leaders and national security experts who dedicated their lives to keeping us safe. Read more »


Trump’s Obsession with Dictators and Strongmen Undermines American National Security

Donald Trump has not only expressed admiration for dictators and strongmen around the world and cozied up to them, but he is increasingly making clear that he wants to copy their anti-democratic behavior if elected to a second term as President. Read more »


Trump Disrespects the Military

Trump has consistently disrespected the military, insulting those who have chosen to serve and showing little consideration for their safety and sacrifices. He proved himself unfit to be Commander in Chief while in office, and his campaign shows that he has learned nothing from the experience. Read more »


How Foreign Aid Benefits the American People and Bolsters National Security

Every year, across Republican and Democratic administrations, the United States distributes billions of dollars in foreign assistance to bolster American national security… Why do we do this, rather than investing that money at home? In short, because it is in our own self-interest. Read more »


Donald Trump Confused About Number of Attacks Against U.S. Service Members on His Watch

On January 28, 2024, three American service members were tragically killed during a drone attack at a U.S. military base in Jordan. Donald Trump and his MAGA allies wasted no time in weaponizing the deaths of American service members, taking to social media to politicize the attack. Read more »


Leading America through the Climate Crisis

The climate crisis represents one of the top threats to American national security. It directly endangers Americans’ lives and economic livelihoods, foments global conflict and compounds other foreign policy challenges, and endangers our military readiness. We have no time to waste in combating this crisis. Read more »