Fellow Conservative,
Earlier this week, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution from Senator Mike Braun (R-Ind.) that recognized the national debt as a threat to national security <[link removed]>. At $34 trillion dollars and 121% of our GDP <[link removed]> there is no question that spending is out of control. There are only three ways out of national debt: inflation, taxes, or both. This threatens not only our national security, but our quality of life.
Early this Saturday morning, the Senate also passed a $1.2 trillion minibus package refuting in practice what they pretend to value with words. This minibus bill had passed the Republican-controlled House yesterday — and the majority of Republicans voted against it.
While Congress says that debt is a major problem, Congress also votes to make it worse!
Twice Bitten...by DC's Spending Addiction
Two weeks ago, six of the twelve appropriations bills were passed as one single “minibus.” Heritage Action issued a Key Vote ‘No’ <[link removed]> on that package.
Congress then turned to the remaining six appropriations bills this week. Immediately following the House vote yesterday, the Senate began working through consideration of the remaining six-bill “minibus”. After voting down several Republican amendments, the bill passed around 2:00 am. Rejection of these amendments expose the Left’s insistence on facilitating the Biden administration’s illegal immigration agenda.
This second tranche of FY24 funding bills, like the first, fails to reign in the size and scope of government. This package contains only six spending bills but amounts to a total of $1.2 trillion and will only continue the spending trajectory that has led to historic inflation and fuels Biden's disastrous border policies.
Further, it is a prime example of the broken legislative process of Washington D.C. Members in the House had less than 48 hours to review this 1,000 page bill that was crafted behind closed doors and contained $1.9 billion in Congress members’ pet projects, funded by earmarks <[link removed]>, that they use for political leverage.
>>>Read some of the worst earmarks HERE<<< <[link removed]>
These earmarks included funding for things like:
- $400,000 for an organization that gives out “transition” clothing for minors in Wisconsin
- $2 million+ for equipment at facilities performing abortions
- $1 million for “Amplify Latinx” business groups in Massachusetts
- $850,000 for LGBTQ Senior Housing services and programming in Massachusetts
- $740,000 to “increase diversity” in state contracts in Maryland
- $10 million for an Alaska Leaders Archive
Because of this bill’s waste, spending trajectory, and failure to secure the border, this bill was counted as a Key Vote ‘No’ <[link removed]> and will be included on our legislative scorecard.
States on a Roll
While the federal government has been disappointing, there is a lot to fight for on the state level where genuine progress continues to be made.
Kentucky
Last week, the Kentucky General Assembly passed SB 143, a state constitutional amendment that would ensure only American citizens can vote in elections. It may seem like an obvious position, but the Left has been cynically pushing to give non-citizens the ability to vote across the country.
Only American citizens should vote in American elections. Now that SB 143 has passed the General Assembly, it must win approval from voters on a statewide referendum this November.
>>>Read Heritage Action’s full press release HERE <[link removed]>
The Left is also trying to warp the Congressional district map in
a similar way. First they removed the citizenship question from the census in 2010. Now they have opened the border and shuffled millions of illegal immigrants all across the country.
Congressional representation is determined by the number of citizens in an area, but if the census cannot tell who is a citizen and who is not, then congressional representation will be improperly skewed by non-citizens being counted the same as citizens.
Fortunately, there
is a bill in Congress to reinstate the citizenship question into the census to ensure only citizens get representation.
>>>Call Congress and tell them to support the Equal Representation
Act <[link removed]>
Texas
On Tuesday, Texas announced a divestment of $8.5 billion from BlackRock, a major asset manager that has been using its wealth to coerce businesses and individuals to adopt far Left policies as part of the Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) agenda.
More than 15 states have already passed legislation protecting their states from the threat of ESG and more will soon follow. If you’d like your state to take action, visit ESGhurts.com <[link removed]> for model legislation, ESG explainers, and more.
>>>Read Heritage Action’s full press release HERE <[link removed]>
South Carolina
South Carolina is riding the wave of education freedom that has been sweeping the nation with its passage of H. 5164. This bill expands the Palmetto State’s Education Savings Account (ESA) program to all students.
ESA’s fund students, not schools. They empower families to customize their child’s education and to select the best option for them regardless of their zip code.
The Heritage Foundation’s Education Freedom Report Card <[link removed]> tracks and records each
state’s education freedom status and provides model legislation <[link removed]> to improve the quality of education in any state. Find out your state’s score HERE <[link removed]>and what can be done to improve it.
>>>Read Heritage Action’s full press release HERE <[link removed]>
In Case You Missed It
The Chinese Communist Party in America
The Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF) using information provided by the Heritage Foundation and Heritage Action, uncovered that a CCP-linked company <[link removed]> is planning to build two factories on U.S. soil that would produce chemicals for electric vehicle (EV) batteries.
China is the #1 producer of EV batteries in the world. Now, the CCP is trying to use our own land to continue to out-produce and compete against the American auto industry.
Voters must be aware of the economic and national security risk the CCP poses and push legislators to combat it before it’s too late.
The vigilance of the American public is required in areas of public policy in order to restore this country to its founding values. You are the tip of the spear in the conservative movement. Thank you for all that you do.
- Ryan and the Heritage Action team
Join the fight to advance the conservative agenda.
<[link removed]> <[link removed]>
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