Fellow Conservative,

The jet fumes were thick this week as members of Congress scrambled to come to an agreement on government funding before the Christmas recess. After multiple proposals, Congress voted last night on legislation to extend government funding into the new year.

A Christmas Tree CR

At the start of the week, it seemed like Congress was positioned to block a December omnibus and pass a clean continuing resolution (CR) that would extend funding until March - setting up President Trump to set the spending agenda early in his term.

The bill was introduced on Tuesday night, with the text going beyond what was expected by including significant policy changes and spending increases. Heritage Action quickly issued a statement in opposition.

On Thursday, the bill was rejected even before a floor vote and replaced by a new bill called the American Relief Act, 2025 (H.R. 10515). While this bill was a true continuation of level government funding, it also included significant emergency supplemental spending and a provision to raise the debt ceiling. This alienated too many members and this proposal failed in the House.

Congress then responded with a proposal that included a clean short-term government funding bill to March 2025, but also included significant emergency supplemental spending and a provision that zeroes out the PAYGO scorecard—eliminating accountability and the required spending reduction to pay down deficits. It did not include a provision to raise the debt ceiling, however. This passed the House and Senate last night.

Looking Ahead

Funding now expires on March 14, 2025. It will be the responsibility of the 119th Congress to grab the bull by the horns and immediately begin enacting reforms that grow the economy, cut wasteful spending, and restructure the government to serve the interests of the American people.

In the new Congress, conservatives must lead the policy discussions. Your efforts to petition members of Congress and make your voice heard will be critical in ensuring good policy is at the forefront of legislative conversations.

Reorienting the Department of Defense

This week the negotiated final version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025 passed the Senate, sending it to President Biden’s desk. The NDAA has been the budget-setting bill of the Department of Defense since 1961 and is the key legislative method for setting defense priorities.

• Conservatives fought to make sure defense dollars were spent in the best interests of national security and included provisions such as:
• Authorization of resources for DOD at the border
• Retention of the House’s ban on corrosive race-based policies
• Elimination of the Senate's provision to draft our daughters
• Prohibition of transgender surgeries for minors under TRICARE
• Support for military construction in the Indo-Pacific
• Support for shipbuilding including a third Arleigh Burke–class destroyer
• Authorization of incremental funding for a second Virginia-class submarine

The NDAA takes the correct steps towards bolstering our warfighting capabilities while cutting back on the woke ideology that creates division among the ranks and distracts from the mission of the military.

Dismantling the Deep State

The next Congress is primed to begin hacking away at the tentacles of the administrative state that have intruded American life. In June, the Supreme Court overturned a previous ruling that established what is known as Chevron deference.

This legal doctrine held that whenever a law that delegated power to an agency was ambiguous, judges had to defer to the agency’s interpretation of that statute, provided it was “reasonable.” The Supreme Court’s overturning of Chevron means that executive agencies will have far less ability to usurp lawmaking power. This will put pressure on Congress to be more intentional with its legislation.

The House has already begun reasserting its Article I powers by passing the Midnight Rules Relief Act. This bill would improve upon the Congressional Review Act (CRA) - which allows Congress to eliminate certain regulations one at a time - by allowing Congress to bundle multiple regulations together and eliminate them all at the same time.

This will be a powerful tool for reining in the size and scope of government. By removing authority from unelected bureaucrats and placing it back in the hands of Congress, lawmaking will begin to better reflect the will of the people.

While this bill passed the House, it will not pass the Senate this session. Congress should make it a priority to advance the bill in the new year so they can immediately begin dismantling the administrative state.

Grounding Biden's Regulations

Biden is trying to sneak another regulation under the radar before the end of his term. This time his intent is to add additional regulations to the airline industry that would suppress competition and result in higher prices.

While no regulation has been issued yet, the underlying assumption of the commencement of the regulatory process is that government intervention is necessary to promote greater competition. In reality, airline competition is on the rise and is the reason why airfares, including fees, are at historic lows in real terms.

>>>Don’t the the regulation take off<<<

Engaging in the rule making process will help make sure Biden’s regulatory overreach remains grounded on the tarmac.

Thank you for your engagement and all that you do. We can’t wait to continue to work with you in the new year.

Have a Merry Christmas!

- Ryan and the Heritage Action team

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