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Ashley Foster

Apr 27 2022
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TODAY! Ask your Representative to sign the Discharge Petition for H.R. 426

By | News and Events, Sexual Exploitation, Women's Sports | No Comments

ACTION: Ask your Representative to sign the Discharge Petition for H.R. 426, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act!

Fair competition and equality in women’s sports are under threat. Decades of progress following the 1972 passage of Title IX will soon be reversed as the NCAA and Biden Administration move to undermine the fair playing field for females—all to accommodate and prioritize males identifying as females in athletics.
 
H.R. 426 would prohibit federally funded athletic programs from permitting males to participate in female sports and specify that sex is based on biology. Courageous members in the U.S. House of Representatives have filed a discharge petition to force the bill out of committee and on to the House floor for a vote. A successful petition requires the signatures of 218 members, which is a majority of the House. This year marks the 50th Anniversary of Title IX. Congress must show young women and girls that its protections still hold true in 2022. H.R. 426 would bring much-needed hope and ensure that girls’ sports are for girls only.

Please email, call, or tweet your representative through our Action Center HERE and urge him or her to stand strong alongside our girls. This issue is nonpartisan. Our daughters and granddaughters deserve better.

To see if your representative has signed the petition, click HERE.

Mar 01 2022
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Senate Fails to Advance Abortion on Demand Act

By | Legislative Updates, News and Events, Sanctity of Life | No Comments

As our nation faces record inflation, an energy crisis, a war in Ukraine, and more, Senate Democrats started the week addressing their top priority: unfettered access to abortion up until birth. On Monday, Senate Republicans, joined by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia), defeated a cloture vote (46-48) on H.R. 3755, the so-called Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA), the most radical abortion bill in our nation’s history.

Prior to Monday night’s vote on the WHPA, Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee’s happy warriors for life quickly mobilized to urge their Senators to reject this extremist ploy for abortion on demand. THANK YOU!

The bill aims to codify and even expand Roe v. Wade, superseding any conflicting state or federal law, including the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993. WHPA creates a wide-sweeping statutory right to provide or obtain an abortion without limitation no matter the stage of pregnancy. Such policy jeopardizes common sense measures to protect unborn children and their mothers, including ultrasound and fetal heartbeat tests, mandatory reflection periods, and parental notice requirements.

This attempt to callously brand abortion as just another healthcare procedure is both troubling and tone-deaf. Americans continue to reject the radicalism of the abortion industry and its advocates. For example, over 60% of Americans oppose new Food and Drug Administration regulations that permanently remove the in-person dispensing requirement for the chemical abortion pill and make the dangerous drug available through the mail. Further, 71% of American supports limits on abortion, especially after the first trimester.

The U.S. is one of only seven countries that allow elective abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. We join egregious human rights abusers like North Korea and China. The WHPA would place the U.S. at the top of this shameful list. Congressional Democrats are completely out of touch with public opinion, which is trending heavily towards the protection of innocent unborn children.

Your messages proved effective, and we hope you will continue to join us in promoting legislation that truly protects women’s health and well-being while recognizing the sanctity of all human life.

Feb 24 2022
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Call to Action: Tell Senate to Reject Abortion on Demand Act

By | Legislative Updates, News and Events, Sanctity of Life | No Comments

Action Statement Below

Next week, the U.S. Senate is expected to consider H.R. 3755, the so-called Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA). This extreme bill—more aptly named the “Abortion on Demand Act”—aims to codify and expand Roe v. Wade, creating a sweeping right to provide or obtain an abortion without limitation or safeguards up until a child’s birth. In doing so, the bill prohibits measures to protect unborn children and their mothers.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed WHPA in a party-line vote on September 24, 2021. The vote was seemingly a Leftist reaction to perceived threats to Roe’s legacy. At the time, the House Democrat Majority was reeling over news about oral arguments that December for the Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, in which the justices will determine the constitutionality of a Mississippi law protecting preborn life after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

Fast forward to today as House and Senate appropriators negotiate the details of the annual federal spending bill. Republican leadership has set a clear red line for inclusion of traditional—once bipartisan—pro-life protections like the Hyde Amendment, a prohibition on taxpayer funding of abortion. In yet another desperate attempt to appease the abortion industry, Senate Democrat Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is pushing the radical WHPA to the top of the Senate’s schedule when it returns from recess on February 28, 2022. The move is tone deaf at best, as a recent Marist poll revealed that 71% of Americans support limits on abortion after the first trimester.

Take Action

Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC) vehemently opposes this inhumane legislation. Please contact your Senators today and urge them to reject the WHPA. Congress must promote policy that truly protects women’s health and well-being while recognizing the sanctity of all human life. The deceptive WHPA does nothing less than advance a culture of death by abortion in America.

View CWALAC’s factsheet on the bill HERE.

