Tuesday, May 8, 2018

HERITAGE ACTION FOR AMERICA 05/08/2018 Building Congressional Muscle Memory

Patriots,
A lot is going on in Washington this week. This afternoon, we expect President Trump to make an announcement about the Iran Deal. The House will be passing a good—and permanent—deregulatory roll-back of an Obama-era auto lending rule, which is very encouraging. And the Senate will be focused on confirming circuit court nominees (six!) at a pace Sentinels should encourage them to maintain.
The main update, though, is that the rescissions package is out! This morning, the Trump administration formally requested Congress rescind more than $15 billion on “unobligated balances”—money previously appropriated but not yet spent.
This is an important move for two main reasons:


  1. We’re taking away Congressional “funny money.” Once rescinded, Congress cannot use this $15 billion as "pay-fors"—redirecting unspent money from an old program to a new program.
  2. We’re building legislative muscle memory. This is not the first time we’ve needed Sentinels to educate lawmakers, staff, and even press on how a process works. Remember 2015 budget reconciliation? The goal here is to develop legislative muscle memory and then come back at the new spending.
If you are a Sentinel in a blue district, this is your fight too. Congressional Republicans and Democrats alike need to be held accountable to basic housekeeping. If Sentinels can build momentum for a strong House showing at the end of May, we can force the issue in the Senate, set the Administration up for success to rescind omnibus spending, and make appropriators think twice next time!
We only have a couple weeks to get this done, so start educating your Representative!
Matt

Matthew T. Lauer
Director of Grassroots
Heritage Action for America

Sentinel Weekly Action Guide
May 7th

Washington, D.C. Update:

The House and Senate return from recess this week and are in session until Memorial Day. The Trump administration unveiled the first in a series of rescission requests to cut spending this morning. The initial request at $15 billion focuses exclusively on unobligated balances to avoid political concerns over “re-opening” the omnibus debate.
The House is scheduled to vote on a Senate-passed CRA resolution (S.J. Res. 57) to overturn an Obama-era auto lending rule. The rule is ripe with abuse and a leading example of CFPB overreach. Three additional bills are expected to receive a vote: H.R. 5645 on mergers and acquisitions; H.R. 2152 on transparency in Justice Department grant programs; and H.R. 3053 on nuclear waste policy. The House Armed Services holds its full committee markup of H.R. 5515 (NDAA) this Wednesday, May 9th. Driving committee support for Military Education Savings Accounts remains a priority.
Additionally, House Agriculture recently passed H.R. 2 (Farm Bill) out of committee without any substantial conservative reforms. Heritage Action will continue to push for inclusion of strong work requirements in the SNAP program and reforms to out-of-control agricultural subsidy programs. House Agriculture Chairman Mike Conaway (R-Texas) recently told reporters the farm bill will receive floor consideration the week of May 14th. Heritage Action key votes on amendments to the farm bill are possible.
In the Senate, Majority Leader McConnell filed cloture on six circuit court nominees, each of which is expected to be confirmed this week. Senate Democrats could force a vote on a CRA resolution (S.J. Res. 52) to overturn the Trump administration’s Restoring Internet Freedom rule, which restores the classification of broadband Internet access service as a lightly-regulated ‘information service’. Contrary to what hysterical rhetoric would have the American people believe, repealing “net neutrality” has not led to the death of the internet as we know it, nor has it led to higher prices or slower internet traffic. Heritage Action key voted the resolution.

Core Priorities this Week:

  1. School Choice for Military Families: Sentinels should ask their members of Congress to support the Education Savings Accounts for Military Families Act (H.R. 5199) as an amendment to this year’s National Defense Authorization Act. Heritage Action is also leading a grassroots letter to show Congress that our nation’s active-duty, reserve, military spouses, and veterans believe Military Education Savings Accounts would benefit military families and their children. If you are a member of a military family, we would like to add your name as a co-signer on the letter. Click here for more information.

  1. Federal Spending: The fiscal year 2018 Omnibus Appropriations Act represents yet another missed opportunity by Congress to take the national debt seriously and make meaningful spending reforms. Now, as lawmakers consider rolling back spending, a rescissions package has been sent to Congress this week. Sentinels should ask lawmakers to support cutting government waste via the rescission package when it comes up for a vote, and to hold strong on any attempts to lower the amount of spending cuts.

  1. Health care: The exclusion of Obamacare bailouts on the March omnibus was a significant win for conservatives. A bipartisan bailout would have permanently entrenched and expanded Obamacare. Sentinels should make it clear to Republicans that they now have an opportunity to pivot back to their campaign promises of repealing and replacing Obamacare. Heritage has been laying the groundwork to do just that, with reforms based on real patient choice and genuine free enterprise.

School Choice
Military Education Savings Accounts ( ESAs )

State of Play: Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) introduced a proposal that would create well-deserved educational opportunities for military families. The Education Savings Accounts for Military Families Act (H.R. 5199) allows military families to choose education options that are the right fit for their children instead of being assigned to a school. Heritage Action issued a key vote co-sponsorship and question & answer on the bill, as well as a coalition letter to Congress in support of the bill. Heritage Action sent a grassroots letter to Armed Services (Defense committee) Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.), Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), committee Ranking Members on behalf of two thousand of military-connected families seeking choice and opportunity in education.

Action Item: Sentinels should tell their members of Congress to support  H.R. 5199 as an amendment to the National National Defense Authorization Act this week during committee markup.

