With President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in the White House, spending bills are conservatives’ best opportunity to rein in woke and weaponized government. Budgets are also not just about dollars and cents – they also determine policy priorities.
We all also know inflation is a consequence of reckless government spending, and this administration has spent a staggering amount of taxpayer dollars. Because of Bidenflation and Kamalanomics, Americans are facing skyrocketing costs when it comes to gas, groceries and housing.
Conservatives have an opportunity with the upcoming spending deadline to overturn the Biden-Harris administration’s woke policies under a new presidential administration, and prevent increased government spending that will only further drive up inflation and increase the pain Americans are feeling in their pocketbooks.
Upcoming Funding Deadline
Congress returns to Washington, D.C. on September 9 and has until October 1 before Fiscal Year 2024 federal funding runs out. While the House passed several funding bills, the Democrat-controlled Senate has refused to take any of them up on the Senate floor. This means there is little to no time to individually pass all 12 appropriations bills necessary to fully fund the government, negotiate the differences between the House and Senate versions, and become law.
When Congress fails to pass all 12 appropriations bills individually as required by law (which it has all but four times since 1976) and send them to the President ahead of the October deadline, Congress faces a choice: 1) pass an “omnibus,” which combines the 12 individual appropriations bills into one massive spending bill or 2) pass a Continuing Resolution (CR) to temporarily fund the government at current levels.
Year after year, lawmakers kick the can down the road until a funding crisis falls right around the holidays. Using the threat of a shutdown and their eagerness to leave D.C. for Christmas, Congress often quickly passes bloated, expensive “omnibus” bills that stick taxpayers with bad policies and more debt with no accountability.
Facing the choice between a CR and an omnibus, Congress appears to be headed toward a CR this September—but the length of the funding extension in that CR is still up for debate. In an election year, with limited working days in Washington, it is clear that Congress will not have time to pass and negotiate the individual appropriations bills in 2024. Instead, they should pass a CR that extends funding past the presidential election and into 2025.
Bypassing the traditional omnibus set-up will save money and allow the next president to weigh in on the FY25 budget.
Maximizing Leverage in the CR
House Republicans should unite to maximize this opportunity by not only passing a CR into the new year, but also attaching the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act to that CR before sending the bill to the Senate. By using their leverage, House Republicans can pass this common-sense, bipartisan bill that ensures only American citizens vote in American elections. The Democrat-controlled Senate will then be faced with the question: Shut the government down to keep noncitizens on voter rolls—or keep the government open and close loopholes allowing noncitizens to vote.
The Left is quick to insist that illegal immigrants and non-citizens cannot vote because it is already illegal. However, many states require zero proof of citizenship to register and no proof of identity to vote. The current system absolutely allows for noncitizens to vote.
For example, many states accept a driver’s license as proof of citizenship, but do not require proof of citizenship to attain a driver’s license. The SAVE Act would close these glaring loopholes and strengthen election integrity across the nation.
Passing a CR into the new year + SAVE Act will:
Avert a lame duck omnibus loaded with the priorities of members who are retiring or have lost their elections
Ensure the inevitable CR sets up a stronger position for conservative wins under a Trump presidency
Expose Schumer and Senate Democrats’ inexplicable opposition to ensuring states check the ID or citizenship status of voters
Heritage Action supports attaching the SAVE Act to a CR that extends funding into the new year.
Additional Resources from Heritage Action:
Additional Resources from The Heritage Foundation:
FY 2024 House Appropriations Bills Take New Steps to Dismantle the Woke and Weaponized Bureaucracy
FY 2024 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill Is Strongest in Years, But Has Room for Improvement
FY 2024 Appropriations: Budget Gimmicks Masquerading as Spending Cuts
Fiscal Year 2024 Education Appropriations: A Guide for Policymakers
Appropriations Process: An Opportunity for Congress to Defend Life
Lame-Duck spending always leaves American’s with a bad deal. When Congress waits until December to fund the federal government, they end up passing a massive omnibus bill that no one has time to read, and that adds to our national debt at an excessive rate.
Budgets are not just about dollars and cents – they also determine policy priorities. A lame duck omnibus means many important cuts to woke spending priorities would likely be dropped from FY25 funding.
Inflation is a consequence of reckless government spending. Because of Bidenflation and Kamalanomics, Americans are facing skyrocketing costs. Food prices have increased by 30%.The median home price has jumped over 27%. And in April 2022, the average price for a gallon of gasoline was $4.23, up more than 78% since Biden took office.
A continuing resolution (CR) that extends into the new year would avert this disaster. Congress can dodge the familiar maneuver that is used to force through an omnibus spending deal that would otherwise not be supported by passing a CR into next year.
The SAVE Act should accompany the CR. By attaching the SAVE Act to the CR, it will draw attention to the real issue of non-citizens voting and present an opportunity to pass legislation that would further secure American elections.
My name is [NAME] and I am a constituent from [CITY, STATE].
I am calling to urge [MEMBER OF CONGRESS] to pass a CR into the new year.
This will avert a last minute omnibus that is so typical of Congress especially in an election year.
Our broken spending process has racked up generational debt that creates inflation and weakens our economy.
Americans can’t afford the inflation that comes with more reckless spending, and I don’t want the next generation, or the generation after that to have to pay for it too.
That is why Congress must do all that it can to slow down the rate of spending.
I urge [MEMBER OF CONGRESS] to attach the SAVE Act to the CR. Right before the November election, it is crucial that we do all that we can to protect election integrity and our right to vote.
By ensuring that only American citizens can vote in American elections, the SAVE Act will do just that.
Please tell [MEMBER OF CONGRESS] to support the CR + SAVE Act.
Thank you.