Feb 14 2022
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Califf Unfit to Lead FDA

By | Legislative Updates, News and Events, Sanctity of Life | No Comments

Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee sent a letter to the U.S. Senate noting our intent to score against the confirmation of Dr. Robert Califf to be Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.

“Dr. Califf, previously FDA Commissioner under President Barack Obama, has a troubling record of corrupting data to appease the abortion industry at the expense of vulnerable women’s health and safety. He cannot be trusted to conduct proper oversight of our nation’s pharmaceuticals and is therefore unfit to serve a second term. CWALAC will score against Dr. Califf’s confirmation and include this vote in our annual scorecard.”

Read the full letter HERE.

Feb 09 2022
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House Passes Deceptive Global Respect Act

By | International, Legislative Updates, News and Events | No Comments

This week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3485, the so-called Global Respect Act, a duplicative and overly broad bill that could give the U.S. State Department the authority to blacklist and bar U.S. entry of any foreigner holding legitimate views against homosexuality or gender identity ideology. Just six Republicans joined all Democrats in supporting the legislation.

Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC) recognizes the inherent dignity and value of all persons before God and condemns the unjust imprisonment, abduction, or acts of violence towards any human regardless of their identity. The Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act places robust penalties on those who engage in these abuses, and the Administration must ensure that this law is adequately enforced. Ambiguous language in the Global Respect Act could wrongfully label objections to same-sex marriage, dangerous medical gender transition therapies for minors, men dominating women’s sports, and more as “degrading treatment” or a denial of a person’s right to life, liberty, and security.

Further, this deceptively titled bill gives the U.S. government latitude to impose a radical ideological agenda on foreign governments and their citizens, squelching legitimate conscience rights and depriving nations of the power to govern according to their values. The Global Respect Act establishes weapons of intimidation to persecute those who refuse to express Biblically foundational views on sex and the family. This cannot stand.

As Neydy Casillas, Esq., Concerned Women for America’s Vice President of International Affairs recently said:

“The protection and respect of fundamental freedom are essential for a society to flourish. All human beings are born equal in dignity. To respect, promote, and guarantee fundamental freedom is a role of government, but to do so, governments should use legitimate ways that promote understanding and peace among individuals and nations. H.R. 3485 threatens those ideals by injecting partisan politics into a very delicate area of international relations. The harmful consequences could be significant.”

H.R. 3485 now heads over to the Senate. CWALAC will continue to beat the drum on the dangers of this bill, especially under interpretation from the Biden Administration, which continues to display utter contempt for those upholding timeless truths about humanity. The Global Respect Act threatens democratic processes and fundamental freedoms abroad, but it also sets clear precedent for our leaders to peddle the same injustices here at home. Americans must reject this at all costs.

Jan 14 2022
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CWALAC Holds the Line to Defend Election Integrity

By | Legislative Updates, National Sovereignty, News and Events | No Comments

In the latest attempt to institute a federal takeover of our elections, House Democrats recently hijacked an unrelated bipartisan National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) bill as a vehicle to expedite Senate consideration of so-called voting rights legislation. This was a futile “moon shot” towards Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-New York) goal of passing sweeping reforms by Martin Luther King Day. H.R. 5746, a Frankenstein creation combining elements of the hyper-partisan For the People Act (H.R./S. 1), John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (H.R. 4), and Freedom to Vote Act (S. 2747), passed the House on January 13, 2022, in a party line vote.

All momentum was soon lost as Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Arizona) and Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) reiterated their opposition to eliminating the 60-vote threshold of the filibuster—the only means for the Democrat Majority’s voting rights bill to advance without support from Republicans. Even a last-minute Capitol Hill visit from President Biden failed to generate enthusiasm. Leader Schumer soon sent members home for the weekend with the promise that H.R. 5746, renamed the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act, would be their first order of business come Tuesday. The bill will not pass without a change in the Senate filibuster rules, so both are on a path to certain defeat.

H.R 5746 forces states to implement online, automatic, and same-day voter registration measures, opening the door for fraud and expands the unchecked power of the U.S. Attorney General to object to legitimate voter integrity efforts among states. The bill also opens the door to publicly funded political campaigns and candidate campaign salaries, meaning Americans’ tax-dollars are at risk of funding career politicians and candidacies with whom they disagree. The list of poisonous policies continues.

Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC) is holding the line on election integrity. This week, we continued to underscore our strong objections to the latest version of a federal takeover of state voting laws and have declared our unequivocal opposition to abolishing the filibuster. Do not expect this futile mission to end anytime soon. CWALAC will continue to stand against the Democrat majority’s vain crusade to mandate unconstitutional changes to our election laws.

Dec 09 2021
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Bipartisan Senate Majority Bucks Biden’s Private Sector Vaccine Mandate

By | Defense of Family, News and Events, Religious Liberty | No Comments

On December 8, 2021, a bipartisan majority in the U.S. Senate voted 52-48 to invalidate the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) emergency temporary standard (ETS) imposing President Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate on private sector employers with 100 or more employees. Democrat Senators Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) and Jon Tester (D-Montana) joined all 50 Republicans in passing Sen. Mike Braun’s (R-Indiana) resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act, a critical tool at Congress’s disposal to check executive overreach.

