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Glad we made it to Saturday —what a week!

This week, the Senate passed the “cromnibus” to fund the government through December 7. The House will vote on this legislation next week.

Heritage Action has key voted against the cromnibus because it maintains last year’s bloated spending levels, lacks conservative policy riders, and is the culmination of a failed appropriations process this year which consistently blocked conservative priorities.

The swamp is up to its old tricks and claims that much of the bloated spending is being offset by savings elsewhere. But this is an accounting trick—the money that is supposedly being “saved” could not have been spent anyways. Had Congress done its job and passed President Trump’s recession package earlier this year, these fake “savings” would have been returned to the American people instead of funneled into other federal programs.

News from the Hill

• Senator Grassley of the Senate Judiciary Committee continues to handle the allegations against Judge Kavanaugh with leadership and strength. He has offered the opportunity for Judge Kavanaugh’s accuser Christine Blasey Ford to make her case next week in a public hearing. Unfortunately, Democrats have treated Judge Kavanaugh, Christine Blasey Ford, and the American people as political pawns in their deliberate effort to discredit the Judge’s character and delay the confirmation.  Heritage Action remains supportive of Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation before October 1.
• Congress is rushing to finish as many appropriations bills as possible before federal funding expires on September 30. Yesterday, President Trump signed H.R. 5895, the Energy and Water appropriations bill into law, and next week, the House is voting on the “cromnibus” to fund the rest of the federal government through December 7. Read this analysis of how the cromnibus falls short.

Looking Forward

• Next week, all eyes will be on Judge Kavanaugh and his accuser, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. There are plenty of reasons why Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation process should move forward.
• The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has drastically improved the economy. This is why we’re thrilled about Tax Reform 2.0—these three new bills in the House would make the individual tax cuts permanent, help families save more with universal savings accounts, and encourage new job creation by allowing businesses to expense more of their start-up costs.
• As the September 30 deadline looms, House and Senate conferees are still scrambling to come to a compromise on the Farm Bill. Conservatives continue to advocate for stronger food stamp work requirements to be included in the final version. In the scenario where conference negotiations fall apart, a one-year extension of current law is preferable to authorizing a new, five-year farm bill that lacks work requirements.
• Social Security Disability Insurance is broken and and The Heritage Foundation explains the solution here. These are the types of smart reforms we need more of.

Action Items

• As the left continues their attacks, it’s CRITICAL that you call your Senators, specifically Senator Grassley, and show your support for Brett Kavanaugh and his confirmation to the Supreme Court. It’s important that our Senators stand up for what is right and not give in to a clearly orchestrated 11th hour character assassination.
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•  Secretary Perdue Travels to NC for Disaster Related Tours and a Forestry Speech

   

  (Washington, D.C., September 21, 2018) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue will travel to North Carolina on Monday, September 24th to survey agricultural damage from Hurricane Florence. The Secretary was invited to go to North Carolina by Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. Following the tour, the Secretary will deliver remarks to the Forest Service Retiree Association.

   

  Secretary Perdue, Governor Roy Cooper, and Commissioner Troxler receive a briefing on Hurricane Florence.

  WHEN: MONDAY, September 24th beginning at 8:45am ET

  WHERE: Duplin County Airport, 260 Airport Road, Kenansville, NC

   

  Secretary Perdue, Governor Cooper, and Commissioner Troxler take an aerial tour to survey agricultural damage in Eastern North Carolina.

  WHEN: MONDAY, September 24th beginning at 9:45am ET

  WHERE: Duplin County Airport Hangar, 260 Airport Road, Kenansville, NC

   

  Secretary Perdue and Commissioner Troxler have lunch with affected farmers, and hold a media availability.

  WHEN: MONDAY, September 24th beginning at 11:30am ET

  *NOTE: The media availability will begin at 12:45pm ET

  WHERE: Duplin County Airport Hangar, 260 Airport Road, Kenansville, NC

   

  Secretary Perdue delivers remarks to the Forest Service Retiree Association and holds a media availability.

  WHEN: MONDAY, September 24th beginning at 3:40pm ET

  WHERE: Crowne Plaza Hotel, 1 Resort Drive, Asheville, NC

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•  Email: press@oc.usda.gov

  USDA Eases Program Rules for South Carolina SNAP Participants Impacted by Florence

  WASHINGTON, Sept. 20, 2018 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture today granted flexibility to allow South Carolina residents to replace food purchased with SNAP benefits that was lost due to power outages and flooding caused by Hurricane Florence. Over 185,000 impacted households in 26 counties now have until Oct. 15, 2018 to report food loss to the state and request replacement benefits.

  “When this many people are facing immediate hardship in South Carolina, it’s crucial for USDA and the state to offer as much flexibility as possible to recover food losses,” said Acting Deputy Under Secretary Brandon Lipps. “This waiver will provide sufficient reporting time for households who are facing power outages, flooding, and other obstacles in the wake of this disaster.”

  SNAP regulations normally require households to report food loss within ten days of purchase. However, the state requested a waiver from USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to allow households additional time.

  The waiver applies to the following counties: Berkeley, Beaufort, Calhoun, Charleston, Chesterfield, Clarendon, Colleton, Darlington, Dillon, Dorchester, Florence, Georgetown, Hampton, Horry, Jasper, Kershaw, Lancaster, Lee, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, Orangeburg, Richland, Sumter, Williamsburg, and York.

  FNS is ready to consider additional waivers and other actions that may be needed to help program participants who have lost food due to the disaster and to simplify the application process for affected households, upon request from the state.

  For more information on FNS assistance during times of disaster, visit www.fns.usda.gov/disaster.