Fellow Conservative,

This week, Heritage Action issued two Key Votes for the House of Representatives, both of which resulted in wins!

Heritage Action’s Key Votes are used as a baseline to judge the conservative voting record of elected officials. How they vote on selected bills is tallied into our scorecard and constituents can see the scores and voting records of their Senators and Representatives.

Key Vote WINS: De-Politicizing the DoD

After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade with their Dobbs v. Jackson decision, President Biden declared that he would continue to advance his anti-life agenda by any means available.

In October of 2022, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (a Biden appointee) took action to use Department of Defense resources to pay for abortions. Secretary Austin issued a memo that circumvented the authority of Congress, and directed the Department of Defense (DoD) to use taxpayer dollars to fund time off, lodging, and travel expenses for the elective abortions of service members and their families.These actions attempt to circumvent the Hyde amendment which bans the use of taxpayer dollars to pay for abortions.

To defend life and depoliticize the Department of Defense, Rep. Ronny Jackson and Rep. Chip Roy of Texas drafted an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would reject this memo and return our military to focusing on its fundamental mission, not waging Biden's culture war.

Heritage Action Key Voted this amendment on Thursday, and it passed the House in the evening with a vote of 221-213.

>>>See how your representative voted on the amendment<<<

With the NDAA amended to refocus the DoD on correct priorities, Heritage Action key voted in favor of the entire NDAA for final passage on Friday. Not only does this bill rid the DoD of its abortion agenda, it also includes:

• The largest basic pay increase in over 20 years
• Prohibits DoD funding of “gender affirming care”
• Eliminates Critical Race Theory programs in the military
• Bolster our ability to counter the threat of China
• And much more

This Friday, the NDAA officially passed the House of Representatives, making it the second Key Vote victory of the week!

>>>Read the full Key Vote HERE<<<

As attention now turns towards the Senate, Heritage Action will continue to push for the de-politicization of the NDAA and ensure the DoD’s focus lies solely with national defense, and not as a tool to advance radical policies.

How to Fix the FBI

This week, FBI director Christopher Wray testified before the House Judiciary Committee, Chaired by Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, to address a wide range of scandals the FBI has been involved in, in recent years.

Major areas of concern range from apparent FBI protection of the Biden family from legal scrutiny, manufacturing a Trump-Russia collusion hoax, arresting pro-lifers without cause, and illegally accessing millions of Americans’ data.

The FBI is in desperate need of repair. In a comprehensive report released by The Heritage Foundation, Steve Bradbury outlined all the recent abuses of the FBI and what kinds of changes are needed to amend the corruption. Solutions include:

• Narrowing the FBI’s jurisdiction to focus on major law enforcement and national security challenges
• Take away the FBI’s intelligence functions and move them elsewhere
• Prohibit efforts to suppress free speech
• Creating an FBI inspector general to ensure proper oversight of the FBI
• And much more

There are dozens of other policies that would help to hold the FBI accountable. These recent moves to hold government accountable are an important part to restoring a government of the people, not of the elites.

Impeach Mayorkas

One way you can help to hold government accountable is by calling Congress and telling them to impeach Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas.

>>>Call to impeach Mayorkas<<<

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is responsible for border security enforcement. Yet Secretary Mayorkas has overseen the worst humanitarian crisis at the southern border the country has ever seen. Under his leadership, or lack thereof, we have witnessed:

• Over 6 million illegal immigrants cross our border from over 160 difference countries
• 1.2 million know “got-aways” i.e. those who crossed and evaded border patrol
• 182+ individuals on the terror watch list try to cross
• Dramatic rise in fentanyl deaths
• The growing boldness of drug, human, and sex traffickers and cartels.

Secretary Mayorkas has failed. It is time to impeach him and hold him accountable for his actions.

>>>Call Congress HERE

Protecting Life and Family at the State Level

Iowa

Governor Kim Reynolds called a special session of the Iowa legislature to pass pro-life legislation that will protect unborn babies after six weeks of pregnancy. Previously, the law in Iowa only protected babies from abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Iowa adds its name to the growing list of states that have cemented pro-life victories.

>>>Read our Press Release HERE

North Carolina

North Carolina’s legislature has fought hard to pass laws that protect children and families. This past legislative session, they passed:

• Youth Health Protection Act - Protects children from experimental cross-sex hormones and body altering surgeries for anyone under 18 years of age
• Parents’ Bill of Rights - Protects the rights of parents to have full transparent access to classroom curriculum
• Fairness in Women’s Sports - Ensures men and women compete in the sport that corresponds with their biological sex

Governor Ray Cooper has vetoed all three of these bills, but there is a strong effort to override these vetoes. The margins are narrow, so if you live in North Carolina your voice can make all the difference.

>>> Contact your NC state legislators HERE

This week saw major victories, but there are more fights on the way. Thank you for remaining ready to fight the good fight.

Ryan and the Heritage Action team

Join the fight to advance the conservative agenda.