Fellow Conservative,

The first full week of the 119th Congress is complete and soon, President Trump will also be inaugurated and begin his work from the White House. The most urgent need remains the same: the President needs his Cabinet to be confirmed fast.

Where is the Cabinet Now?

Our petition in support of the rapid confirmation of President Trump’s is fast approaching our goal of 100,000 submissions. If you haven’t yet signed it or you know people who would like to add their names, use this link HERE. This strong showing allows us to better advocate in meetings with Senators who might not otherwise feel the pressure.

>>>Sign the Petition HERE<<<

Each White House and Cabinet-level position requires confirmation by the Senate. After the nomination is submitted, it then gets referred to the appropriate committee that has jurisdiction over that agency or department. Each Senator and/or committee may schedule meetings with a nominee before hearings begin.

After meetings are conducted, public hearings are held by the Senate committees where the nominee will appear before the committee to testify and answer questions. After the hearing, a committee will vote on a nominee to either: Report favorably, unfavorably, or without recommendation.

Finally, if a nominee is referred favorably by the committee they will be placed on the Senate’s Executive Calendar and proceed to a vote from the full Senate. In special cases, the Senate also has the ability to bring a nominee to a full floor vote without committee action.

To help you keep track of the process, we created a blog post that will be regularly updated with the latest information. This blog identifies the key positions in the executive branch, the nominees for each position, the committee(s) each nominee is referred to, and the status of their nomination.

>>>Get all the information you need HERE in real-time<<<

The First Week of Congress

The first bills introduced in a new Congress signal where the priorities lay. Thanks to the ongoing effort of conservative grassroots the new government has shown a desire to legislate on the issues that matter to conservatives and in a manner consistent with conservative values.

Protecting Woman and Girls

This can be seen with the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. Constant engagement from conservative grassroots, such as yourself, have drawn attention to the problem of men – claiming to be women – being allowed to compete in women’s sports and enter female spaces like locker rooms.

Conservatives have been vocal over the past two Congresses to the point where the problem can no longer be ignored and Congress now feels compelled to make the passing of a solution a priority. They wasted no time reintroducing the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act to ban “school athletic programs from allowing individuals whose biological sex at birth was male to participate in programs that are for women or girls.”

This bill is expected to get a vote in the House next week.

Crimes & Illegal Immigration

We have also begun to see Congress combatting additional crimes committed by illegal immigrants, particularly with the Laken Riley Act; a bill that would require Immigration and Customs Enforcement to issue detainers and take custody of people in the country illegally who are charged with theft-related crimes.

After passing the House this week in a 264-159 vote, it heads to the Senate where it will likely get a vote next week with some Democrat support. While the Laken Riley Act, as currently written, is the bare minimum to start restoring our broken immigration system, its scheduled vote represents a sea change from last Congress where the Democrat-controlled chamber blocked consideration of such bills. Senate Democrats were rarely faced with the blatant question: Do you support illegal immigrants committing theft and burglary? This shouldn’t be a difficult vote but for many Democrats in the Senate, it will be. And Americans are watching.

The States are Open for Business

Congress is not the only legislature that has returned, many states have as well. By January 13th the states that will have started their legislative sessions include: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Utah, and Wyoming.

We will be watching a wide range of issues as they unfold across the country including (but not limited to!):

• Election Integrity
• Education Freedom
• Blocking CCP Influence
• Unleashing Energy
  

State legislatures operate much faster than Congress, opening the opportunity to rapid progress on critical issues.

The possibilities are endless. We can’t wait to see all that will be accomplished together.

- Ryan and the Heritage Action team

Join the fight to advance the conservative agenda.