Rebecca Schweitzer Iowa: The Heritage Foundation’s Influence and What Iowa Students Are Seeing Firsthand

The Heritage Foundation, Influence, and What Iowa Students Are Seeing Firsthand

The The Heritage Foundation has become one of the most powerful and visible conservative policy organizations in the U.S. What began as a traditional policy think tank has increasingly become a political force pushing aggressive political agendas and shaping national and state-level strategy. That influence is showing up even here in Iowa — including on the campus of Iowa State University.

For many people, especially college students who are watching these developments play out in real time, the concern isn’t just about ideology. It’s about how influence is wielded and what it means for democratic values, transparency, and ethical leadership.

Real Controversies Connected to the Heritage Foundation’s Influence

Here are specific examples critics point to when they question the Foundation’s direction and impact:

1. Internal Turmoil Over Extremism and Leadership Choices

In 2025, the Heritage Foundation faced public and internal backlash after its president publicly defended conservative media personality Tucker Carlson following an interview he did with white nationalist figure Nick Fuentes — someone widely recognized for antisemitic and extremist rhetoric. This defense prompted the resignation of multiple senior Heritage staffers, including members of an internal antisemitism task force who felt the organization wasn’t taking hatred seriously enough. 

Some critics saw this as an indication that the organization was tolerating or failing to strongly condemn voices on the extreme margin of political discourse, which raises questions about where lines are drawn and whose values are being represented.

2. Project 2025 and Policy Proposals Viewed as Authoritarian or Disruptive

The Heritage Foundation has been one of the chief architects behind Project 2025, a policy blueprint aligned with a potential future Trump administration. This project has drawn national criticism for proposing structural changes to the federal government that some describe as sweeping and potentially undermining long-standing norms — including ideas like identifying and removing thousands of career federal employees deemed insufficiently loyal. 

Whether one agrees with the goals or not, many see proposals of this magnitude — especially ones that blur the line between policy and political loyalty — as a dangerous concentration of power.

3. Voter Fraud Narratives and Election Messaging

Heritage has played a visible role in driving narratives about widespread voter fraud, assertions that have been debunked by multiple independent sources. Critics argue that pushing the idea of illegitimate elections without evidence erodes trust in democratic processes. 

These kinds of messaging efforts don’t only exist far from Iowa campuses. They shape the broader political environment that young people are trying to navigate — including how they understand governance, civic participation, and what counts as credible information.

How This Ties Back to Iowa State University

Just recently, Iowa State’s student government became part of this larger national story.

Student body president Colby Brandt faced impeachment proceedings from his peers after it came out that he was involved with a national conservative political group, the Campus Victory Project — which is funded by organizations like Turning Point USA that share ideological space with Heritage-aligned networks. Brandt reportedly signed a non-disclosure agreement with the group, attended a fully funded political retreat, and recruited other student leaders while serving as president. 

The student government ultimately voted to impeach him — but then the Iowa Board of Regents intervened and overturned that impeachment, citing free speech and procedural concerns. 

For many students, this sequence of events wasn’t just about one student leader. It was a concrete example of national political networks — including those aligned with the Heritage Foundation’s broader ecosystem — filtering into campus governance in ways that feel political rather than educational.

Why So Many Iowans Are Raising the Christian Values Question

A lot of the criticism about the Heritage Foundation’s direction is not just political — it’s ethical.

Many Iowans, especially students and faith communities, care deeply about Christian principles such as:

• Humility and respect for others
• Justice and fairness
• Truthfulness and accountability
• Love for neighbor, especially the vulnerable

When powerful national organizations appear to tolerate extremists, magnify unverified political narratives, or push agendas that seem disconnected from those core values, people ask whether the organization still represents the moral values it claims to support.

This is not a criticism born of partisan disagreement alone. It’s a question about alignment between values and actions — something we should expect from institutions that claim moral authority.

What Students Should Take Away

College campuses are often where national debates take local shape. Rather than shying away from that, students at Iowa State and beyond are asking:

• When a student government action is overridden by a state board, what does that say about autonomy?
• When national political actors become deeply involved in campus affairs, what standards of transparency and accountability are expected?
• And ultimately, when political influence grows so large that it dwarfs the voices directly affected — young voters and future leaders — what kind of civic culture are we creating?

These are questions worth asking — not just in Iowa, but across the country.

Check out more about my thoughts on Substack https://substack.com/@rebeccaschweitzeriowa