Tabitha Walter and Colleen Holcomb – Capitol Hill

May 5, 2017

This week began my orientation to Eagle Forum.  Colleen Holcomb kindly introduced me to key players in the movement who have been long-standing Eagle Forum supporters.  They were more than willing to catch me up on the issues they are working on and offer their assistance.  I had the opportunity to introduce myself at two coalition meetings where I was welcomed very warmly.  I am looking forward to continuing to carry out Phyllis’s mission, and I am honored to represent all of you as Eagle Forum’s Capitol Hill representative.

Learn more about Tabitha here, and please join us in welcoming her!  Also, as you have questions or legislative concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact Tabitha directly via email at [email protected] or phone at 202/341-5737.

Freedom of Religion

Eagle Forum applauds President Trump’s executive order this week which does the following:

• Declares that it is the policy of the administration to protect and vigorously promote religious liberty,
• Directs the IRS to exercise maximum enforcement discretion to alleviate the burden of the Johnson Amendment, which prohibits religious leaders from speaking about politics and candidates from the pulpit, and
• Provides regulatory relief for religious objectors to Obamacare’s burdensome preventive services mandate, a position supported by the Supreme Court decision in Hobby Lobby.

Omni-bust

The House voted Wednesday afternoon to pass the FY17 Omnibus Spending Bill. Many of our conservative allies are extremely upset with the content of this bill.  A quick look at the roll call vote indicates whose priorities it reflects in this bill, as 178 Democrats supported the bill, while only 138 Republicans voted YES.

Of course, we share many Americans’ frustration that the bill does not fund one of President Trump’s most prolific campaign promises:  the border wall.

Additionally, Eagle Forum condemns the bill’s increasing HB-2 visas authorizing foreign workers to obtain temporary jobs in the United States. This is an affront to the “forgotten man,” U.S. citizens who are seeking jobs to support their families.

Although the Omnibus contains language preventing federal funding for abortions, the bill maintains funding for Planned Parenthood.  Our taxpayer money should never go to the number one abortion giant in the nation.  The good news is that a provision was included to increase the funding for sexual risk avoidance programming from $10 million to $15 million.  This is a small step in combating Planned Parenthood’s “sexual health” propaganda that does a greater job of preparing young women to be Planned Parenthood clients than of protecting them from risky behavior.

The Omnibus will fund the government through the end of the current fiscal year and will come up again for a vote in September. We are already working with our coalition partners to send Congress the message that government spending priorities must reflect the principles that won Republicans election last November.

No-bamacare

The House passed the American Health Care Act by a 217-213 vote.  While we still have concerns about this bill, we applaud the House Freedom Caucus, which worked relentlessly to craft a replacement plan that will drive down premiums, redirect funds to community health centers rather than abortion providers, and allow families to make their own healthcare decisions.  We will continue to provide updates as the Senate takes up this legislation, and we will continue to advocate for full repeal of Obamacare!

We will keep you posted on these and other developments as we learn new information. Until then, please stay tuned to the Eagle Forum website and Facebook page.

Colleen Holcomb will continue working with Eagle Forum as Vice-President of Government Relations. You may continue to contact her with your questions or concerns at [email protected] or phone: 757/277-4848

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