Prior to the vote, Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee sent a letter to Senators condemning the OSHA ETS rule and urging members to support the resolution. “President Biden’s vaccine mandate exceeds the authority granted to OSHA by Congress and is yet another attempt to circumvent the law and implement through federal government coercion what the American people have rejected,” declared CEO and President Penny Nance. The Senate agreed.

This marks yet another key repudiation of President Biden’s tone-deaf decree, coming soon after the Fifth Circuit Court’s stay on the mandate and a series of district court injunctions nationwide. Should the U.S. House of Representatives also pass the disapproval resolution and send it on to the President’s desk, the question arises whether Biden will have the sense to admit defeat and repeal his order or choose instead to veto and overrule the will of the people, their representatives, and the courts.

To date, nearly 110,000 public comments have been submitted to the Federal Register regarding the OSHA vaccine mandate, with some noting that it is their first time taking formal action to oppose federal rulemaking. Such engagement clearly demonstrates the burdensome toll the mandate has taken on hard-working citizens.

Americans are pushing back with one unified message: We refuse to choose between our livelihoods and our civil liberties. Public health must always be balanced with individual freedom. We will continue to share the latest developments on this unconstitutional rule.

Nov 19 2021
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House Passes Biden’s Build Back Broke Plan Despite Americans’ Rejection

By | Defense of Family, Legislative Updates, News and Events | No Comments

The U.S. House of Representatives voted 220-213 on Friday morning to pass the so-called Build Back Better (BBB) Act, a $1.75 trillion tax and spend spree implementing President Biden’s far-reaching agenda. This after Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy held the floor for over eight hours to dismantle deceptive claims on the bill’s contents and highlight several of the nearly 600 amendments Republicans offered only to be rejected by a one-party rule. The bill now heads to the Senate, where critics on both sides of the Democrat spectrum are calling for changes.

The BBB Act would cement the largest expansion of the federal government in 50 years. President Biden and members of his party have haggled over the final price tag and featured progressive policies for months, oblivious to the hardships of everyday Americans facing rising costs at the gas pump and dinner table as they gather for the holidays. Proponents peddled the outright lie that the plan would not add a single penny to our national deficit and continued their spin even after the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) delivered a score of $367 billion. One fact rings clear, even if our leaders refuse to recognize it: Cradle to grave government intervention is the last thing we need.

Despite the budget gimmicks its proponents continue to peddle, the BBB Act is a one-way ticket to bankruptcy. The plan institutes over 150 costly new programs at the taxpayer’s expense, many branded as temporary but intended to be permanent. As the CBO noted in September, “Inflation has eroded the purchasing power of families.” This bloated bill is set to further drive-up prices of goods and utilities, undermine wages, and raise taxes on working families and job creators.

While the fiscal ramifications are bleak, the policies behind these sky-high numbers are even more devasting. The BBB Act is a widespread expansion of the nanny state via federal mandates that overrule parents and families in raising and educating their children. In a recent op-ed, CWALAC President and CEO Penny Nance highlighted the bill’s $400 billion proposal for universal (aka federally controlled) childcare and Pre-K. Overburdensome regulations like minimum wages and degree requirements for staff would raise the cost of care and push private providers out of the market. Further, faith-based providers would be forced to forfeit their beliefs or close their doors. The absence of religious organizations would leave over half of our nation’s families with no place to turn.

The trampling of our conscience rights continues as the federal government seeks unlimited avenues to finance abortion on demand with our tax dollars. This includes a $30 billion fund for states to pay all out-of-pocket costs and subsidize insurance plans that cover abortion. All to target those states that declined to expand Medicaid under the iron fist of Obamacare.

The BBB Act may be the Left’s dreams fulfilled, but it is the American people’s worst nightmare. According to recent polling, 61% of Americans believe President Biden is asking Congress to spend too much money. Furthermore, just over three-quarters of Americans favor capitalism over big government socialism. This bill is an afront to our core values. CWALAC issued a letter in strong opposition to the BBB Act and will continue to fight it every step of the way.

Oct 29 2021
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AG Garland Defends Intimidation Actions

By | Legislative Updates, News and Events, Texas | No Comments

AG Garland Defiantly Defends Action to Intimidate Parents Speaking Out at School Board Meetings 

Attorney General Merrick Garland appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee this week for an “oversight hearing” of his leadership at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).  Out of the gate, Republican Senators took the opportunity to question him intensely on his October 4 memorandum to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in which he cites “a disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence against school administrators, board members, teachers, and staff who participate in the vital work of running our nation’s public schools.” When pressed, Garland admitted he had no evidence of these charges beyond news reports that he failed to investigate.

