Fellow Conservative,

There is only one week left before Congress hits the deadline for funding the government. On September 30th at midnight, fiscal year 2023 (FY2023) expires and FY2024 begins. Negotiations on Capitol Hill remain constant and the schedule is in flux, but Heritage Action has come alongside conservative lawmakers to identify the best path forward for the country that can both reduce spending AND secure the border.

State of Play: Spending Fight

As of this writing, members are negotiating on a proposal developed by the House Freedom Caucus and the Main Street Caucus that would cut non-defense discretionary spending to pre-pandemic levels for 30 days and enact permanently the policy changes included in the House-passed H.R. 2 border security package.

It’s important to remember, during the pandemic, Congress increased spending during the “Covid-Era” which sent federal spending on an unsustainable trajectory and has fueled the Left’s radical agenda. That is why Heritage Action has repeatedly called to return spending to levels at the pre-pandemic rate.

The current short-term spending proposal would achieve major, permanent border security policy victories while giving the House the best possible negotiating position for long-term spending cuts and reforms.

This short-term spending proposal is fiscally responsible while incorporating policies that secure the border. It also enables the House to pass the 11 remaining appropriations bills required to fund the government, and strengthens conservatives' hand for reining in weaponized federal agencies. (Remember: they passed the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs spending bill in July.) The short-term spending proposal reduces the topline non-defense discretionary spending from the current FY2023 $1.60 trillion to $1.47 trillion - a meaningful reduction in federal spending.

There can be no question that the economic struggles many Americans are experiencing today is in large part due to the federal government’s spending spree. From March of 2020 to today the United States has spent more money than in the first 215 years of the nation’s history.

This creates inflationary pressure which has resulted in financial stress for millions including the 61% of Americans who are living paycheck to paycheck as a consequence.

But this spending package is not just about spending. Conservatives in the House are working to attach H.R. 2 (The Secure the Border Act) to the short-term spending package. It’s important to remember: If enacted, the funding provided will expire at the end of the 30 days but the Secure the Border Act would become a permanent victory for border security.

As part of Heritage Action’s Sentinel community, we offer weekly calls on Mondays to break down the policy, process, and politics of the country’s top issues. This Monday night, Ryan Walker will be doing a deep dive into the spending fight and what that means for the country.
>>>Sign up for Monday’s call by joining Sentinel<<<

Border Security Saves Lives

Congress should be embarrassed that they have neglected the border for as long as they have, but that embarrassment must transform into urgency. Congress must pass spending measures with provisions to secure the border and end mass illegal immigration.

This past week, a package containing several thousand dollars worth of fentanyl was discovered inside a New York City day care center. When police arrived, they found a 1 year-old boy, 8 month-old girl, and 2-year old boy showing signs of opioid poisoning. The 1 year old, Dominici, died in the hospital later that day.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 50 times stronger than heroin and is flowing across the border at alarming rates. In 2022 Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) caught over 14,000 lbs of fentanyl on the southern border, enough to kill every American in the country. So far in 2023, that number has jumped to over 23,000 lbs!

>>>Read our Secure the Border Toolkit<<<

Early estimates from the CDC are seeing drug overdose deaths reach a record level in 2023. Of the over 111,000 drug deaths in the United states in the 12-month period ending in April, about 70% of them involved fentanyl.

Precursor chemicals for fentanyl almost universally originate in China and are then sent to Mexico and manufactured by one of two drug cartels, the Jalisco and Sinaloa Cartels, who then smuggle them into the United States.

Too many public officials tolerate this sickening situation for political gain. The grassroots must make it clear in no uncertain terms that the American public demands border security.

For the sake of the nation, Congress must pass The Secure the Border Act as soon as possible. Congress has the opportunity to do this by attaching border security provisions to any continuing resolution that will be emerging from the spending fight. This will be the first step in restoring our national security and stop thousands of Americans from dying–this is a victory our country needs. All Congress needs to do is act.

Tuberville vs Schumer

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) have been sparing over the confirmation of DOD nominees, a responsibility unique to the Senate. But Sen. Tuberville, a retired college football coach, has just juked Sen. Schumer into a political blunder.

When the DOD announced that they would use taxpayer dollars to fund abortions, Sen. Tuberville put a hold on the usual process of approving military promotions by blocking unanimous consent votes, meaning the Senate could not approve nominations that are normally voted together in one group all batched together. This allows the Senate to properly review and scrutinize the backgrounds for these nominees who are oftentimes extremely partisan, and requires Senators to vote on record.

Senator Tuberville created leverage for conservatives by blocking unanimous consent votes on military promotions. He essentially said that he wasn't going to make it easy for the Biden administration to reshape the military into a Woke Army.

As Majority Leader, Schumer has the power to bring any nominee to the floor at any time but has refused to do so he could pretend that Tuberville’s hold was hurting military readiness. But the former football coach outsmarted Schumer and has gathered the support needed to bring individual nominations to the floor for a vote of approval.

>>>Read about it HERE<<<

After Tuberville called Schumer’s bluff, Schumer caved and began scheduling floor votes for nominees himself. Tuberville has now robbed Schumer of his disingenuous talking point while continuing to pressure the DOD to stop funding abortions. Masterful.

>>>Read our Tweet thread<<<

Heritage Action’s tweet thread breaks down the series of events step by step. Spread the world and >>>RETWEET this thread so that everyone will know that the cause for Life is still advancing.

There is no question that the grassroots have helped Tuberville stay in this fight. For weeks you have been supporting his efforts with petitions, calls to Congress, social media posts, and grassroots events. This has sent a clear message of encouragement to Senator Tuberville that he has the support of the people. Thank you for your continued work urging your Senators to join Senator Tuberville in this important fight.

This is why your efforts matter so much–it moves the needle.

In Case You Missed It

“Remember when cars were affordable?” will be all we can say to each other in a few short years if Biden’s gas car regulations go into effect. The Biden administration has launched a second attack against gas cars by proposing a regulation that would impose impossible fuel efficiency standards on everyday cars and trucks.

Right now, it takes on average 43.2 weeks of income to purchase a new vehicle - a steep increase from where it was just two years ago (34 weeks of income).

Biden’s regulation will only make this trend worse by forcing cars off the market - thereby decreasing supply - and overregulating car manufacturers which will pass the cost onto you in the form of higher prices.

>>>Fight Back HERE<<<

But there is a way to fight back. This regulation is subject to a period of public comments and every comment submitted must receive a written response before the regulation can go into effect. Enough comments can delay or even cancel a regulation altogether.

Don’t wait! Submit your comment TODAY and share this link with 5 other people to spread the word.

Thank you for your continued engagement.

Ryan and the Heritage Action team

Join the fight to advance the conservative agenda.