On Wednesday, May 24, 2023, the conservative leaders of the Conservative Action Project issued the following open letter to Republican Party congressional leaders, Speaker of the
House Kevin McCarthy, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
May 24, 2023
Dear Speaker McCarthy and Leader McConnell:
Congratulations fighting back against the economically catastrophic $5 trillion Biden spending and debt spree that imperils our nation’s economic and national security – both now and for decades to come.
The House-passed Limit, Save, Grow Act is not perfect – we would prefer to go back to the 2019 pre-Covid baseline of spending – but it is a good first step forward in restoring America’s financial stability and economic prosperity.
We also believe – as most House Republicans do – that the clear and present danger going forward is NOT that Congress fails to pass a debt ceiling extension before the supposed deadline (as President Biden is claiming), but rather that Congress raises the debt ceiling without critical controls on federal spending and debt.
As you negotiate with the White House and Senate Democrats, we wanted to let you know that we oppose any significant backsliding on the provisions of the House-passed bill. We strongly agree with the views reflected in the Memorandum of May 24, 2023 circulated by Congressman Chip Roy, and urge you to hold firm to each of these critical provisions:
* Reduce FY 2024 discretionary spending to FY 2022 levels and cap future spending at 1% growth to cut the deficit and rein in the federal bureaucracy.
* Repeal the grid-destroying tax credits for unreliable energy in the so-called “Inflation Reduction Act” that will benefit rich liberals, corporations, and the CCP.
* Overturn Biden’s unfair, deficit increasing, and tuition increasing student loan bailout – which will cut the deficit by $400 billion this fiscal year.
* Rescind the $80 billion Democrats gave to the IRS to hire 87,000 agents that will target working- and middle-class taxpayers the most.
* Implement the REINS Act to end the abuse of executive power by empowering Congress to approve major regulations that cost Americans billions of dollars.
* Strengthen and establish work requirements for able bodied Americans who are receiving government assistance – just like President Biden supported.
* Reclaim billions in unobligated COVID spending – President Biden himself has signed legislation to end the COVID emergency.
The urgency of these reforms is only reinforced by the latest grim budget news showing that our budget deficit may again reach $2 trillion this year - and the national debt is headed to $50 trillion within 10 years. Recent polling data shows that 60 percent of Americans support spending reductions as a condition for raising the debt ceiling with another 15 percent opposed to raising the debt ceiling altogether. We do not need to negotiate away these urgent reforms. Conservatives and taxpayers across the country are behind you in this patriotic fight to avert a financial disaster and we are willing to help in any way we can. Hold the line.
Sincerely,
The Honorable Edwin Meese III
Attorney General
President Ronald Reagan (1985-1988)
Stephen Moore
Co-Founder
Committee to Unleash Prosperity
The Honorable J. Kenneth Blackwell
Chairman, Conservative Action Project
Chairman, CNP Action, Inc.
William L. Walton
The Bill Walton Show
Resolute Protector Foundation
The Honorable Jim DeMint
Chairman, Conservative Partnership Institute
Member, US Senate (SC 2005-2013)
The Honorable Russ Vought
Director, Office of Management and Budget (2020-2021)
The Honorable Bob McEwen
U.S. House of Representatives
Former Member, Ohio
The Honorable Mark Meadows
Senior Partner
Conservative Partnership Institute
Ed Corrigan
Vice Chairman, Conservative Action Project and President & CEO, Conservative Partnership Institute
The Honorable T. Kenneth Cribb, Jr.
Chief Domestic Advisor
President Ronald Reagan (1987-1988)
Chad Connelly
Founder and President
Faith Wins
Alfred S. Regnery
President
Republic Book Publishers
Thomas E. McClusky
Principal
Greenlight Strategies, LLC
Bob Carlstrom
President
AMAC Action
Scott T. Parkinson
Vice President for Government Affairs
Club for Growth
David Bozell
President
ForAmerica
Tom Jones
President
American Accountability Foundation
L. Brent Bozell III
Founder and President
Media Research Center
Cleta Mitchell
Senior Legal Fellow
Conservative Partnership Institute
Star Parker
Founder and President
Center for Urban Renewal and Education (CURE)
The Honorable James C. Miller III
Budget Director for President Reagan (1985-1988)
The Honorable Gary L. Bauer
President
American Values
Judson Phillips
Founder
Tea Party Nation
The Honorable George K. Rasley Jr.