As a paper trail of communication has uncovered,  AG Garland’s memo was undeniably a coordinated response to a request for action from the National School Boards Association (NSBA) in a letter to President Biden that likens the actions of engaged parents as “the equivalent to a form of domestic terrorism and hate crimes.”

Lost on no experienced advocate is the chilling effect this threat from the nation’s most powerful law-enforcement apparatus will inflict on parents trying to stand up for their rights as taxpaying citizens and the safety and protection of their children in schools. Concerned Women for America immediately sent a letter to Attorney General Garland when he issued his directive, reminding him that parents are sovereign in raising and educating their children and their grievances are protected speech, not an excuse for federal investigation.

While he repeatedly identified “spirited debate” and disagreement over school policy and curriculum as a First Amendment right, Garland defiantly defended the tone and content of his memo to the FBI, refusing to recognize the rightful concern such a call for federal law enforcement engagement in local schools has raised.  Even in the aftermath of NSBA retracting the aggressive language in its letter—catalyzed by school boards in Missouri, Ohio, and Pennsylvania making high-profile exits from the association—Garland doubled-down and rejected any call for withdrawing his decree.

AG Garland’s appearance before the Senate came on the heels of his testimony before the House Judiciary Committee. During that hearing, Democrat Chairman Jerry Nadler refused a request from Republicans to air a revealing video compilation of courageous moms and dads speaking at school board meetings and pleading with local authorities to hear and respect their concerns. Censoring this video for a public hearing begs the question: Why are Democrats bent on suppressing the voices of parents? Perhaps they fear what this exposure really means about their morally destructive agenda.

Before the government-mandated closures of COVID-19, many parents had no idea what was being peddled in the classrooms. When parents were forced to become home-based substitute teachers, they were given an inside view into radical curricula promoting the left’s agenda for Critical Race Theory, deceptive gender ideology, and sexually explicit content. It was a needed wake-up call.

If there is anything positive to take away from Garland’s Senate appearance, it was his repeated acknowledgment that airing grievances and opposing school board policies are protected forms of speech under the Constitution.  What remains to be seen is how this Administration might weaponize law enforcement to intimidate parents from action if school officials do not like what they hear and want to threaten parents into silence.

Oct 01 2021
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Not So Fast: Congressional Pushback on Biden Vax Mandate

By | News and Events, Religious Liberty | No Comments

Republicans in Congress have sprung into action following President Biden’s iron-fist decree for a national vaccine mandate on employers.

President Biden ordered the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to develop emergency regulations to enforce an onerous vaccine mandate on businesses with 100 or more employees. OSHA has yet to issue a formal rule, but that is not stopping members of Congress from acting in their capacity now and preparing to trigger a congressional review process. As many Americans brace for a looming choice between their livelihoods and liberties, Republicans in the House and Senate are working to use every tool available to challenge executive overreach.

Here is a roundup of these efforts:

  1. Mike Braun (R-Indiana) has introduced a disapproval resolution under the Congressional Review Act—a key mechanism for Congress to overturn a federal agency rule that oversteps what has been authorized in law. To invalidate the vaccine mandate, the House and Senate will need to pass the resolution within 60 legislative calendar days after OSHA delivers its rule. If a joint disapproval resolution is enacted, the mandate is null and void and cannot be reissued in the future.
  1. During floor consideration of a continuing resolution (CR) to avert a government shutdown this week, Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) offered an amendment to prohibit the use of federal funds for implementing or enforcing Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The amendment failed on a 50-50 party line vote—short of the 60 needed for adoption. This put every U.S. Senator on record on the question so citizens can know where their Senators stand.
  1. On the House side, Reps. Claudia Tenney (R-New York) and Jim Banks (R-Indiana) introduced the Health Freedom for All Act to clarify that under existing law, OSHA lacks the authority to enact a rule requiring Americans to undergo vaccinations or testing. This bill would prohibit the Secretary of Labor from implementing an emergency rule and require OSHA to follow the full federal rule making process, which includes a public comment period for review and feedback.

Public health must always be balanced with individual freedom. You may view CWALAC’s full statement on the Biden vaccine mandate here. CWALAC will continue to monitor Congressional efforts to block executive overreach and protect the conscience rights of Americans.

Sep 16 2021
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Democrats’ Dirty Laundry: $3.5 Trillion Budget Reconciliation Update

By | Legislative Updates, News and Events | No Comments

This week, House committees debated the details of the recently passed $3.5 trillion budget resolution, S. Con. Res. 14. The topline spending numbers and priorities in the Democrat blueprint were troublesome enough, but now we lay eyes on the far-reaching policies that Democrats aim to fund via an unprecedented tax and spend spree. As expected, the Democrats are moving full steam ahead to implement the Left’s agenda.

