Over 70 representatives were recognized at the 53rd Annual CPAC Congressional Ratings Reception. The reception honored the conservative elected officials who scored highest on the CPAC Foundation 53rd Edition of the Ratings of Congress.
The ratings scorecard takes into account each representative’s voting record for the previous legislative session and gives them a conservative rating based on how closely their voting record aligned with the conservative position. Those representatives who voted with the conservative position 80-89% of the time received the Award for Conservative Achievement. Those representatives who voted with the conservative position 90% or more of the time received the highest honor, the Award for Conservative Excellence.
Senators Marsha Blackburn and Katie Britt, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, and Representatives Jim Jordan, Harriet Hageman, Greg Steube, Cory Mills, Mary Miller, and James Comer were among those honored at the reception this week on Capitol Hill.
See how your representatives rated on the 53rd annual scorecard at https://t.co/1l1gi5duEq. 
Donald Trump is bringing Americans from all walks of life into the Republican Party.
@JackPosobiec on The Right View with @LaraLeaTrump
Explore more by visiting https://t.co/zuAkf6v79l https://t.co/QbZo4J4A2A https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1794041485890834432/pu/vid/avc1/1280x720/1gW1n2nbnUjHEUva.mp4?tag=12
CPAC General Counsel and Executive Vice President David Safavian recently authored an article addressing flaws in the way supervised release is handled in light of disproportionate supervisory release terms levied on a Jan. 6 defendant by a D.C. judge.
The D.C. Court of Appeals rebuked Judge Walton for his overreach in sentencing a Jan. 6 defendant, in what Safavian called "a rare occurrence in our justice system."
Walton’s error underscores the need for reform, reforms that would utilize federal supervision as a means to help reintegration, not impose extra punishment.
"Why should policymakers focus on reducing recidivism?" Safavian challenged. "Because every repeat offense is another crime, another victim, and often another prison term, all of which have tremendous costs in terms of government spending and affliction for victims and families."
Read more of Safavian's insight and about the piece of legislation that could bring about these reforms at https://t.co/vgkwPhjem1. 
Battle Belongs with @coletonfurlow | The Christian Left ft. Lucas Miles https://t.co/cin8NDGEJ9
"We must take our country back."
Steve Bannon's War Room
Explore more at https://t.co/zuAkf6v79l https://t.co/wfbnN0HgAr https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1794016057079824384/pu/vid/avc1/1280x720/MR16HJeaFYaOWXc1.mp4?tag=12
The Bronx is showing up for President Trump!
Human Events with Jack Posobiec
Explore more by visiting https://t.co/zuAkf6v79l https://t.co/oZyLgbVXDW https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1794007685274238977/pu/vid/avc1/1280x720/JeFb7RFW4ak0TRtt.mp4?tag=12
🎯@RichardGrenell is spot on
President Trump is on offense
He’s expanding the electoral map by going into these blue states and he’s well-received
Joe Biden isn’t expanding the map. He’s not going to red states and even if he did, he wouldn’t be well-received
@Newsmax https://t.co/eTJPHIgtRC https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1794009237607362560/pu/vid/avc1/1280x720/5DK7H6AgUxZY_4KX.mp4?tag=12
“When times are tough, sometimes that’s when you perform the best.”
President Trump takes a moment to speak directly to young people about success. https://t.co/9Ju4CRpgM9 https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1793794895976546304/pu/vid/avc1/1280x720/qrv4fMKbC66Y_xm2.mp4?tag=12
President Trump promises to help fix New York from the destruction of Democrat leadership! https://t.co/x3dJBn8APO https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1793788849446903808/pu/vid/avc1/1280x720/h7UQbV8ZtuVuMVoh.mp4?tag=12
All Americans were better off under President Trump https://t.co/upNZTtp2Cb https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1793788290182651904/pu/vid/avc1/1280x720/nbGBj_uK1gCFO12q.mp4?tag=12
“When I was president, Iran was broke! Then Biden comes in and he takes the sanctions off. Iran has become a big threat again” President Trump in the Bronx https://t.co/ug4EFQAiS3 https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1793787432661295104/pu/vid/avc1/1280x720/OYJpvHnD3t_NNKKj.mp4?tag=12
“It doesn't matter whether you're black or brown or white…it doesn't matter. We are all Americans.” President Trump in the Bronx https://t.co/osB74XWjJX https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1793784565472858112/pu/vid/avc1/1280x720/l-I2KJVp0wArZPDx.mp4?tag=12
Ronald Reagan collapsed the Soviet Union, liberated the captive nations of Central Europe and restored “Europe Whole and Free.” But what happened after that haunts the Free World to this day.
