Brian's Breakdown
Texas Public Policy Foundation
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Brian's Breakdown is your short, sweet, and digestible guide to public policy issues facing the country today. TPPF's Chief Communications Officer Brian Phillips and his guests get right to the heart of the tough questions, important debates, and critical answers to help you understand what it's all about.
Available episodes
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Oldest first
Jun 21, 2023
Lindsey Burke: Project 2025 & the Future of Education in America
Brian sits down with The Heritage Foundation’s Lindsey Burke to discuss the state of education in America today and how it can be made better tomorrow.
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Apr 18, 2023
Joshua Treviño: Border Security
Brian sits down with TPPF's Joshua Treviño to discuss what is perpetually considered the most important issue to Texans: border security.
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Mar 10, 2023
Lauren Hickmott: Indoctrination in Our Schools
Lauren Hickmott is a former 6th grade teacher from Amarillo. A few years ago she got back into education and began tutoring. Almost immediately she noticed that something was very different from her teaching days. Why weren't kids bringing home their reading assignments? The answers may shock you.
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Jan 25, 2023
Paul Dans: Project 2025 and the Next Presidential Transition
The conservative movement is getting organized to hit the ground running in the next presidential administration. Paul Dans is the head of the presidential transition project at the Heritage Foundation and is leading a national coalition to identify and train the next generation of individuals who will be running government and implementing policy. Brian and Paul breakdown what’s happening behind the scenes.
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Nov 8, 2022
Matt Miller: Fighting Biden’s Backdoor Gun Grab
Since it has been unable to pass new gun restrictions through the legislative process, President Biden’s Administration is intentionally ignoring and misinterpreting well-established law to shut down lawfully operating gun dealers. TPPF Senior Attorney Matt Miller breaks down how this backdoor scheme works and explains TPPF’s lawsuit to restore Americans’ legal right to purchase firearms.
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Oct 24, 2022
Shannon Braun and Mandy Drogin: Protecting Students from Inside the System
Over the past two years, some parents were shocked to learn that activist school boards, administrators, and teachers have been subjecting students to controversial subjects and material without parents' consent. Shannon Braun was elected to the Colleyville ISD school board on a promise to protect students and parents' rights and has been fighting ever since. Mandy Drogin has been a longtime advocate for parental empowerment and implementing choice in education and is working on reforms that will address parents concerns in the next Texas Legislative Session.
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Sep 22, 2022
Alex Fairly: When Government Ignores the Will of the People
What do you do when your local government defies the will of voters and borrows hundreds of millions of dollars taxpayers did not approve but will have to pay back? Amarillo businessman decided to find out after his town’s city council did just that. Now he's immersed in a fight to protect democracy against an out-of-control city government.
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Aug 15, 2022
Ellen Troxclair: The Influence of Local Government
Ellen Troxclair was the lone conservative who experienced the inner workings of far-left local government policy making behind the scenes in Austin. As a lonely voice for greater transparency and accountability, Troxclair sheds light on the tremendous influence local governments can have on Texans’ everyday quality of life.
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Jul 21, 2022
Corey DeAngelis: Parental Choice and Education Freedom
Corey DeAngelis sees unprecedented momentum behind the movement to give parents the right to choose the best education for their children. He says several states have already passed critical reforms to empower parents and there’s no reason Texas shouldn’t be the next leader to do what’s right for parents and students.
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Jun 22, 2022
Dr. Quentin Van Meter and Andrew Brown: Gender Modification and Protecting Children
Dr. Quentin Van Meter, who has worked on pediatric hormone disorders for decades, discusses the current controversy surrounding the lack of conclusive evidence that puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones help children overcome gender dysphoria. TPPF’s Andrew Brown has published new research on gender modification and what state policymakers are doing to protect children
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Jun 15, 2022
Zach Whiting: Tech Policy and Data Privacy
TPPF’s Zach Whiting, Senior Fellow of Technology Policy, discusses why states are moving to address technology policy in a way that protects consumer rights and data privacy without using the heavy hand of government.
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Jun 15, 2022
Jeremy Story: Parental Rights
When parent Jeremy Story confronted the Round Rock ISD school board over troubling allegations about its new nominee for superintendent, the board responded with a series of disrespectful and likely illegal actions to ignore the concerns and limit the rights of parents in the community. Mr. Story recounts his ordeal of the last year and his fight to empower parents and advocate for important reforms.
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May 10, 2022
James Quintero: Texas Property Taxes
Property taxes are a Texas-sized problem. Over the last 20 years, property taxes have increased 81% faster than the average taxpayer’s ability to pay for them, contributing to too many Texans struggling to pay bills and keep their home.
TPPF Policy Director James Quintero breaks down what is driving the increase and what Texans can do right now to protect themselves and their families from runaway local governments.
The Foundation has developed a balanced, practical solution to lower property taxes by eliminating the maintenance and operations (M&O) property taxes while also funding the needs for critical services. Get the research, click here.
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May 4, 2022
Rodney Scott: Title 42 and Border Security
President Joe Biden is either ignoring or exacerbating the crisis at the border. From his first week in office, he has reversed several Trump-era policies that were stemming the tide of illegal migration. Retired Chief of U.S. Border Patrol Rodney Scott breaks down the actions of the administration that are making the crisis worse and what Texas can do to protect itself from drugs, violence, and human trafficking flooding the southern border.
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Mar 30, 2022
Dr. Cliff Porter: Health Care Innovation
For millions of Americans, getting health care is too difficult or too expensive. Government policies favor the bureaucracy, the insurance companies or both all at the expense of patients. Dr. Cliff Porter walks us through how new health care delivery models are focusing on patients, bringing down costs, and getting individuals and families the care they need.
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Mar 22, 2022
Dr. Vance Ginn: Safety Net Reforms
For decades, modern public policy has struggled with the persistent challenge of poverty. Dr. Vance Ginn says we need to rethink how we eliminate poverty by focusing on dignity, purpose, and self-sufficiency.
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Mar 22, 2022
Michele Steeb: Homelessness
Homelessness across the country is as bad as it has ever been. New research from Michele Steeb shows how policies like "Housing First" have been a total failure despite billions of dollars spent. She says it's time to address the root causes of homelessness and combat mental illness and substance abuse.
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Mar 15, 2022
Andrew Brown: Foster Care Reform
Texas has had to address major challenges in its foster care system in recent years. TPPF’s Andrew Brown has been helping to reform the system by advocating for community-based care, stronger parental rights, and a clear meaning of what is in the “best interest of the child.” We discuss Texas’ recent history with fixing the foster care system and the path forward.
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Mar 15, 2022
Andrew Gillen: Gainful Employment
Andrew Gillen, Ph.D. helps us breakdown “gainful employment” regulations which help students and families decide which college programs offer the best opportunities for graduates to find work. With 43 million Americans owing $1.6 trillion in student loan debt, reforming these regulations to improve transparency and accountability is critical.
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