The plan amounts to the highest sustained spending level in American history, raising taxes on working families and job creators and driving up prices of goods and utilities. Proposed policies trigger a broad expansion of the nanny state through costly federal mandates that overrule parents and families in raising our children. Further, Democrats are relentlessly pursuing unlimited avenues for elective abortion and, without resistance, will execute an end run around every possible state prohibition on elective abortion coverage in healthcare plans. Shameful, but not at all surprising. We must stand strong against these attempts.

Time to air the dirty laundry from the Democrats’ $3.5 trillion budget. View a list of key concerns here.

Sep 03 2021
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Senate and House Committees Set Stage to Draft Our Daughters

By | Defense of Family, Draft, Legislative Updates, News and Events | No Comments

“Certainly I will go with you,” said Deborah. “But because of the course you are taking, the honor will not be yours, for the LORD will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman.” Judges 4:9

Like Deborah, the prophetess, women have been called to fulfill God-ordained missions throughout history. Whether to meet family needs or respond in a crisis, women step up to serve. From Queen Esther to Rosie the Riveter and beyond, females continue to fill the critical roles God sets before them, including to defend their country.

Many American women proudly serve in our all-volunteer armed forces. Females comprise 19% of the current officer corps. But this does not mean we should force young women to sign up for the military draft. Sadly, Congress is on track to overturn long-standing military policy that established the all-male draft and will diminish women’s intrinsic value and worth under a false banner of “equality.”

In July, the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) advanced the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) behind closed doors with an amendment that would force young women to register for the Selective Service (SS). The SS is the mechanism by which male citizens are drafted for military service to meet combat needs during a national security crisis. Conscripting young women to the frontlines of war is a complete reversal of established and justified military policy upheld by the Supreme Court.

In response to this action, CWA Legislative Action Committee led a coalition letter to Congress asking members to oppose any legislation that would draft our daughters. Nearly 30 states were represented on the letter through a diverse group of national and regional pro-family organizations, former military, faith leaders, mothers, fathers, and more.

On September 1, the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) followed the Senate’s course in approving an amendment to force women into the draft. Five of the 28 Republicans joined 30 of the 31 Democrats in passing the amendment, effectively co-opting our military into an ideological project that undermines primary objectives for our national defense.

We celebrate the many critical roles women embrace in every stage of life, but we reject the baseless notion that women’s equality means sameness with men. Inherent distinctions between the sexes have everything to do with military readiness in a wartime crisis. We must maintain a united front against this policy as the House and Senate return from recess later this month. Our daughters should not be forced into the draft as a social experiment.

You can learn more by reading our fact sheet on this issue. Visit our Action Center here and contact your members of Congress today.

Aug 27 2021
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Hit and Run: House Approves $3.5T Budget Plan and Elections Power Grab

By | Legislative Updates, News and Events | No Comments

The House took a brief hiatus from August Recess this week to consider the Left’s tax and spend wish list and a partisan power grab to federalize our elections.

Drama reigned over how the Democrats would manage a 24-hour session as leadership struggled to get their “moderate” wing in line. They could not afford to lose these ten members if they were going to have enough votes to pass the excessive $3.5 trillion budget blueprint that Senate Democrats advanced. After late-night negotiations and enough public wrangling with this group of moderate members, who were demanding consideration of the Senate infrastructure bill first, the budget resolution was put up for a vote and passed along party lines.

As members chomped at the bit to flee back to their districts, Speaker Pelosi then brought H.R. 4, the deceptively named John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, to the floor. H.R. 4 is a cheap alternative to H.R. 1, taking constitutionally derived authority away from the states for election law and transferring it to the federal government to second guess their every move. The legislation establishes a reckless formula to single out states and localities for so-called voting rights violations, requiring federal preclearance on any proposed changes to election laws or practices. In the 2013 Shelby County v. Holder decision, the Supreme Court invalidated a similar provision contained in the original Voting Rights Act of 1965. The House passed H.R. 4 by another party-line vote. Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC) notified members of our opposition to the bill and our intent to include it on our scorecard. You may view the letter here. Action on this bill now moves to the Senate when it returns in September.

The House Rules Committee also set the stage for consideration of the so-called bipartisan infrastructure package passed by the Senate when members return in September. This bill is another trojan horse for trillions in wasteful spending and radical, divisive policies that have nothing to do with meaningful investments in American infrastructure. CWALAC will continue to oppose the legislation’s advancement.

We will bring you the latest updates as Congress races towards the September 30 end of the fiscal year.

Aug 12 2021
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Senate Democrats’ Bloated Budget Plan Advances

By | Legislative Updates, News and Events | No Comments

Senate Pulls All-Night Vote Fest to Advance Democrats’ Bloated Budget Plan

This week, Senate Democrats steamrolled a $3.5 trillion budget resolution through an all-night floor debate and vote extravaganza. The final 50-49 party-line vote was cast in the early hours of August 11, 2021, following a 15-hour voting marathon, known as a vote-a-rama. The resolution, S. Con. Res 14, is saturated with extreme policy objectives and reckless expansions of taxes and debt that amount to a wish list of big government spending priorities and tone-deaf government mandates that could directly impact hard-working American families.