Former Navy U.S. Seal and founder of the private military company Blackwater Erik Prince declares “We are fighting wars the wrong way.”
Stephen Bryen, known as the “Yoda” of the Arms Trade, is a former Deputy Undersecretary of Defense and founder of the Defense Technology Security Administration.
Time Magazine writes that “He knows every sinkhole in the regulatory swamp. Ignore him at your peril."
Recently Erik Prince wrote, “Too Big to Win: How the Military and Industrial Complex and the Neocons Keep America Losing.” Prince believes that our defense establishment is, in fact, “the embodiment of socialism where when you divorce cost from spending. It's the Sovietization of what I thought was supposed to be market-based decision-making.”
One of the central questions posed by Prince –
How has America descended from a post-Cold War era of dominance to its current state of disarray and ineffectiveness?
“The US” explains Erik, “has the most expensive military in three thousand years of human history, yet Washington costs more. Using the wrong strategies, wrong weapons and technology, and continuing to wage futile wars makes America vulnerable.”
Bryen believes that the US could actually lose a war in Europe if it tries to defend Ukraine at this point: “The American army is mostly an expeditionary army; it's not on our territory or near our territory. It has to be fed from the outside. It's much smaller in terms of fighting force than if you had a national land army facing another national land army. It is inconceivable that people think it would be a good idea for us to engage in a land war.”
Prince believes that “the ‘go-slow, measured response people’ in Washington should have their children drafted and sent to frontline combat units so that they can live – their families, their children can live with the decisions they're making.”
We're talking about the American culture and a changing culture that has badly impacted our ability to wage war effectively and we're not willing to do what's necessary. So, then the question is, should we be fighting these wars at all? Or if we do fight, understand we have to win and we're not ready to do that.
The juxtaposition of the exorbitant costs of the U.S. military with the lack of strategic effectiveness raises questions about defense spending. Why is there a mismatch between expenditures and outcomes? Here, the discussion delves into the broader issues surrounding the military-industrial complex and the influence of vested interests on defense policy – and sheds light on how strategy and technology can lead to either increased national power or a weakened military.
Walton: “So, for the US military to try to say, ‘We're going to be dominant everywhere all the time…’”Prince: "Not possible."Bryen: “Not possible. We need to bring real innovation into our defense thinking. It's not going to come from the system, because the system responds to directives that come from the Pentagon, which says, ‘Build this this way, these are the requirements, meet the requirements,’ and then they always favor the big companies.”
This is a fascinating conversation with two top military minds on war tactics, weapons and technology, military history, and the consequences of our failed foreign policies - where we’ve been, where we are, where we should be, and how to get there. 
🚨BREAKING: The House has passed H.R. 192 by a vote of 262-143.
143 DEMOCRAT’S JUST VOTED TO CONTINUE ALLOWING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TO VOTE IN D.C.
H.R. 192 repeals Washington D.C.’s law which allows noncitizens - including illegal immigrants and foreign nationals - to vote in our nation’s capital.
Thank you @RepPfluger and @HouseGOP for passing this legislation through the House. https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/1793705903889276930/vid/avc1/1280x720/oPQPjBVC5b6L1mDH.mp4?tag=14
🚨BREAKING: The U.S. House has passed H.R. 5403 by a vote of 216-192.
This legislation bans the federal government from issuing a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC).
Thank you @GOPMajorityWhip and @HouseGOP for passing this strong legislation. The bill now heads to the Senate. https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/1793702859428581377/vid/avc1/1280x720/sM-JTMERG2TebH33.mp4?tag=14
This is the first in what will be a special series of blogs on regulation from the CPAC Foundation's Center for Regulatory Freedom. Written by one of our legal fellows, Karan Gupta, this piece is more in the style of a law review article than it is a traditional "blog"--and it will be something we will be encouraging our legal fellows to do more of.
