Family Policy Alliance President Paul Weber with new U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer after last night’s election in Fargo, N.D.  Family Policy Alliance supporters made possible a major investment in this critical prolife, pro-family victory.

It was supposed to be a blue tidal wave. The media said so, and history said so. But good people who love our country and biblical values just kept working. In the spirit of Daniel, they stood firm and took action (Dan. 11:32).

The result wasn’t victories everywhere. The Left scored big wins in parts of the country, and the likely reality of a Speaker Pelosi will be a hard reminder of some of the damage from last night’s election.

But there was enormous good news as well, and that balance was a dramatic change from the last three midterm elections, in which the party in control of the White House suffered cataclysmic losses.

Topping that list of victories was the strong list of pro-life reinforcements joining the U.S. Senate. The Senate will be more pro-life, more conservative and better able to continue confirming the outstanding judicial appointments that the President has been making.

One of those victories that Family Policy Alliance invested heavily in – thanks to your support – was Kevin Cramer’s victory over Heidi Heitkamp in North Dakota. Eight months of hard work on the ground – accompanied by targeted messaging to tens of thousands of voters via mail, phones and video ads – helped lead the way to a resounding win last night.

Paul Weber, President & CEO of Family Policy Alliance, was in Fargo last night and gave thanks to the people who made this win possible. “Congratulations to the volunteers and supporters of Family Policy Alliance of North Dakota – people who put in countless hours and made this enormous outreach to North Dakota voters possible.  Because of their hard work and sacrifice, North Dakotans finally have a pro-family conservative representing their values in D.C. This was one of the most closely watched races in the country, and it should be an encouragement to all that voters – not Planned Parenthood money or a liberal agenda – ultimately have the final say.”

Your support also played a role in other national victories like that of religious-freedom champion Josh Hawley, who now goes to the U.S. Senate from Missouri.

You helped make conservative wins in the Senate possible even before election day by urging your Senators to confirm Justice Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court! It was clear that the Kavanaugh vote played a major role in pro-family victories last night. Of the five most-watched Senate races, four incumbents who voted against Justice Kavanaugh lost their races to a more conservative Senator—like Kevin Cramer in North Dakota. Only incumbent Senator Joe Manchin in West Virginia, who voted for Justice Kavanaugh, won his re-election. So thank you for helping tee up these major wins—even before election night!

All across the country, your support also made possible dozens of victories in important state-level races.

For example, on a challenging night, only three alumni from our Foundation’s highly selective Statesmen Academy lost their bids for re-election. That means nearly 50 of these outstanding Statesmen Academy graduates will be serving this January when state legislatures (and Congress) reconvene.

Also, Georgia and the nation will likely secure a critical victory in the governor’s race, where Family Policy Alliance of Georgia played a key role in an effort to defeat Stacey Abrams, a Hollywood-backed progressive. Soon, our team in Georgia should be able to advance much-needed pro-life and pro-freedom protections.

In addition, the network of allied state organizations that we serve enjoyed huge victories. Among many examples, the people of West Virginia – with backing from the Family Policy Council of West Virginia – passed a momentous measure that ensures that abortion is not a “right” found in the state constitution.

Thanks for your investment that made these victories possible! Now, on to more wins as together we continue to “stand firm and take action.”

Standing firm with you,

Paul Weber,
President & CEO

 

 

“The Sergeant at Arms will restore order to the gallery!”

How many times did we hear that throughout the Senate vote to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court?  Just once would have been too many, as a requirement of being able to sit in the chamber is remaining silent. Yet well-orchestrated disruption ensued with follow-up personal threats against select senators who voted to confirm now-Justice Kavanaugh.

Is this what we’ve come to?

Throughout this confirmation process we have witnessed:

Over the last several weeks, we asked you to contact your Senators about Justice Kavanaugh’s confirmation. And then last week, we wrote a letter in support of Justice Kavanaugh and encouraged you to co-sign that letter.  And YOU did! Between these two action alerts, they were two of the highest responses we have ever seen to a request of you – in fact, our Action Center records show that almost 43,000 emails were sent to Senators in support of his confirmation, and more than 7,000 concerned citizens sent a note or letter of support to Justice Kavanaugh. We promised to pass along your outpouring of encouragement to the Justice, and we did. Reports back to us indicate he was indeed appreciative.

Now I ask you to do three more things:

  1. Pray for Justice Kavanaugh, his wife Ashley, and their two daughters, Margaret and Liza – that they may put this ugliness behind them. Also, that he would serve our nation faithfully in his role and apply the rule of law in his interpretation of the Constitution.
  2. Pray for the next Justice who will be nominated to the Supreme Court – that they would not endure the same spectacle of a confirmation process that we just witnessed. Pray for our elected leaders, for the midterm elections on November 6th, and that our President has the opportunity to name at least one – perhaps two – more Supreme Court Justices of the caliber of Brett Kavanaugh.
  3. Finally, please get out the vote! Please vote yourself and encourage your friends and family to do likewise. It is not only our civic duty and privilege, but it is also our responsibility to restore civility to our nation. And that starts with prayer and sincere dialogue within our own families and circles of friends.