For those unfamiliar with legislative lingo, a budget resolution is a planning document that provides Congress with a blueprint for overall government spending, tax, deficit, and debt levels. In the Senate, it only needs a simple majority to pass and cannot be filibustered. Budget resolutions provide instructions to committees for writing detailed plans. With Democrats in charge, these plans will reflect the Left’s agenda.

Like the Senate’s first vote fest in March, this week’s vote-a-rama also allowed for consideration of high-profile policies that force Senators to take positions on tough issues and define their voting record in the next election. Over 600 amendments were filed, but leadership allowed just under 50 to receive floor votes during the all-nighter on the Senate floor. Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC) issued a letter advising of our intent to score any votes on a select list of critical topics, including the sanctity of life, radical gender ideology, and more. You may view the letter here.

Notably, Sen. James Lankford (R-Oklahoma), Sen. Steve Daines (R-Montana) and Sen. Roy Blunt’s (R-Missouri) pro-life amendment prohibiting taxpayer funding for abortion and providing conscience protections for those who refuse to participate in abortion won majority support and was included in the final budget resolution. The measure modeled after the longstanding Hyde and Weldon Amendments was adopted 50-49 with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) joining all Republicans in voting yes. While the amendment is non-binding, its adoption clearly signals that the Hyde and Weldon safeguards hold crucial majority support in the Senate for the budget battles ahead.

Two other critical pro-life amendments received floor votes but failed. Sen. John Kennedy’s (R-Louisiana) amendment mirroring the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which sets criminal penalties for those who perform an abortion on an unborn child after 20 weeks gestation, was rejected 48-51.  Democrat Sen. Manchin voted yes while Republican Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) joined all other Democrats in voting against.

Sen. Jim Inhofe’s (R-Oklahoma) humane amendment protecting unborn children with Down syndrome from abortion was rejected 49-50. Sen. Manchin voted with Republicans in support of this amendment while Sen. Collins joined the Democrats in opposition.

CWALAC was also pleased to see a vote on the divisive subject of Critical Race Theory (CRT). Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) offered an amendment prohibiting federal funding of CRT in K-12 schools. It was successfully adopted 50-49 with Sen. Manchin standing with Republicans to vote yes.

The tax and spend debate surrounding this partisan budget plan is far from over. The House and Senate will return in September to consider the specifics of this unprecedented $3.5 trillion plan. We will continue to bring you the latest updates and work to ensure that Congress does not squander America’s future with irresponsible spending and leftist policies that extend the federal government’s reach into our lives, liberties, and pocketbooks.

Aug 02 2021
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The Assault on Hyde and Family: FY 2022 House Appropriations Update

By | Hyde Amendment, Legislative Updates, News and Events, Sanctity of Life | No Comments

Last week, the Democrat House Majority rammed through a federal budget stripped of all longstanding pro-life protections, including the Hyde Amendment. This tone-deaf political ploy effectively wrote a blank check to the abortion industry at home and abroad, leaving American taxpayers with the tab. Since the poisonous package is likely unpalatable in the Senate, the upper chamber is left to its own devices to avert a fiscal cliff and government shutdown.

H.R. 4502, a seven-bill package for FY 2022 appropriations, included the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations (LHHS) Act and Financial Services and General Government Appropriations (FSGG) Act. LHHS blatantly excluded Hyde, a prohibition on taxpayer funding of elective abortion through Medicaid and Medicare disability, and the Weldon Amendment, a conscience protection prohibiting government discrimination against healthcare entities that refuse to provide or pay for abortions. To justify the Democrats’ position, House Appropriations Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro (D-Connecticut) condemned the last 45 years of bipartisan agreement to include Hyde as “a mistake.” FSGG repealed other members of the family of protections:  the Dornan Amendment, a ban on the use of local and federal funds for abortion services in Washington, D.C., and the Smith Amendment, a ban on funding for elective abortions through the Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) program.

During House floor debate, Rep. Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma) offered a motion to recommit (MTR) H.R. 4502 that would have restored the Hyde, Weldon, Dornan, and Smith Amendments—all of which were removed from the underlying bill in committee. The measure failed by a vote of 208-217. You may view the MTR roll call here to see if your member stood strong for life. H.R. 4502 eventually passed the House on a party-line vote of 219-208. Learn how your representative voted here. CWALAC scored votes against the package.

