Fellow Conservative,

On Monday, a motion to vacate was filed to remove Rep. Kevin McCarthy from the position of Speaker of the House. On Tuesday, the vote was taken and the motion passed, leaving the House without a Speaker.

State of Play

After the position was vacated, the House adjourned and electing a new Speaker now the House’s top priority. Rep. Patrick McHenry is serving as House speaker pro tempore — an interim position with limited power – to preside as the House elects a new speaker.The House will return this Tuesday,October 10th for a “candidate forum,” after which a vote among the conference will follow. The vote on the House floor to consider the next Speaker has not been scheduled.

This timeline and even candidates under consideration is subject to change – it is unclear how long the election process will take. But one thing that is clear — the House should choose a Speaker who is prepared to lead, , and not simply follow the Schumer Senate. In this current situation, the priorities of the Speaker should reflect those of the people:

1. Border Security
2. Cutting Spending
3. An End to Weaponized Government.

But it’s not enough for just the Speaker to have these priorities — we must work to hold all our elected representatives accountable on these policies.

>>>Find Ryan Walker’s analysis HERE<<<

In a press release this week, Heritage Action’s President Kevin Roberts wrote:

“Given the events of this week, it is more imperative than ever for the House to get back to work, zealously focused on the issues most important to the American people. That work will take unity, vision, and resolve. Uniting the house majority requires recognizing that we, conservatives, have a common enemy: The radical leftist ideology that has infiltrated the D.C. Swamp.”

If you’d like to read Heritage Action’s press statement in full, follow the link HERE.

Border Security and the Power of Appropriations

For years, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has abandoned his responsibility to protect the border by repealing Trump-era border security policies, and intentionally refusing to replace them with other adequate measures.

This has done nothing but exacerbate an already untenable crisis that was manufactured by Joe Biden and Democrats with reckless open border policies – policies that make our country less safe. The numbers speak for themselves:

• Roughly 3 million illegal migrants were encountered by border patrol in the past year alone. If those caught formed a city, it would be the third largest in America.
• 304,000 illegal migrants were caught crossing this August alone. That’s equivalent to the population of Pittsburgh, PA.
• 425,000 unaccompanied alien children were left at the border, the same amount of children in the Chicago school district.

And the list goes on. Yet in spite of the deliberate creation of this crisis, Secretary Mayorkas seemed to suddenly change his tune on border security when he cited the “immediate need” for a physical barrier at the border.

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Don’t let this sudden change of heart fool you.

After a Supreme Court decision in June, the justices ruled that Mayorkas and the Biden administration must build the wall because the funds were appropriated by Congress in fiscal year 2019. Biden campaigned on building “not another foot of wall” and did everything he could to make that a reality. But after years of stonewalling and court battles, he could no longer dodge the legal obligation delegated to him by Congress.

The Biden administration is legally obligated to build this section of the wall, but you can bet your tax dollars that they will slow-walk the process, doing just enough to show the courts that they are trying.

However, this still demonstrates why congressional appropriations are so important. Appropriations, perhaps more than any other process in government, set the policy agenda for all branches of government. The “power of the purse” highlights why conservatives in Congress must fight, and win for border security during this year's appropriations process.

Biden's Anti-Life Rule

Congress passed a law to protect pregnant mothers in the workplace. Now, the Biden administration is weaponizing this law to push for more abortions.

In 2022, Congress passed the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) with bipartisan support from both the House and Senate. The bill was intended to protect pregnant women from employer discrimination, as well as expand accommodations for pregnancy and childbirth.

Biden, through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC), is using the PWFA to issue a proposed rule requiring employers to make accommodations for abortions.

There are only 3 days left to fight back! Submit your comment by October 10th and tell Biden to stop misinterpreting the law.

In Case You Missed It

Ohio March for Life

Since Roe v. Wade has been overturned, the fight for life has taken on a new dynamic. Now that elected officials are allowed to form abortion policy again, the fight to save unborn children can now take place at every level of government.

This Friday, Heritage Action joined the Ohio March for Life outside the state capitol building to demonstrate that the cause for life is alive and well.

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These demonstrations are important because they show our elected representatives that pro-life laws are wanted, and because they show the public that our “culture of death” can and will become a “culture of life.” Heritage Action is proud to support all efforts that protect the lives of the unborn.

North Carolina Expands Education Freedom

Heritage Action has committed itself to expanding Education Freedom to all 50 states and has made it one of our 7 policy priorities. Last week, North Carolina’s General Assembly enacted a bill that would expand eligibility for about $6,500 in scholarships which can then be applied for education related expenses including private school tuition, texts, transportation, and so on.

>>>Read our Press Release HERE<<<

For more information on this school choice bill, you can read Jason Bedrick and Lindsey Burke of The Heritage Foundation’s article HERE.

Ending Chemical Abortions Act

Last week, Heritage Action’s Vice President of Outreach and Advocacy, Janae Stracke, joined Representative Andy Ogles’ (R-Tenn.) press conference outside of the Capitol Building in support of the Ending Chemical Abortions Act of 2023.

Even if a state bans abortion procedures, many in the state will still be able to perform abortions by ordering drugs that will chemically induce the killing of an unborn child. These drugs are not only life-ending for the baby, but extremely dangerous for the mother as well.

Chemical abortions are four times more dangerous to the mother than surgical abortions. Biden has deregulated their distribution so that now chemical abortion pills can be accessed without ever seeing a doctor.

Heritage Action is both pro-life and pro-woman which is why we are anti-abortion. We are proud to support Rep. Ogles efforts to establish a nationwide ban on chemical abortions.

None of this would be possible without you, the grassroots. Thank you for your constant support.

Ryan and the Heritage Action team

Join the fight to advance the conservative agenda.