Fellow Conservative,

Next week, both the House and the Senate return to session and they have given themselves a lot to do. Government funding will expire soon, Democrats’ are defending Biden’s supplemental spending request for foreign aid, and the border remains wide open. Here is what you need to know:

Spending On the Horizon

Last month Congress voted to extend government spending without spending cuts for 40 days. This Continuing Resolution (CR) partially expires on Friday, March 1st. The rest expires the week after on March 8th.

12 spending or “appropriations” bills are used together to fund each area of the government. Currently, none of these bills have passed both chambers and been signed into law.

At this time, three general ideas for government funding are being proposed:

1. The appropriations bills could be combined to form an omnibus (all 12 bills in one) or two minibuses (12 bills combined into two bills)to fund the government. Topline spending would be at the spending caps set in the previously passed Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) and an additional $70 billion in “budget gimmicks” outside the caps.
2. There could be another short-term continuing resolution (an agreement to continue funding at last year’s levels) but with a 1% automatic spending cut to both defense and nondefense spending.
3. There could be a continuing resolution that will extend funding to the end of the fiscal year (September 30, 2024). This will amount to spending slightly below the caps from the FRA.

It is unclear which option is most likely, and it is still possible that a fourth option arises.

Conservatives have been consistent and resolute in their calls for meaningful cuts. That is why we must be ready to engage Congress and demand fiscal responsibility. Out of control spending equals out of control inflation and we can not afford either.

The Supplemental Fight Explained

Since Biden made his supplemental funding request to give foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel, the Indo-Pacific, and fund his open border policies, the conservative position has been consistent – if any version of this package moves forward, it should prioritize American interests:

• We cannot neglect our own border.We cannot pay for aid by going into more debt.
• We should not conflate issues. Biden is requesting aid for multiple countries, and separate votes should be held.
• All money spent is taxpayer money. Any bill should provide for full accountability and transparency to taxpayers.

The Senate’s $95 billion foreign aid supplemental fails to meet any of this criteria. And so it’s no surprise why Speaker Johnson says it is “dead on arrival” in the House.

Last week, some House members introduced a new version of the supplemental. While it is a step in the right direction, it still does not deliver adequate accountability for the foreign aid, responsible spending measures, or provide real border security.

To outline what exactly is in each bill, Heritage Action has created a detailed chart to compare the conservative criteria with the two versions of the supplemental. For an in-depth look at the options, click the link below.

Download full-size image of "Supplemental Comparison" graphic

As discussions continue, Heritage Action will continue to advocate for the criteria that we have consistently laid out.

Tell Your Senators: Americans Want Mayorkas on Trial

Now that the House of Representatives has impeached Alejandro Mayorkas — Biden’s head of Homeland Security — for his deliberate opening of the border, it is the constitutional responsibility of the Senate to hold the trial.

Exact timing for when the House presents the articles of impeachment to the Senate is still being deliberated, however, the grassroots needs to be vocal and prepare the Senate to act. Many Senators would prefer to vote to dismiss and forgo a trial — this would be a huge mistake and a betrayal of the American people.

The Senate must hold the trial in full view of the American people. Any Senator who votes to table (dismiss) the articles of impeachment will be complicit in Mayorkas’s plan to create the open border crisis. The facts must be presented before the American people — we will not tolerate a cover up.

>>>Call your Senators and tell them to HOLD THE TRIAL

Wins on the State Level

Georgia

A Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) is a type of digital currency issued and controlled by a central bank—importantly, every purchase made with a CBDC is known to the central bank (and hence the government).. Transactions could also be stopped or even forced without your consent. It’s a level of financial totalitarianism straight out of a George Orwell novel.

States can proactively counter this threat by following Georgia’s example and advancing legislation that would block the use of CBDCs by state agencies. The more states that pass this kind of legislation, the less likely a central bank would be able to impose a government-run digital currency on Americans.

Utah

Ranked-Choice Voting (RCV) is an election gimmick supported by the Left that undermines the integrity of elections and erodes people’s faith in the outcome. It creates confusion, voter disenfranchisement, and illegitimate results.

Utah’s House of Representatives is protecting the integrity of their elections by passing legislation to repeal the state’s RCV pilot program. Utah ranked 32nd out of 51 on The Heritage Foundation’s Election Integrity Scorecard. If this bill passes the Senate and is signed into law, Utah’s score will improve.

>>>Find out how your state scores on the scorecard and how it can be improved

Arizona

Even though the federal government has abandoned its responsibility to protect our borders, the Arizona state house is working to fill that void. This week, Arizona’s House of Representatives, led by Speaker Ben Toma, passed HCR 2060 – a bill that would protect Arizona jobs and curb the flow of illegal immigration by mandating the use of E-Verify.

This is a common sense bill that will remove a major magnet for those flooding across our border. We look forward to supporting this bill as it moves to the Senate and encourage other states to pass similar legislation.

>>>Read our full press release

Kentucky

Election integrity is critical to maintaining the people’s faith in the outcome of elections. To do this, Kentucky has passed legislation to put a constitutional amendment before voters to ensure that only United States citizens can vote in Kentucky elections. As millions illegally flow across the border, measures must be taken to make sure that only Americans vote in American elections.

We look forward to seeing other states follow Kentucky’s lead.

Biden’s Nominations

Biden has a knack for finding incompetent people and putting them up for important federal jobs. His choice of Secretary for the Department of Labor is no exception. As the Secretary of California’s Labor Department, Julie Su lost over $30 billion in fraud due to mismanagement. No one with that track record should be put in charge of a federal department.

These concerns prevented the Senate from approving her nomination last year, resulting in her becoming ‘Acting’ Secretary of Labor for nearly a year. Now her nomination is once again before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee on Tuesday

>>>Call the members of the committee and tell them to oppose Julie Su’s nomination to Secretary of Labor.

Thank you for all the work that you do.

- Ryan and the Heritage Action team

Join the fight to advance the conservative agenda.