WASHINGTON, D.C. — Former Vice President Mike Pence will be joining The Heritage Foundation as a distinguished visiting fellow, the conservative organization announced Thursday.
“Over the course of the past four years, our team at Heritage has worked closely with members of the Trump administration on a host of policy accomplishments,” said Heritage President Kay C. James in a statement provided to The Daily Wire.
“That’s why I am excited Vice President Mike Pence will join forces with Heritage to ensure we continue to advance conservative principles and policy solutions. His allegiance to the Constitution and commitment to advancing a conservative policy agenda make him an outstanding fit for The Heritage Foundation.”
The Heritage Foundation is a conservative think tank in Washington, D.C., that has served as a major influence in conservative politics and policy making since it was founded in 1973.
Pence looks to The Heritage Foundation as the inspiration that moved him to help create the Indiana Policy Review Foundation (IPR) in 1989, a conservative think tank in his home state that he led as president from 1991 to 1993. During a 2008 speech delivered at Heritage, Pence praised them as the model for IPR, which he described as “the seed corn Heritage Foundation was spreading around the country in the state think tank movement.”
When he moved to Washington, D.C., first as congressman and then as vice president, Pence continued to collaborate closely with Heritage. They worked with him and others to accomplish what many conservatives consider to be the Trump administration’s greatest achievements, such as its many constitutionalist judicial appointments, pro-life policies, energy independence, tax cuts, support for law enforcement, and Middle East peace deals.
“The Heritage Foundation is a flagship of the conservative movement and I am profoundly honored to join them as a distinguished visiting fellow to advance conservative policies that will benefit every American,” Pence said. “The Heritage Foundation helped shape my conservative philosophy for decades and played a pivotal role advancing conservative policies throughout the Trump Administration.
“I look forward to rolling up my sleeves and working with the all-star team at Heritage as we continue to take the case for a strong national defense, free markets and traditional values to policymakers across the Nation and to every American who cherishes our Heritage of Freedom,” the former vice president added.
In addition to delivering a series of speeches, Pence will pen a monthly column for its publication The Daily Signal. His position as a distinguished visiting fellow will also offer him the platform to advise the organization’s experts on crucial public policy issues and secure Heritage as a leader in the conservative movement as it navigates the challenges the Left poses in the post-Trump era.
“Mike Pence served with honor and excellence in his home state of Indiana as a congressman and as governor before becoming one of the most consequential vice presidents of our time,” Kay C. James said. “A man of faith, principle, and character, Vice President Pence is a heroic protector and defender of the Constitution and the values that unite us as a nation.”
“I am overjoyed that Heritage will continue to work alongside Vice President Pence as we have for the last 30 years. As much as we’ve accomplished in that time, especially over the last four years, there is so much more to be done. Knowing that Vice President Pence is still in the fight is an adrenaline shot for the entire conservative movement.”