Sentinel Strategy Call Notes (12/8): Amnesty Fight UpdateRobert,This week Congress will be considering the "cromnibus" bill which, as we have detailed, is entirely inadequate in dealing with Obama's executive amnesty push.

On the strategy call last night Russ went through the arguments against the "cromnibus" and why attaching a rider should happen now, not later. Additionally we briefly talked about a concerning trend in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which Sentinels should be paying attention to.

As always, if you have questions feel free to email or call me (202) 548-5290 at any time.

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The House and Senate are in session this week.

Amnesty Fight: Last week, the House passed the “Preventing Executive Overreach on Immigration Act” (H.R. 5759), sponsored by Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL). This was a blatant show vote that fails to substantively address the President’s lawless amnesty actions.

This week, Congress will vote on a “cromnibus” spending bill--a combination of a full-year omnibus bill to fund nearly all areas of government and a short-term continuing resolution (CR) for Department of Homeland Security appropriations through next February or March. This bill will not include a funding limitation rider to prevent the President from implementing his executive actions. Heritage Action will key vote against this bill unless such a rider is added .

Some are arguing that because the President has not issued these new amnesty policies through an Executive Order, the funding for implementation either cannot or need not be restricted. This is not true. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson has issued an official Directive to implement the President’s new policy, instructing the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and several other agencies to ignore the law. These actions are being carried out through executive agencies, the services of which are under the control of congressional appropriations. The House is not only empowered to restrict DHS’s amnesty initiatives, it must do so immediately before implementation begins.

Lastly, many supporters of the cromnibus are saying that the short-term funding for DHS sets up a win in the new year when the GOP will have gained numbers in the Senate. However, not one Republican in leadership has committed to defunding these actions in the next Congress, despite being asked repeatedly by the press. When members lack the will to fight with all the momentum on their side and the country at their back, they are no more likely to take a stand down the road when the issue has fallen out of the spotlight.

The only way to win is to fight and fight now.

National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA): The annual defense authorization passed in the House last week and is currently on hold in the Senate. This bill has become the unfortunate target for members attempting to attach unrelated, government-inflating provisions that stand little chance of passing as standalone bills. This NDAA includes the creation of a commission to study building a Leftist propaganda Women’s History Museum on the National Mall and designation of nearly a quarter of a million acres of land as federal wilderness (among many other miscellaneous provisions).

As Heritage Action CEO Michael Needham and Heritage Foundation Policy Director Steve Bucci explained in a recent editorial:

Undermining policies that are literally life-and-death is not in our nation’s interest, but that is the path this Congress is preparing to take. Congress has successfully passed the NDAA every year for the past half century, overcoming ideological divides in order to appropriately authorize and prioritize defense measures needed to defend the United States. That trend should continue. That means treating the NDAA with the seriousness that it deserves, not as a legislative Christmas tree for Congress to ornament with unrelated pet projects.

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Keep up the great work!

Sincerely,

Matthew LauerSentinel CoordinatorHeritage Action for America