Constitutional Challenges of the Advanced Impaired Driving Prevention Technology Regulation: A Critical Analysis of 49 CFR Part 571
by Karan Gupta
The “49 CFR Part 571 [Docket No. NHTSA–2022–0079] RIN 2127–AM50 Advanced Impaired Driving Prevention Technology” regulation calls for a system that “passively monitor(s) the performance of a driver of a motor vehicle to accurately identify whether that driver may be impaired.” After that the rule says that the technology must “prevent or limit motor vehicle operation if an impairment is detected.”
According to the rule “Impaired can mean anything that diminishes a person’s ability to perform driving tasks and increases the likelihood of a crash. Considering this, driver impairment would include drunk and drugged driving, but it could also include drowsy driving, distracted driving, driving while experiencing an incapacitating medical emergency or condition, or any other factor that would diminish driver performance…This document also presents three regulatory options for how the agency might mitigate driver impairment: blood alcohol content detection, impairment-detection (driver monitoring), or a combination of the two.
This regulation violates the 4th amendment, 5th amendment and 9th amendment...Continue reading at https://t.co/KtWvIDXBAb. 
Director of CPAC Foundation Center for Regulatory Freedom Andrew Langer expressed the need to investigate and break up "health services cartels" UnitedHealth and AARP in an op-ed at Real Clear Health this week.
The monopolistic UnitedHealth is buying up the healthcare space and working in lockstep with the federal government to do it. Average Americans are paying the price for UnitedHealth's monopolistic behavior in the forms of bureaucracy, high costs, and restricted access to care.
"This is not the free-market capitalism we support; it’s corporate rent-seeking behavior operating at the expense of consumers and patients. And despite all their talk of holding big corporations accountable, liberal leaders in Congress, who once wore their disdain for “Big Insurers” as badges of honor, are hypocritically and quietly helping, or turning a blind eye, to facilitate much of what is occurring," wrote Langer. "Now, the House Budget Committee has another opportunity to dig into the broader impact of today’s giant health services cartels on American patients and families."
Read more from Langer at https://t.co/qDZiBCK7wp 
Pat Nolan, director emeritus of the CPAC Foundation Nolan Center for Justice, explains the potential impact of the First Step Act on the 2024 election. The Act has significantly reduced recidivism and positively affected minority communities which, in turn, might boost Trump's support among Black and Hispanic voters.
“Thousands released under the First Step Act have successfully transitioned home, living in communities, supporting their families, and being good neighbors,” says Nolan.
Polls indicate a dramatic increase in Trump’s support among Black and Hispanic voters, possibly due to the Act’s success. This shift could impact the presidential race and legislative competitiveness.
Read Nolan's article at The Washington Times. 
Top News: @AARP selling out seniors for $8 billion to mega-insurer @UHC. What did they get? The Green New Deal & ObamaCare, which transferred $1 trillion from the Medicare & Medicaid. #CronyCapitalism
Read now 👇
The Left is targeting our innocent youth, corrupting them with woke ideology and destroying life at its earliest stages in its most innocent form. It seems that they too recognize the family is the basis of society but are seeking to dismantle it and replace the family with the state.
The Left is brainwashing our children to secure the future for themselves and create a future without freedom, but this strategy will not be tolerated by conservatives. In fact, it has only energized conservatives to defend their children from the gross indoctrination of the Left.
Mercedes Schlapp summarized in her speech at CPAC Hungary 2024, “We do what we do for our children. We do what we do for our grandchildren. We can sit back and do nothing and relax and let the communists take over but we say, ‘No!’ We are not going to let the communists take over our families. We are not going to let the communists take over our institutions. We have to fight, and we have to fight harder now than ever before.”
Schlapp issued advice inspired by her former boss President Donald Trump conservatives who are feeling alone in their beliefs and outraged by the Left’s tactics.
Schlapp urged, “You have to be battle ready. You have to become a conservative warrior in your community. They want you to feel alone. We are not alone.” 