H.R. 4373, the FY 2022 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Act, aimed to make abortion our nation’s top export overseas. The bill eliminated the Helms Amendment, a ban on international aid from funding abortion as a family planning method. The legislation also weakened application of the Kemp-Kasten Amendment, a prohibition of federal funding to organizations or programs that, as determined by the President, support or participate in a program of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization. Furthermore, CWALAC opposed drastic increases in funding for the United Nation’s Population Fund, a known supporter of China’s forced abortion and sterilization regime, and International Family Planning, a slush fund for Planned Parenthood after recission of the Mexico City Policy. H.R. 4373 passed the House by a vote of 217-212, with four Democrats joining Republicans against. You may view the roll call here. CWALAC scored against the bill and in favor of two amendments to eliminate new pro-abortion funding, both of which failed.

Now, we turn to the Senate to preserve decades of bipartisan consensus to protect the sanctity of life and Americans’ right not to fund its destruction. We must remind members that they have been sent to Congress to represent their constituents and not the abortion lobby. Visit our Action Center here. CWALAC will continue to advocate for the most vulnerable among us and work tirelessly to prevent the passage of legislation that uses taxpayer dollars to finance the abortion industry and destroy innocent human life.

Jul 14 2021
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FY 2022 Appropriations Update: Standing Strong for Life in the House

By | Legislative Updates, News and Events, Sanctity of Life | No Comments

As Congress drafts appropriations bills for the new fiscal year, pro-life advocates are fighting to preserve longstanding prohibitions on the use of taxpayer dollars for abortions, both at home and abroad. Despite pleas for reason from their colleagues and the American people, the Democrat Majority is unyielding in its quest to bankroll the destruction of innocent human life.

The House Appropriations Committee recently passed the FY 2022 State and Foreign Operations (SFOPS) and FY 2022 Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) Appropriations bills on party line votes. The SFOPS bill removes the Helms Amendment, a prohibition on taxpayer funding of abortions overseas, and weakens the Kemp-Kasten Amendment, a provision allowing the President to discontinue funds to organizations that support or manage coercive abortion programs. The legislation also permanently repeals the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance Policy (a.k.a. Mexico City Policy), which requires foreign NGOs to agree, as a condition of receiving U.S. dollars, not to promote or perform abortions. Furthermore, the bill drastically increases funding for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), a known supporter of China’s forced abortion and sterilization regime, and for international family planning, a slush fund for Planned Parenthood and related organizations.

During committee markups, Reps. Kay Granger (R-Texas), Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa), and Dr. Andy Harris (R-Maryland) offered amendments to restore these safeguards and remove funding for unchecked, pro-abortion programming. Unfortunately, all attempts were defeated. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) was the only Democrat member to vote in support of Helms, Kemp-Kasten, and the Mexico City Policy.

The FSGG bill removes the Smith Amendment, a prohibition on funding for abortions through the Federal Health Benefits (FEHB) program, and the Dornan Amendment, a ban on the use of local and federal funds for abortion services in Washington, D.C., Once again, Rep. Hinson offered amendments to reinstate these provisions, but both items were defeated. Rep. Cuellar voted with Republicans to protect Smith.

This week, the Committee marked up FY 2022 funding for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS) and Education. This appropriations bill is the legislative vehicle for the Hyde Amendment, a longstanding prohibition on federal funding of elective abortion through Medicaid, Medicare disability, and other programming. Lawmakers have agreed to its inclusion in the federal budget for the last four decades, yet Democrats have stripped the life-saving language from this year’s bill. The Weldon Amendment, a prohibition on government discrimination against healthcare entities that refuse to cover or pay for abortions, has also been removed. This is unacceptable.

Members will have another chance to stand for life as these bills move to full consideration on the House floor and on to the Senate. Please visit our Action Center today and tell your U.S. Representative and Senators to hold the line on Hyde and related protections.

We applaud those who have already risen to challenge this affront to the sanctity of human life. On July 1, 2021, the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus and the Republican Study Committee joined forces on a letter to President Biden opposing his FY 2022 budget request and the blatant disregard for American taxpayers’ conscience rights. That same day, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Washington) led a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra requesting follow-up on his refusal to acknowledge the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act as federal law. His troubling testimony only underscores the gravity of this fight.

Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee will continue to serve as a voice for the precious unborn as well as millions of Americans who object to their tax dollars financing abortion on demand. Stay tuned for additional updates on FY 2022 Appropriations and our fight to hold the line on Hyde.

Jul 01 2021
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Mind Your Business? Congress Pushes Disclosure of Sex Preferences of Nation’s Business Owners

By | Legislative Updates, News and Events, Sexual Exploitation | No Comments

The Left’s drive to impose government mandates that classify people by their sexual behavior and gender preferences was fully on display in Congress recently, drawing even some self-described conservative members in its wake.

On June 24, 2021, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1443, the LGBTQ Business Equal Credit Enforcement and Investment Act. The legislation would require financial institutions to report credit application data to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau detailing the sexual orientation or gender identity of business owners. Concerned Women for American Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC) scored votes against the measure, as it lacks any non-ideological justification for enactment and only furthers the Democrats’ goal of imposing the deceptive Equality Act objectives through the back door.

