WASHINGTON—Heritage Action, a conservative grassroots organization with two million activists nationwide, released the following statement from Executive Vice President Ryan Walker announcing the rare decision to Key Vote and urge lawmakers to oppose the rule governing the four foreign aid bills in the U.S. House of Representatives, solely because that rule would automatically combine the separate bills into one package:
“Promising votes on four ‘separate’ bills that are immediately tied back together is a disingenuous maneuver that lawmakers should reject. The rule put forth by leadership makes the House bills almost identical to the reckless, unrelated supplemental package passed by the Senate. A conservative-led House can and must do better for Americans than promising a watered-down border bill that’s going nowhere and attaching a crucial TikTok bill that’s already passed the chamber. Heritage Action urges responsible, honest action to defend America’s interests—but the rule to combine these four bills fails on both counts.”
The border crisis, Ukraine, Israel, and China have vitally important policy issues that should be considered separately, each deserving Congress’ full attention. Criteria for foreign funding from national security experts at The Heritage Foundation can be found here.
By issuing a Key Vote, lawmakers are notified that their vote on this rule will affect their grade on the Heritage Action Scorecard, which shows voters and activists how conservative lawmakers are by comparing their policy positions to those of Heritage Action. The scores of lawmakers who vote for the rule will be negatively impacted.
More information about Heritage Action’s decision to issue a Key Vote can be found in the issue brief below, which was shared with lawmakers and congressional staff.
KEY VOTE: “No” on Rule to Combine Foreign Aid Bills
Heritage Action opposes the Rule to combine foreign aid bills, solely because it would create a new legislative package that bypasses accountability on individual bills. The Rule vote will be included as a Key Vote on our legislative scorecard.
The Rule establishes parameters for debate and consideration on the below bills:
H.R. 8034 – Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024
H.R. 8035 – Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024
H.R. 8036 – Indo-Pacific Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024
H.R. 8038 – 21st Century Peace through Strength Act
The Rule includes language to combine the above four bills after each has passed the House separately. There is no vote on the final package—meaning members will not have the ability to oppose combination of the bills on the floor, even if members only support pieces of the overall package.
This Rule fundamentally transforms the policy questions it claims to consider. The vote on and structure of the Rule is not simply a procedural step for beginning debate, rather, it is intended to ensure votes on the individual bills do not jeopardize a predetermined outcome. The Rule is designed to produce a single bill consistent with the Senate-passed foreign aid supplemental, regardless of the lack of support for that package in the House. To that end, the Rule is the only vote that addresses the contents of all four underlying bills together.
Debating the merits of each individual bill is important; allowing votes on each individual bill is similarly important. However, knowingly supporting a process that fundamentally undermines the purpose of these two goals is extremely misleading to the American people and disingenuous for members who claim to oppose the Senate’s recently-passed foreign aid supplemental.
Heritage Action opposes the Rule to combine foreign aid bills, solely because it would create a new legislative package that bypasses accountability on individual bills. The Rule vote will be included as a Key Vote on our legislative scorecard.
BACKGROUND:
The Heritage Foundation: Supplemental Appropriations to Meet the Moment
The Heritage Foundation: The Senate’s Supplemental Spending Package Is Reckless and Irresponsible
Heritage Action: Conservatives Should Oppose the Senate’s Unserious Supplemental Package