Peter,
Rebekah Warwick, Heritage Action’s Central Regional Coordinator, joined us with an update on election integrity legislation in Texas, and Ryan Walker, Heritage Action’s Director of Government Relations, joined us with the update on Capitol Hill. Be sure to listen to this week’s Sentinel Call.
Texas Special Session
At the end of May, Texas Democrats staged a walk-out to protest election integrity legislation right before the state legislature’s session ended, ultimately killing the bill. The state of Texas has a part-time legislature that meets biannually. To ensure the legislature could complete its work, Gov. Greg Abbott called a special session, which convened on July 8th.
Texas legislators have introduced HB 3 and SB 1, both which contain key reforms such as:
- Adding voter identification to vote by mail, making it consistent with in-person voting
- Strengthening prohibitions against ballot harvesting
- Protecting poll watcher access, improving transparency
- Monthly reviews of voter rolls to verify their accuracy
At least 51 Democrats have since boarded private jets to fly to DC to deny the legislature a quorum. While they are there, they plan to lobby for H.R.1, “The Corrupt Politicians Act,” which would undermine states’ ability to safeguard their elections. They are abandoning their constituents and responsibilities as legislators. Special sessions last 30 days in Texas, and without a quorum, bills cannot be considered.
Democrats won’t be able to stay in D.C. forever, however. Because Texas is a part-time legislature, legislators have families and jobs to return to. Gov. Abbott can continue to call special sessions and has said he will do so. Speaker Phelan has indicated he will use every resource to compel members to return to the legislature’s chambers and to fulfill their duties to their constituents. Sentinels should encourage lawmakers to continue to fight to finish the job of securing Texas’ elections. The polling is clear: Texans want to make it easy to vote and hard to cheat.
Infrastructure Boondoggle
Congress is considering a 1 trillion dollar infrastructure boondoggle. It includes additional funding for the IRS to harass Americans with audits, Green New Deal policies, and broadband subsidies for individuals who don’t actually need them. It goes far beyond roads and bridges.
On top of being bad policy, it also is a bad political deal. Democrats have made no sacrifices to achieve this deal, and Republicans are the ones making all the compromises. Democrats have indicated they will likely use reconciliation to pass an infrastructure deal, meaning they don’t actually need Republicans to pass a bill. This deal is a win-win for Democrats, and a lose-lose for Republicans. Republicans should reject negotiations that are a losing deal for Americans.
>> Urge your Senators to oppose the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework.
Anti-Gun ATF Nominee
The Senate is expected to vote either this week or next week on the nomination of anti-gun activist David Chipman to be Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Chipman supports banning almost every modern rifle, as he demonstrated in this exchange with Sen. Tom Cotton during the committee hearing on his confirmation. He has even publicly mocked gun owners. Chipman has no respect for the Second Amendment rights, and should absolutely be rejected for this post. Heritage Action will key vote NO on his nomination.
While Democratic leadership is hoping to keep their caucus united in their support, there are some Democrat Senators who are concerned about how truly radical a nominee Chipman is and may oppose. They include:
Sen. Jon Tester (D-Montana)
Sen. Maggie Hassan (D- New Hampshire)
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia)
>> Urge your Senators to oppose the nomination of David Chipman to Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Pelosi Power Grab
Now that S.1, the “Corrupt Politicians Act” has failed in the Senate, Democrats are turning toward the introduction of H.R. 4, the “Pelosi Power Grab Act.” This bill would give the Biden Administration total oversight of states’ voting laws. While no vote is expected soon, Democrats are working to use hearings to build the case in the media that they need control over our elections. Check out Heritage Action’s toolkit on H.R. 4 and stay tuned for updates.
Debt Ceiling
The U.S. will soon be reaching the limit on how much debt it is allowed to borrow. It is referred to as the “debt limit” or sometimes “debt ceiling.” In 2019, Congress passed a two-year suspension of the debt limit that will soon be expiring. Suspending the debt limit is like giving Congress a credit card with no credit limit.
Democrats will ask Republicans to join them in raising the debt limit. They should refuse. Sentinels should remind their Senators that they should not raise the debt ceiling in order to accommodate massive spending, or give Democrats the ability to spend more. We will continue to update Sentinels as this fight develops.
Janae Stracke
Grassroots Director
Heritage Action
P.S. Stay tuned for more details on Heritage Action’s Sentinel Summit in Orlando, FL on November 11-13th. You won’t want to miss it. More to come soon!
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