Fellow Conservative,

This week important developments were made to defeat a major Biden priority: his supplemental spending package. But in Washington, bad ideas are not in short supply — and as one problematic bill starts to lose steam, another can take its place. And so, next week, Congress may consider a large increase to America’s welfare system that comes in the form of a “tax relief” bill.

This week was also National School Choice Week. We review the work that was accomplished in 2023 and how Heritage Action is keeping the momentum going in 2024.
The Supplemental Should Remain Dead
After months of grassroots advocacy, it appears that Biden’s supplemental spending package <[link removed]> is hanging together by threads (It’s “supplemental spending” because it is spending above and beyond the dollars needed to fund the departments and agencies of the federal government).

To recap, this $110 billion bill <[link removed]> was bad from the beginning. It sought to:


- Give Biden more money to fund open border policies and process more illegal immigrants into our cities and neighborhoods.
- Provide more funding to Ukraine without proper oversight
- Hold aid to Israel hostage by trying it on other unrelated issues.



>>>Follow Ryan Walker on X for weekly happenings on the Hill<<< <[link removed]>
On policy, the Senate’s supplemental bill started in a bad place, and back-door negotiations by Republicans did not dramatically improve it. Last night it was reported that the three negotiators - Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla), Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) - had reached a deal on the border portion of the supplemental whereby the President would be legally required to shut down the border if more than 5,000 illegal immigrants try to cross in one day.

This kind of a deal had been suspected (though not confirmed) about a week ago, and all available information and data and show it to be a disaster. <[link removed]>

The 5,000 illegal crossings per day limit they set is far from optimal and is a tacit admission that the President could, in fact, shut down the border at any moment. He simply chooses not to. 5,000 per day equals 150,000 illegal immigrants per month which totals nearly 2 million per year. This can hardly be considered a solution to the unprecedented number of illegal border crossers who are receiving more benefits than American citizens.

Fortunately, relentless grassroots pressure has solidified conservative
opposition to any deal where the Secure the Border Act (H.R. 2) <[link removed]> - the House-passed bill that would solve our border crisis - is not fully incorporated.

Even before word of this deal was leaked, Johnson publicly declared it “dead on arrival in the House.” The House must hold the line in blocking this flawed deal.
Impeaching Mayorkas
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas has failed in his oath of office — to uphold our laws and to secure our homeland. As a result, Governors like Greg Abbott in Texas are fighting to secure our border, while Mayorkas actively fights to keep it open.

Mayorkas has been Biden’s point man for repealing nearly every Trump-era policy to try to secure the border and prevent human and drug trafficking:



- His failure in leadership has led to over 8 million illegal immigrants crossing the border.
- There are now over 100,000 fentanyl deaths each year.
On Tuesday January 30th, the House Homeland Security Committee will hold a mark up <[link removed]> on articles of impeachment for Secretary Mayorkas. The House has taken the steps to document the facts and make the case –now members of the Committee will vote this week and finally send the articles of impeachment to the House Floor.
Welfare by any other name...
The House Ways and Means Committee’s new tax bill — The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act — is moving through the House in near-record time. It was introduced on January 19th, reported out of committee on the 23rd, and could receive a vote on the House floor next week. While this bill has been branded as full of middle-class tax cuts and pro-growth reforms, a closer look reveals concerns.

This article, <[link removed]> written by tax policy experts from The Heritage Foundation, provides an overview of the plan. In short, this bill creates a massive welfare expansion and would fundamentally change the function of the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), becoming more like a welfare program rather than tax relief.

Another article <[link removed]> from The Heritage Foundation reinforces the myriad of problems including:



- Enabling an increase in subsidies for single parents rather than promoting and strengthening married, two-parent households.
- 90%+ of the bill’s projected cost would go toward welfare expansion - not “tax relief”.
- Both programs are already riddled with fraud. The improper payment rates for ACTC and EITC were 31.6% and 15.8% respectively. Expanding and altering its function will only make this worse.
- The work requirements are so weak that to qualify for the benefits it would be enough to work part time, part of the year, even if you only work every other year.
- It fails to close an existing loophole, allowing illegal immigrants who have children born in the U.S. to be eligible to claim these welfare benefits.
National School Choice Week
This week was national School Choice Week and states across the nation have been making strides to improve education freedom. One of the most effective ways to do this is to pass legislation creating Education Savings Accounts.
Our SaveOurSchools.com <[link removed]> website provides activists and legislators the Heritage Foundation and Heritage Action resources needed to advocate effectively for school choice and parental rights. In 2023,education freedom was either expanded or passed in 11 states, with Iowa receiving the award for MOST IMPROVED according to Heritage’s Education Freedom Report card. <[link removed]>

             
             >>>See how your state ranks HERE<<< <[link removed]>
In 2024, other states <[link removed]> have begun crafting legislation to improve their own education freedom while legislation on Capitol Hill has also been introduced by Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) to help in the fight.
Students should not be locked into failing schools just because of their zip code. With more learning options, parents can help their children excel academically.
Action in The States
California

Last weekend, Heritage Action was in Chino, California with the Heritage Foundation for our first of the year Parental Rights Training. This was an incredibly fruitful event where we could come together to discuss how to advance parental rights and school transparency.
The event included Sonja Shaw as a speaker—who as a Heritage Action Sentinel was inspired to run for the Board of Education in her home city. And now she is making a difference as the President of the Chino Valley Unified School District Board of Education.

Like Sonja, you can also make a difference in your community by signing up to become a Heritage Action Sentinel. <[link removed]> You’ll get
access to resources and training that will help take your influence to the next level. And it’s completely free.

Don’t wait! Join today. <[link removed]>

Ohio

In December, the Ohio General Assembly passed HB 68, a bill that would
protect children from experimental surgeries on minors, cross-sex hormone therapy, and ensure fairness in women’s sports. But Ohio Governor Mike DeWine vetoed this common sense and popular bill.

Two weeks ago the Ohio House of Representatives voted to override <[link removed]> Gov. Mike DeWine’s veto. This week, the Ohio Senate also voted to override the governor’s veto 24-8. <[link removed]> With the votes of both chambers, HB 68 will become law in Ohio.
Ryan Walker, Executive Vice President of Heritage Action wrote in a press release <[link removed]> on Wednesday:

“This is a historic day for the children, parents, and athletes of Ohio—and common sense everywhere. When the Left sacrifices the safety of kids and the rights of their parents to advance an extreme agenda, conservatives have a duty to push back with the facts. That’s exactly what the Ohio Senate did today when lawmakers voted to overturn Gov. DeWine’s unconscionable veto of HB 68.”


Thank you to everyone who has taken a stance on protecting America’s next generation. This is only the beginning of the policy victories we will achieve this year. And I cannot wait to see how much more we can do together.

- Ryan and the Heritage Action team
Join the fight to advance the conservative agenda.

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