The Senate's NDAA Bill
And House Hearings to Watch This Week
Hello friends!
I’m working on a post about the cost of convenience - basically the cost is freedom, but in the meantime, the super-helpful information below is from Heritage Action.
(I’m also working on a website to provide you with more in-depth current updates on critical issues.)
The Senate's NDAA Bill
The Senate is expected to vote this week on its own version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The vote on final passage is expected to occur on Thursday.
The Senate worked through amendments last week, and will wrap up amendment votes this week. Outside of the debate on reining in taxpayer funding of abortion, one of the most important amendments offered in either chamber was Sen. Rand Paul’s amendment reaffirming that Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty (NATO) does not supersede the constitutional requirement that Congress declare war before the United States engages in war.
One concern has been how the Senate approaches the Biden administration’s abortion travel memo, and reining in the Secretary of Defense from paying for or reimbursing expenses relating to abortion services. If an amendment similar to the Jacksons/Roy amendment was offered it would be subject to a 60-vote threshold, and would fail. This would all but certainly undermine conservatives’ negotiating position.
After the Senate passes its version of the NDAA, the House and Senate versions will go to conference – either a formal conference committee or information negotiations between the two chambers. Instead of an amendment vote, the Senate instead should focus on pushing for the House-passed amendment in conference negotiations.
How you can help: One way you can help strengthen conservatives' negotiating position on the final NDAA bill is to encourage your senators to support Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s hold on Department of Defense nominees publicly and on the Senate floor. Very few Senators have been willing to support him, and he needs more Senators fighting alongside him to help strengthen conservatives’ position.
It’s also a great idea to make a visit to your senators' district offices this August and urge them to support Sen. Tuberville’s effort.
House Hearings to Watch This Week
There are several hearings in the House this week worth tuning in to:
Wednesday at 10:00am ET: House Judiciary Hearing on “Oversight of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.” This hearing will examine the agency's operational failures, the unprecedented border crisis, and the abandonment of immigration enforcement under Secretary Mayorkas. Watch the hearing here.
You can visit our Secure the Border toolkit webpage for key talking points, call notes, and resources on this issue.
Thursday at 10:00am ET: House Judiciary Hearing on Thursday: “The Dangers and Due Process Violations of 'Gender-Affirming Care' for Children”. This hearing will examine and expose how children are being coerced by adults in positions of authority into experimental hormones and life-altering surgeries without full understanding of the meaning or impact. Watch the hearing here.
Appropriations Bills
The House and Senate continue to markup appropriations bills. The House is expected to vote this week on two appropriations bills 1) Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies appropriations and 2) Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies appropriations.
House Freedom Caucus members have been negotiating with leadership to try to achieve real spending cuts. The spending plan laid out by the House Appropriations Committee establishes discretionary spending at $1.471 trillion for FY24, which appears to be $131 billion less than the current fiscal year spending levels.
It’s important however, that the House achieve this $131 billion reduction in spending without using rescissions. A rescission is when Congress cancels budget authority – or an agency's ability to spend money if it has not been already spent.
The House marked up Non-Defense Discretionary (NDD) funding levels at FY23 levels – which is a freeze in spending rather than a cut. They are using rescissions to get to FY22 spending levels. While rescissions can be a tool to cut spending, they fail to deal with the underlying, fundamental spending levels.
Relying on rescissions means Congress maintains our nation’s unsustainable spending patterns. To truly get our fiscal house in order, Congress must change trajectory, and reduce baseline spending levels. Congress should reduce Non-Defense Discretionary spending through appropriations bills, and mark up federal agency funding to FY22 levels.
If negotiations in the House fall through this week, they will pick back up after the August recess – leaving Committees two weeks before the funding deadline begins to approach.
>> Take Action: Urge your representative that Congress should reduce Non-Defense Discretionary spending through appropriations bills, and mark up federal agency funding to FY22 levels.
Read Heritage Action’s blog on how Congress can use appropriations to reduce the size and scope of the government.
August Recess
August recess starts next week, and here are a few resources on how you can make the most of members of Congress being back home in their states.
>> Find your representative’s website and subscribe to their email list for notifications about town hall meetings. You can also call their office to find out about local events.
>> Find your senators’ website and subscribe to their email list here. You can also see their district office locations.
VoteTexas.gov, https://www.votetexas.gov/get-involved/index.html
Until next time…
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Thanks again for reading! I’m glad you’re here!