January 18, 2022
Sentinel Nation,
This week could be the last March for Life held in Washington, D.C.! If the Supreme Court rules correctly and reverses Roe v. Wade this summer, the fight will then turn to the states.
If you will be attending the March for Life, you (and your guests) are invited to stop by The Heritage Foundation’s private Hospitality Lounge, Friday, January 21, 2022, from 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. We welcome you to stop by to rest your feet, use our restrooms, charge your phone, enjoy complimentary snacks and refreshments, take a look at Heritage publications, and pick up pro-life signs and swag.
The Heritage Foundation is located at 214 Massachusetts Ave., NE, Washington, DC 20002, just two blocks from DC’s Union Station and only four blocks from the U.S. Supreme Court.
Heritage as a private business does not require vaccination to enter the building, but, because of the DC Mayor’s Vaccination Order, the Hospitality Lounge is limited to invited/registered guests only. Please register and let us know if we can expect you.
This week Ryan Walker, Heritage Action’s Director of Government Relations shared the latest on Sen. Schumer’s latest plans to nuke the filibuster.
Latest Effort to Kill the Filibuster
Democrats continue to work to pass a federal takeover of elections and use the nuclear option to change the filibuster. Here is what happened last week, and what to watch for this week.
House Vote Last Week: On January 13, the House voted on a NEW bill called Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act (H.R. 5746). This bill combines the Freedom to Cheat Act (S.2747) and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021 (H.R. 4).
If you look closely, H.R. 5746 was originally a bill about NASA policy. The original NASA bill was passed by the House on December 8, amended in the Senate on December 14, and then re-passed by the House on January 13 with an amendment stripping out all the original text of the bill and replacing it with the new voting bill. Because the House amended a Senate amendment, this means when the bill returns to the Senate it has “privilege.”
All of this legislative maneuvering to give the bill “privilege” was meant to speed things up in the Senate.
Over the Weekend: Because the bill is privileged, Sen. Schumer only needed 51-votes to begin debate on H.R. 5746. HOWEVER, because Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) tested positive for COVID, his absence meant there were not enough votes to start debate, and Senators went home.
January 18th: Sen. Schumer filed cloture to begin debate on the "Freedom to Vote: John Lewis Act.” The Senate is the “cooling saucer” in Congress and so Senators have to wait for cloture to “ripen” before they can vote. They can vote as early as Wednesday (January 19) mid-morning to begin debate.
What Comes Next: Democrats continue to negotiate amongst themselves. The filibuster remains in place, and so the cloture vote to end debate on the Freedom to Vote: John Lewis Act still requires 60-votes and will fail. After the bill fails, Sen. Schumer will then hold a vote to end or change the filibuster.
Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema continue to maintain their opposition to eliminating or changing the filibuster using only Democrat votes via the “nuclear option.” However, we cannot let up on making the case for keeping the filibuster in place.
It’s still most important that you CONTINUE to call your Senators, and urge them to protect the filibuster – every single Democrat Senator needs to feel the pressure. (Here’s a call script you can use).
If you have additional time, call the following Senators and urge them to hold the line as well.
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) (202) 224-4521 Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) (202) 224-2235 Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) (202) 224-2644 Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) (202) 224-3542 Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) (202) 224-3324 Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) (202) 224-3954
Thank you for keeping up the fight week after week!
Janae Stracke Director of Grassroots Heritage Action
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