Managing Editor
ConservativeHQ.com
Craig Richardson
President, Energy & Environment Legal Institute (E&E Legal)
Michelle Easton
President, Clare Boothe Luce Center for Conservative Women
Brigitte Gabriel
Chairman and CEO
ACT For America
Cameron Sholty
Executive Director
Heartland Impact
Rod D. Martin
Founder and CEO
Martin Capital, Inc.
Christina Murphy, Esq.
President
The Martin Foundation
Richard Norman
Founder and President
The Richard Norman Company
Dr. Jerome R. Corsi, Ph.D.
Founder and CEO
TheTruthCentral.com
Joan Holt Lindsey
President
Lindsey Communications
Suanne Edmiston
State Director, Arizona
State Freedom Caucus Network
The Honorable Joe White
Member (District 40)
South Carolina House of Representatives
Kevin Freeman
Founder
NSIC Institute
Seton Motley
President
Less Government
The Honorable Josiah Magnuson
Member (District 38)
South Carolina House of Representatives
The Honorable Alan Morgan
Member (District 18)
South Carolina House of Representatives
G. Eric Georgatos
Executive Producer
America Can We Talk?
Jack Park
Conservative Activist and Donor
Nick Kerin
State Director, Pennsylvania
State Freedom Caucus Network
The Honorable April Cromer
Member (District 6)
South Carolina House of Representatives
Sheryl Kaufman
Corporate Chief Economist, Retired
Phillips Petroleum Company
Richard G. Scurry
VP, Development
14ALL.US
Jordan Mason
State Director, South Dakota
State Freedom Caucus Network
Augusta Petrone
Iowa Co-Chair
Reagan/Bush '84
The Honorable Jed Davis
Member (District 75)
Illinois General Assembly
Elaine Donnelly
President
Center for Military Readiness
Robert K. Fischer
Meeting Coordinator
Conservatives of Faith
The Honorable Joe Hamm
Member (District 84)
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Thomas Pyle
President
American Energy Alliance
The Honorable Rachel Jones
Member (District 17)
Arizona House of Representatives
The Honorable Blaine Wilhour
Member (District 107)
Illinois General Assembly
Saulius "Saul" Anuzis
President
60 Plus Association
The Honorable Tammy Nichols
Member (District 10)
Idaho State Senate
The Honorable Alan Seabaugh
Member (District 5), Louisiana House of Representatives
Chairman, Louisiana Freedom Caucus
Mallory Staples
State Director, Georgia
State Freedom Caucus Network
The Honorable Steve Hopkins
Member (District 7)
Mississippi House of Representatives
The Honorable Mike Kingsley
Member (District 6)
Idaho House of Representatives
The Honorable Jane Gillette
Member (District 64)
Montana House of Representatives
The Honorable Laurin Hendrix
Member (District 14)
Arizona House of Representatives
The Honorable Justin Heap
Member (District 10)
Arizona House of Representatives
The Honorable Justine Wadsack
Member (District 17)
Arizona State Senate
Edward Regan
Retired Resource Manager
RY Timber, Inc.
The Honorable Joseph Chaplik
Member (District 3)
Arizona House of Representatives
The Honorable Steven Galloway
Member (District 24)
Montana House of Representatives
The Honorable Cory McGarr
Member (District 17)
Arizona House of Representatives
The Honorable Dave Zimmerman
Member (District 99)
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Tim LeFever
Chairman
Capitol Resource Institute
Ron Staley
President
Great Falls Pachyderm Club
The Honorable Kathy L. Rapp
Member (District 65)
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
The Honorable Leslie Rossi
Member (District 59)
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Linda Baxter
The Honorable Paul S. Teller, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Advancing American Freedom
The Honorable Tony Perkins
President
Family Research Council
Jenny Beth Martin
Chairman
Tea Party Patriots Citizen Fund
Myron Ebell
Director, Center for Energy and Environment, Competitive Enterprise Institute
Andy Roth
President
State Freedom Caucus Network
Lori Roman
President
ACRU Action Fund
The Honorable Becky Norton Dunlop
White House Advisor
President Ronald Reagan (1981-1985)
The Honorable David McIntosh
President
Club for Growth
Kelly J. Shackelford, Esq.
