Fellow Conservative,

Congress returned from recess on Tuesday and some were wondering if this would be the week the House actually votes to open an impeachment inquiry (as was done with Nixon and Clinton inquiries).

When asked about the issue on Tuesday, Pelosi stated, “we will not be having a vote,” making clear she intends to shield vulnerable Democrats from an unpopular vote.

How unpopular is this inquiry? Axios news reported on a recent focus group where nine of 11 Ohio swing-voters were opposed. Voters commented:

• It is "a never-ending drama" that "shows to me these people are completely out of touch with everyday Americans’ lives."
• "They hit a big strike on Mueller, so this is trying to get another base hit on the president.”
• "It's become more of ... 'Destroy the other party' instead of build the whole country up."
• Voters are "sad that they’re [Democrats] so focused on it," and it is "a big distraction from what we could be doing."

These voters get it. Why can’t Congress? Americans don’t want another endless inquiry. They want Congress to focus on the real issues, like funding our government…

Countdown to the Funding Deadline

Congress failed to do its job and fund the government by the October 1 deadline. Instead, Congress punted with a continuing resolution (CR) to keep spending at last year’s levels until November 21.

CR’s are bad governance. Under a CR, government departments are unable to hire contractors or make purchases that extend into future periods. This hurts all departments but is especially damaging to the U.S. Military.

The Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral John Richardson explains the problem with CR’s, “The services are essentially operating in three fiscal quarters per year now. Nobody schedules anything important in the first quarter.”

Congress should reach a deal to fully fund the government by November 21—a deal that is free of poison pill provisions and doesn’t roll back any Trump Administration regulatory victories.

The Left’s Socialist Drug Pricing Scheme

On Thursday, the House Education and Labor Committee advanced H.R. 3, the Lower Drug Costs Now Act. This bill is still being marked up by the Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means committees, but the House may vote on it by the end of October.

H.R. 3 is deeply flawed legislation that inserts the government square into the middle of drug pricing negotiations. It would essentially give the government the power to set prices for prescription drugs sold in the private market.

> > > Read our activist toolkit on H.R. 3

H.R. 3 would tie our drug prices to prices in 6 other countries that have already implemented price controls, but those countries now drastically trail the U.S in gaining access to new medications. Of new pharmaceuticals introduced between 2011 and 2018, 89% are available to Americans, compared with 62% in Germany and 60% in the United Kingdom. Less than 50% are available to Australian, Canadian, French, and Japanese patients.

Countries with price controls also trail the U.S. in R&D for new drugs. In 1986, European firms led the U.S. in spending on pharmaceutical research and development by 24%. After the imposition of price control regimes, they fell behind. By 2015, they lagged the U.S. by 40%.

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Nancy Pelosi wants America to follow these countries off a healthcare cliff. Please call your congressman and tell them that you oppose H.R 3.

Cutting Red Tape

Last week, we wrote extensively about the Trump administration’s deregulatory agenda. Since taking office, President Trump has taken a weed wacker to the overgrowth of federal bureaucracy.

To date, the Trump administration has cut 14 regulations for every new regulation put in place, making it easier for Americans to grow businesses and enjoy their lives free of government intrusion.

One such deregulatory effort is Trump's Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule. It rolls back overreaching regulations from the Obama-era Clean Power Plan (CPP) which expanded the EPA’s statutory authority and increased energy costs for low- and middle-income Americans.

On Thursday, the Senate considered a resolution to repeal the Trump’s ACE rule under the Congressional Review Act. The resolution failed to pass, 41-53, preserving this important deregulatory effort. You can see how your senator voted here.

Thank you,
Tim, Jessica, and the Heritage Action team

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