At the surface, H.R. 1443 is government overreach. Regardless of intended use, a federal database collecting such intimate, unverifiable information is intrusive and beyond the reasonable scope of government authority. Sexual preferences are irrelevant to business lending and should neither hinder nor help one’s credit prospects. Once the precedent for this reporting mandate is set, the case can be made for all federal programming to consider the LGBTQ-status of applicants and recipients. Should we expect these questions on the next census?

The long-term ramifications are limitless. This policy provides the foundation for a new, federally recognized class of LGBTQ business owners who would be eligible for procurement set-asides and sole-source contracting opportunities. Establishing these categories in federal statute paves the way for the government-wide redefinition of sex as sought in the radical Equality Act.

Far too many questions are left unanswered by this ill-conceived policy. We do not know how such data will be certified or why the government saw a need to collect the information in the first place. Even more troublesome is the fact that the Democrat Majority in the House originally intended to pass the legislation on suspension of the rules, a process traditionally reserved for noncontroversial measures that will proceed through the chamber without objection. Thankfully, this first attempt failed to receive the necessary two-thirds vote for approval, forcing the Democrats to place the bill up for full consideration.

Although we hoped to see more Members stand strong against this Trojan horse, many fell in line with the woke Left’s agenda, including the lead Republican member of the Financial Services Committee. You can see how your Representative voted here. CWALAC will continue to toe the line of reason in these cultural battles. Please pray that our elected officials find the courage to do the same.

Jun 25 2021
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The Ongoing Fight to Protect Hyde

By | Legislative Updates, News and Events, Sanctity of Life | No Comments

(Action item at the bottom of the post.)

President Biden’s $6 trillion Fiscal Year 2022 budget proposal to Congress breaks over four decades of bipartisan precedent by removing the Hyde Amendment, a prohibition on federal funding of elective abortion through Medicaid, Medicare disability, and other programming under Health and Human Services appropriations. As Congress proceeds with the appropriations process, pro-life advocates are gearing up to ensure that this time-honored safeguard is preserved.

The U.S. House of Representatives recently launched “Eighteen Days for H.R. 18,” a strategy utilizing procedural maneuvers to seek immediate consideration of H.R. 18, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act. This legislation would make the Hyde Amendment permanent and expand its applicability across all government programming, including Obamacare. CWALAC is scoring all votes related to the measure.

As of today, over 20 members have taken to the House floor to publicly highlight the importance of codifying the Hyde Amendment and defending life. On June 23, 2021, a key procedural vote put House Democrats on the record in obstruction of H.R. 18 and its progression through the chamber. This is far from the end of the fight. Our pro-life allies in Congress need our support as they continue to reject this Administration’s brazen assault on our most vulnerable and the conscience rights of American taxpayers.

Learn more about Hyde and its related pro-life provisions in the federal budget here!

Join us in sending a strong message to members of Congress to hold the line and protect life in the federal budget. Visit CWA’s Action Center to contact your Senators and Representative today.

Jun 18 2021
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The Left’s Quest for Abortion on Demand

By | Legislative Updates, News and Events, Sanctity of Life | No Comments

On June 16, 2021, the Democrat-controlled Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution held a hearing titled “Protecting Roe: Why We Need the Women’s Health Protection Act,” a timely homage to Roe v. Wade and the left’s newest legislative push for abortion on demand. Just last month, the Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a challenge to Mississippi’s ban (with limited exceptions) on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Congressional Democrats are now working double time to enshrine the right to elective abortion in federal law despite public opinion trending heavily in favor of protecting preborn life.

The so-called “Women’s Health Protection Act of 2021” (WHPA) aims to codify and expand Roe, invalidating nearly every state restriction on abortion nationwide. The bill’s proponents are so blinded by their cause that they refuse to recognize the callous destruction of innocent human life. One hearing witness, Melissa Ohden, a saline abortion survivor and Founder and Director of the Abortion Survivors Network, urged policymakers to face this reality. “Life is the foundation of all other rights. The very fact that this hearing is being held shows that everyone in this room was granted the privilege to retain that right—a privilege I was denied.” Ms. Ohden declared that she and her fellow survivors are an “inconvenient truth,” one that complicates abortionists’ unyielding pro-choice campaign. Read her full testimony here.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), the lead Republican member of the subcommittee, provided a compelling opening statement to clarify the issues at stake. Watch it here.

Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC) implores all members of Congress to listen to the truth about the sanctity of human life and the real meaning of women’s health. Elective abortion is not healthcare, and it does not protect women. As the Biden Administration proposes to repeal every long-standing pro-life safeguard from our federal budget and Congress considers extreme measures like the WHPA, CWALAC will continue to be on the front lines defending life and holding elected officials accountable for inaction.

Learn more about the Women’s Health Protection Act here.

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