Ultimately, the right outcome – according to the Constitution – was achieved. The duly elected President has the authority to nominate jurists to the Supreme Court. The duly elected Senate has the authority to vote up or down, and the “ayes” carried the day. Now, you have the authority to select our leaders in four weeks. Let’s together bring about the right outcomes with the right methods.

Standing for the family today for a better tomorrow,

Paul Weber
President & CEO

Today, the U.S. Senate advanced the Kavanaugh nomination to final passage, which is expected to happen tomorrow.

The 51-49 vote was on a standard procedure to limit floor debate to 30 hours. Passage today was essential and is an encouraging sign that Kavanaugh will be confirmed, but it is no guarantee. Senators can and sometimes do change their vote on final passage. All eyes are particularly on Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), who voted no.  Encouragingly, two swing senators, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), just announced on the Senate floor that they plan to vote for Kavanaugh.

In addition, Sen. Steve Daines, a Republican who supports confirmation, will be in his home state of Montana for his daughter’s wedding, but plans to take a private jet to D.C. immediately after the wedding to vote for Kavanaugh if needed. The vote would be held open to allow him to cast his vote.

For Americans who care about this critical nomination, there is plenty to be done. Above all, that starts with prayer – both for the nomination and for God’s mercy and healing for our bitterly divided nation.

It’s also not too late to speak up to your senators. You can send a message to both of your senators here, and you’ll get a follow-up message with their specific phone numbers. Or you can call the U.S. Senate switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask for your senators. Please respectfully ask them to confirm Judge Kavanaugh.

Thank you for being salt and light in our nation at this critical time!

The Family Policy Alliance Team

By Brittany Jones, Esq.

Last week, we told you about the letter that Family Policy Alliance – along with over 40 pro-life organizations – sent to Alex Azar, who heads the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). We asked Secretary Azar to cancel a contract with Advanced Bioscience Resources that procured aborted baby parts for research in mice.

The response was swift! In response to the letter we sent, HHS rescinded the contract. This is a huge win for the pro-life movement and shows that our voice can and does make a difference. By your support, we are able to use our collective voices to affect departmental policies like this. Importantly, the Press Release from the department states:

“[The Advanced Bioscience Resources’] contract has been terminated, and HHS is now conducting an audit of all acquisitions involving human fetal tissue to ensure conformity with procurement and human fetal-tissue research laws and regulations. In addition, HHS has initiated a comprehensive review of all research involving fetal tissue to ensure consistency with statutes and regulations governing such research, and to ensure the adequacy of procedures and oversight of this research in light of the serious regulatory, moral, and ethical considerations involved.”

There is still much more to be done. HHS is still doing research using aborted babies, just not with this specific company. It is important that you ask them to end all research that requires aborted babies. They are investigating their practices, which will hopefully lead to them banning all research of this nature. However, they need to hear from you.

Please thank Secretary Azar for cancelling this contract and call on him to end all research using aborted babies. It only takes a moment on our Action Center.

Let him know this not how the HHS should be using your tax dollars, but rather these funds should be used to fund ethical alternatives. This is a fantastic first step and shows that the Trump Administration is listening. But there is more to be done to protect the dignity of the pre-born.

 

Brittany Jones, Esq., is policy manager for Family Policy Alliance

Dear Judge Kavanaugh,

We as Americans just witnessed your powerful speech – a speech that will long be remembered. It was powerful, moving and compelling. Most of all, it was a passionate defense against the salacious last-minute charges that have been alleged against you.

Your accuser spoke before you, and the contrast was striking. She was uncertain of many things, including important facts related to her allegation. Perhaps most tellingly, she was surrounded by attorneys who carefully guarded her from questions that would draw her credibility into question.

You, in contrast, spoke powerfully and with great conviction – but also deep emotion as you recounted the destructive impact that these unsupported attacks have had on you and your family. Yet the grace of you and your family toward your accuser shown through as well, as you related through tears how your daughter Liza said, “We should pray for the woman.”

Judge Kavanaugh, we believe you – and we are doing everything we can to support your nomination.

Sincerely,

Paul Weber and the Family Policy Alliance Team

If you would like to send your own note to Judge Kavanaugh, you can do so here. Your note will be delivered to Judge Kavanaugh so that he knows the wide and deep support that he has from the people of America.

And now would be a great time to urge your two U.S. senators to support his nomination, even if you have done so before. You can do that in just moments right here on our Action Center.

Thank you for your action – and your prayerful encouragement – for Judge Brett Kavanaugh.