Resources:
Heritage Foundation and Heritage Action livestream: Military ESAs
Heritage Action grassroots letter: Military Families to Congress: We Need School Choice

Federal Spending
Fiscal Restraint through Impoundment Control Act

State of Play: Earlier this year, Congress passed—and President Trump signed into law—a $1.3 trillion omnibus spending package that increased defense spending by $80 billion and non-defense spending by $63 billion over the Budget Control Act. According to congressional Republicans and President Trump, the GOP agreed to the omnibus spending levels because Senate Democrats threatened to filibuster and shutdown the government if Congress increased defense spending without increasing non-defense spending. This is where the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 comes into play. Section 1017 of the law sets up a filibuster-proof rescission process that can be used by Republicans in Congress to cancel the wasteful spending. The Trump administration unveiled the first in a series of rescissions requests this morning. The initial request will focuses exclusively on unobligated balances to avoid political concerns over “re-opening” the budget caps deal and recently passed omnibus.

Action Item: Sentinels should ask their members to support President's Trump’s rescission request to cut government waste. If the Republican Party is truly concerned with excessive spending and debt, the Impoundment Control Act provides a legislative opportunity to engage in accountability as part of larger effort to restore focus on long-term fiscal challenges.

Resources:

Healthcare
Obamacare Repeal and Replace

State of Play: After Republicans eliminated the Obamacare mandate in tax reform last year, it reset the congressional budget scoring baseline and opened the door for Republicans to return to repeal and replace. Unfortunately, many Republicans felt repealing the individual mandate was enough so long as they were able to “stabilize the market” with insurance company bailouts ahead of the election. However, with Obamacare bailouts being kept out of the March omnibus, an incredibly significant win for conservatives, repeal and replace is back on the table. Senate HELP Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) made clear that if congressional Democrats “can’t accept” bipartisan Obamacare bailouts, “the only choice we have is to go back to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.” Heritage has been laying the groundwork to do just that, with reforms based on real patient choice and genuine free enterprise.

Action Item: Sentinels should tell their senators and representatives to support the Patient Freedom and Choice proposal to repeal Obamacare (op-ed) and to oppose any bipartisan efforts to bailout Obamacare, including cost sharing reduction payments and reinsurance schemes.

Resources:
Heritage Action activist toolkit: Healthcare
Sentinel brief: No More Obamacare Bailouts
Heritage Foundation report: How Obamacare Raised Premiums

Food Stamps and Farm Bill
Work Requirements, Out-of-Control Subsidy Programs

State of Play: In April, the House Agriculture Committee passed its version of the farm bill (H.R. 2). The legislation fails to limit out-of-control farm subsidies and fails to enact strong work requirements on food stamp recipients. Congress should not waste this opportunity to reform welfare and limit farm subsidies. Significant agricultural reforms (see Heritage report) would still leave an overly generous safety net in place, but would start the process of getting the federal government out of farm policy. Strong work requirements on food stamps (see Heritage report) would help free Americans from government dependence. Since bipartisan negotiations on the farm bill have stalled, the House intends to move a Republican-only farm bill, which should increase conservative leverage (see Heritage Action coalition letter). Heritage Action opposes the current House farm bill for its bad agriculture policy and mediocre work requirements for food stamps. Heritage Action is working with conservative lawmakers to push for changes to the bill.

Action Items: Sentinels should ask their members of Congress to support Rep. Garret Graves’ (R-LA) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Reform Act of 2017 (H.R. 2996), which Heritage Action key voted, as policy reform to the Farm Bill. Sentinels should also ask their members of Congress to support the agriculture policy reforms included in the President’s Budget and Rep. Ralph Norman’s (R-SC) bill - President Trump's Farm Bill Reforms Act of 2018 (H.R. 5629).

Resources:
Heritage Action activist toolkit: Food Stamps
Heritage Foundation event: The Case for Reforming Farm Subsidies
Heritage Action coalition letter: Farm Bill Must Address Out-of-Control Subsidy Programs

Religious Liberty & Pro-Life
Prioritizing Children over Politics

State of Play: Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) and Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) have introduced the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act (H.R. 1881 & S. 811). Faith-based adoption agencies across the country are coming under attack. In Massachusetts, Illinois, California, and Washington, D.C., liberal groups have successfully pressured government authorities to require faith-based agencies to violate their sincerely held religious beliefs and place children in same-sex households. Congress should keep kids first by preventing religious discrimination against faith-based adoption agencies.

Action Items: Sentinels should ask their members of Congress to cosponsor the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act (H.R. 1881 & S. 811). This bill will protect faith-based adoption agencies from state governments and LGBT activists looking to eliminate pro-life alternatives to abortion.

Resources:

Internet Sales Tax
No Taxation without Representation

State of Play: The Supreme Court recently heard a case dealing with whether states can require out-of-state retailers to collect sales taxes when their residents make a purchase online. The Court previously held in Quill Corp. v. North Dakota that retailers must have a physical presence in the state in order to be required to collect state sales tax. In 2016, South Dakota passed a law mandating that out-of-state retailers collect and remit sales tax, directly challenging the holding in Quill. The case at hand, South Dakota v. Wayfair, quickly made its way to the Supreme Court, which will decide whether states may force businesses outside their borders to collect their taxes in the age of Internet shopping. There was a strong effort made by South Dakota gubernatorial candidate Rep. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) for Congress to pass an internet sales tax that similarly seeks to overturn Quill, by allowing state governments to tax out-of-state sales on internet-based transactions. Thanks to pushback from conservatives that effort failed (letter).

Action Item: Heritage Action opposes the internet sales tax and is working with allied House members to preserve the physical presence principle and stop this bill. Republicans should not be in the business of raising taxes—especially in an election year when they just passed tax reform. This violates the principle of "no taxation without representation" and makes it harder for small businesses to expand and grow.

Resources:
Heritage Foundation commentary: Supreme Court Hears Case on Internet Sales Tax
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