President and CEO
First Liberty Institute
Mike Berry
General Counsel and Director of External Affairs, First Liberty Institute
Wesley Denton
Chief Operating Officer
Conservative Partnership Institute (CPI)
Ginni Thomas
President
Liberty Consulting
David N. Bossie
President
Citizens United
Marty Dannenfelser
Vice President for Government Relations and Coalitions, Center for Urban Renewal and Education (CURE)
The Honorable Jim Gilmore
68th Governor of Virginia
Walker Wildmon
CEO
AFA Action
Tim Macy
Chairman
Gun Owners of America
Melissa Ortiz
Senior Advisor
Able Americans
James L. Martin
Founder/Chairman
60 Plus Association
Frank Lasee
President
Truth In Energy And Climate
James Taylor
President
The Heartland Institute
Guillermo J. Aragon
Chief Strategy Officer
Martin Capital, Inc.
Lourdes Cosio
Campaign for the American Future
Kristen A. Ullman
President
Eagle Forum
Darrel W. Johnson
CEO and Owner
Attic Corporation
Evan Newman
State Director, South Carolina
State Freedom Caucus Network
Collin Moseley
State Director, Illinois
State Freedom Caucus Network
The Honorable Louis F. Terhar
Ohio State Senator (ret.)
The Honorable Jordan Pace
Member (District 117)
South Carolina House of Representatives
The Honorable Austin Smith
Member (District 29)
Arizona House of Representatives
Maria Nate
State Director, Idaho
State Freedom Caucus Network
Tom DeWeese
President
American Policy Center
Steven Utroska
State Director, Mississippi
State Freedom Caucus Network
The Honorable Jay Kilmartin
Member (District 85)
South Carolina House of Representatives
Mike Stenhouse
CEO
RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity
Ron Armstrong
President
Stand Up Michigan, Inc
The Honorable Anthony T. Kern
Member (District 27)
Arizona State Senate
Mario Navarro da Costa
Director, Washington Bureau
Tradition, Family, Property
Jessie Rubino
State Director, Wyoming
State Freedom Caucus Network
Lee Beaman
CEO
Beaman Ventures
Darin Gaub
Co-Founder and National Spokesman
Restore Liberty
The Honorable Brad Halbrook
Member (District 102)
Illinois General Assembly
The Honorable Chris Miller
Member (District 110), Illinois General Assembly
Chairman, Illinois Freedom Caucus
Kay R. Daly
President
Coalition for a Fair Judiciary
The Honorable Jake Hoffman
Member (District 18)
Arizona State Senate
The Honorable Jacqueline Parker
Member (District 15)
Arizona House of Representatives
The Honorable Adam Niemerg
Member (District 109)
Illinois General Assembly
The Honorable Brian Lenney
Member (District 13)
Idaho State Senate
The Honorable Joel Bomgar
Member (District 58)
Mississippi House of Representatives
The Honorable Barbara Parker
Member (District 10)
Arizona House of Representatives
Connie Hair
State Director, Louisiana
State Freedom Caucus Network
Richard Manning
President
Americans for Limited Government
Penna Dexter
Co-Host
Point of View Radio
The Honorable Tina L. Mulally
Member (District 35)
South Dakota House of Representatives
The Honorable Jacyn Gallagher
Member (District 9)
Idaho House of Representatives
The Honorable Aaron Aylward
Member (District 6)
South Dakota House of Representatives
The Honorable Rob Harris
Member (District 36)
South Carolina House of Representatives
The Honorable Tina Lambert
Member (District 23)
Idaho House of Representatives
The Honorable Joanne Stehr
Member (District 107)
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
The Honorable Tony Wisniewski
Member (District 3)
Idaho House of Representatives
The Honorable Charlice Byrd
Member (District 20)
Georgia House of Representatives
The Honorable David Friess
Member (District 116)
Illinois General Assembly
The Honorable Heather Scott
Member (District 1)
Idaho House of Representatives
The Honorable Phil Hart
Member (District 2)
Idaho State Senate
Willes K. Lee
Board of Directors
National Rifle Association
The Honorable Dan Eubanks
Member (District 25)
Mississippi House of Representatives
Ken Baxter
John Hurst
GOP senators
debt ceiling
Mitch McConnell
federal budget
national debt
federal spending
Mike Lee Letter
debt ceiling default
spending caps
work requirements for welfare
Limit, Save, Grow Act
Reclaim COVID spending
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