 

When the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Judge Brett Kavanaugh began two weeks ago, Family Policy Alliance sent an email summarizing the positive progress of the nomination to that point.

But that email also listed three factors indicating that the confirmation wasn’t a done deal. The first point read as follows:

“First, the Left is willing to do anything. Are surprise accusers – a la the Clarence Thomas hearing in 1991 – in the offing for this hearing? At this point, nothing from the Left should be shocking.”

Just eight days later – with the hearings done and a vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee imminent – came the first whispers of a letter from an accuser. Over the weekend, the whole story broke, and we now know that a woman has accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct while they were in high school in about 1982. As a result, the committee vote has been postponed and a special hearing has been scheduled for Monday to hear from the accuser and Judge Kavanaugh.

It is appropriate that the accuser be heard and that all known facts – if there are any – are considered in advance of the vote.

It is also appropriate to question the merits of this allegation in light of the circumstances:

The bottom line is that this accusation was predictable, not in its specifics but in the timing and the impossible burden to disprove a negative from decades ago.

Please pray for this process, and if you wish to encourage your senators to support the nomination of Judge Kavanaugh, you may do so quickly and easily at our Action Center.

The Family Policy Alliance Team

If it wasn’t evident already, this morning made clear that the Left is holding nothing back to defeat Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Judge Kavanaugh’s first day before the Senate Judiciary Committee was marred by angry protests and about two dozen arrests – mainly of pro-abortion and LGBT protesters who interrupted the hearing with yelling.

But Democrat senators were in on the act, too. Democratic senators on the committee repeatedly interrupted the committee chairman, Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, with demands that the hearing be delayed. The antics seemed to carefully follow a “chaos strategy” that was agreed upon over the weekend, as reported by NBC.

If the Left seems desperate, it may be because their efforts to smear Judge Kavanaugh for the last several weeks have been fruitless. His reputation as a brilliant and well-qualified jurist stands untarnished.

However, three factors indicate that this confirmation battle is not a done deal.

First, the Left is willing to do anything. Are surprise accusers – a la the Clarence Thomas hearing in 1991 – in the offing for this hearing? At this point, nothing from the Left should be shocking.

Second, the Left is spending millions of dollars to oppose Kavanaugh, much of it from pro-abortion groups. In fact, Planned Parenthood just announced this morning an additional six-figure TV and radio ad buy in select locations.

Third, with Republicans holding a slim 51-49 majority, any waffling by Republican members could be disastrous.

That’s why it is critical that supporters of Judge Kavanaugh keep the heat on their senators.

Even if you have spoken up before, please take a moment to send a message to both of your U.S. senators. It only takes a few moments on our Action Center.

Thank you for praying, speaking up, and spreading the word!

The Family Policy Alliance Team

 

With the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Judge Brett Kavanaugh set to begin next week, your help is needed to urge Sen. Claire McCaskill to support Judge Kavanaugh.

Judge Kavanaugh has the education, experience, temperament and record that qualifies him squarely for the role as a Supreme Court Justice.

Yet the Left is stopping at nothing to tarnish this good man and defeat his nomination.  And with Republicans holding the slimmest of majorities in the U.S. Senate, many eyes around the nation are on Sen. McCaskill.

That’s why – in conjunction with our allies at Missouri Family Policy Council – we are asking you to make your voice heard.  Please ask Sen. McCaskill to vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh.  It only takes seconds on our Action Center.

Thank you for taking action, and please share with others!

The Family Policy Alliance Team

Dear Friends:

On Monday evening, President Trump announced his nomination of federal judge, Brett Kavanaugh, to serve as the next Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. Senate hearings are expected to commence in late-August, with a confirmation vote in mid-September, so the new justice can be seated when the Court begins its next term in October.

Who is Judge Kavanaugh?

Judge Kavanaugh currently presides on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He was nominated to the federal bench in 2006 and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on a 57-36 vote. Prior to that, Judge Kavanaugh worked as a Law Clerk for Justice Anthony Kennedy and served as Associate Independent Counsel, Associate White House Counsel, and Assistant and Staff Secretary to President George W. Bush.

Judge Kavanaugh is very active in his community and church. He coaches Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) basketball, serves meals as part of Catholic Charities’ St. Maria’s meals program, serves as a reader in his church, and tutors children at local elementary schools. Judge Kavanaugh has been married to his wife, Ashley, since 2004, and together, they have two daughters.

How has Judge Kavanaugh previously ruled on the issues that matter to Family Policy Alliance of New Mexico?

 A preliminary review of Judge Kavanaugh’s rulings, opinions, and briefs reveal a strong commitment to applying the law as it is written and enforcing the structure and original text of the U.S. Constitution. He once stated, “The judge’s job is to interpret the law, not to make the law or make policy,” and with over 300 published opinions, Judge Kavanaugh has consistently upheld this originalist approach. Some notable cases of particular interest and importance are as follows:

Archdiocese of Washington v. WMATA. In his dissent from the court’s ruling, Judge Kavanaugh described the D.C. Metro’s ban on Christmas ads as “pure discrimination” and “odious” to the First Amendment.

Priests for Life v. HHS. In this case, Judge Kavanaugh voted to block the Obama Administration’s policy forcing entities to violate their conscience by providing abortifacient coverage to their employees. He stated that “when the government forces someone to take an action contrary to his or her sincere religious belief the government has substantially burdened the individual’s exercise of religion.

Newdon v. Roberts. In this case, Judge Kavanaugh upheld the Constitutionality of prayers at government ceremonies and the phrase “so help me God” in the Presidential Oath of Office.

 In summary, Judge Kavanaugh seems to be a man of great character with impressive credentials. There is certainly no question that he is qualified to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. At the same time, I am thankful for the confirmation process that will allow us to learn more about his judicial philosophy. As such, I encourage you all to take time to tune in to the confirmation hearings when they begin. We will share details as they become available.

In the meantime, please join me in praying for Judge Kavanaugh, his family, and the members of the U.S. Senate who will vote on his confirmation, including our New Mexico Senators, Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich; and for transparency and civility during the confirmation process.

Until next week, God bless you and thanks for your support!

Vince Torres

Vince Torres
President and Executive Director

The pick is in …  and the battle over Judge Brett Kavanaugh will begin!

Actually, it began a couple of weeks ago. The progressives’ howling started the moment Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement.

Why is that?

Because, any person nominated by President Trump won’t suffice for those on the Left.

Here’s why:

For decades now, liberal groups like the ACLU and Planned Parenthood, with the support of liberal legislators, recognized that they could not get the national laws they wanted by Constitutional means – that is, through the votes of legislators held accountable by their local electorate.

So instead, they created lawsuits and targeted legal venues and judges sympathetic to their cause. After all, turning a few judges – who are appointed for life and untouchable by voters – is a much easier way to advance a radical agenda. Liberal legislators appreciate this as they can advance the lie that the court has the final say and that they, therefore, are bound by the court.

This devious strategy has led to the Left’s Holy Grail of activist Supreme Court opinions: Roe v. Wade – which nationalized abortion on demand and has thus far led to the death of over 60 million unborn children – and Obergefell v. Hodges, which has undermined the dignity of marriage between one man and one woman and spawned additional court cases attacking the religious liberty of Christians.

These two pillars – and especially Roe – are why the left is unhinged today! It’s why you are hearing the media shout that another conservative judge on the court will surely lead to Roe being overturned. Yet, it’s not that simple.

Should Roe ultimately be overturned by the Court, it won’t be because of conservative judicial activism. That, too, is unconstitutional, and we shouldn’t stand for it. It won’t be because the culture is changing in favor of life, even though it is. It won’t be just because it was a bad opinion, though in fact it was a wrong opinion delivered by an activist court.

No, Roe will be overturned someday because men and women know we are a nation with a Constitution that should be followed. It will be because states pass good laws that rein in the hideous practice of abortion. It will be because a majority of sitting judges know their role – which is to interpret, not legislate. It will be because people like you – who affirm life from conception – elect leaders who best represent your values and are willing to vote for them rather than hide behind courts.

Judge Kavanaugh has the education, experience, temperament and record that qualifies him squarely for the role as a Supreme Court Justice. Most importantly, he has stated: “The judge’s job is to interpret the law, not to make the law or make policy. So, read the words of the statute as written. Read the text of the Constitution as written, mindful of history and tradition. Don’t make up new constitutional rights that are not in the text of the Constitution. Don’t shy away from enforcing constitutional rights that are in the text of the Constitution.” He rightly understands the limits the Constitution places on judges.

This is why Judge Kavanaugh – and all of the judges nominated by President Trump – lacks the one qualification liberals require for a Supreme Court Justice: a willingness to legislate from the bench. In other words – a willingness to do their job for them so they are not exposed to their own electorate.

Vulnerable liberal Senators up for election this November – such as Heidi Heitkamp from North Dakota, Joe Manchin from West Virginia, John Tester from Montana, Joe Donnelly from Indiana, and Claire McCaskill from Missouri – are very nervous today.  Why? Because they now have to vote up or down for Judge Kavanaugh – a judge they know won’t carry the water for them and a judge their electorate now supports.

That’s why elections matter. That’s why you and millions like you came out for Donald Trump in 2016!

That’s why Family Policy Alliance works tirelessly with our allies across the nation to elect Statesmen – men and women willing to stand for our shared values and do the job the Constitution requires, regardless of the personal consequences.

That’s why we are asking you to contact your two U.S. senators today and urge them to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.  It only takes seconds on our Action Center.