Heritage Action

Heritage Action
Name	Heritage Action
Formation	2010
Type	advocacy group
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Leader title	President
Leader name	Tim Phillips

Heritage Action is a conservative advocacy organization founded in 2010 as the political arm of the Heritage Foundation. It mobilizes grassroots activists, influences legislative fights, and coordinates campaigns involving Members of United States Congress, conservative think tanks like the American Enterprise Institute, and interest groups such as the Club for Growth and the National Rifle Association of America. The organization has played a role in high-profile episodes connected to disputes over the Affordable Care Act, budget battles with the United States Senate, and confirmation fights before the United States Supreme Court.

History

Heritage Action was launched in 2010 by leaders associated with the Heritage Foundation, linked to figures such as Edwin Feulner, Jim DeMint, and Arthur C. Brooks, following electoral shifts after the 2008 United States presidential election and the rise of the Tea Party movement. Early operations intersected with campaigns around the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, opposition to the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, and efforts during the 2010 midterm contests that reshaped the 111th United States Congress and the 112th United States Congress. The group expanded its presence in policy debates during the administrations of Barack Obama and Donald Trump, engaging in battles over nominations to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and legislative fights in the 115th United States Congress and 116th United States Congress.

Mission and Activities

Heritage Action describes its mission in terms aligned with principles promoted by the Heritage Foundation, advocating for free-market policies, regulatory rollback, and constitutional originalism associated with scholars at George Mason University School of Law, Harvard Law School, and commentators at Fox News. Activities include grassroots mobilization, digital organizing, scorecards for votes in the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate Judiciary Committee, and policy research coordinated with organizations such as the Cato Institute, Mercatus Center, and R Street Institute. It conducts training for activists modeled on practices from the Lincoln Project and uses campaign tactics similar to those employed by the American Legislative Exchange Council and Americans for Prosperity.

Political Advocacy and Campaigns

Heritage Action has run coordinated campaigns on issues including repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, opposition to the Dodd–Frank Act, tax reform efforts culminating in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, and battles over spending tied to the Budget Control Act of 2011. It engaged in pressure campaigns during confirmation processes for figures such as Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett and supported legislative approaches favored by Republicans in the House Freedom Caucus. The organization has targeted Members of United States Congress through scorecards and ad buys, and has mobilized volunteers in coordination with state-level actors during gubernatorial contests like those in Wisconsin, Ohio, and Michigan.

Funding and Organization

Heritage Action operates as a 501(c)(4) entity linked operationally to a 501(c)(3) think tank model practiced by groups like the Heritage Foundation and fundraising strategies similar to the Sierra Club and Planned Parenthood Action Fund in scale but with differing policy priorities. Major funding sources have included philanthropic donors associated with networks around the Koch brothers, supporters linked to the Mercatus Center and corporate contributions from sectors such as finance and energy that engage with policy debates in the United States Senate Committee on Finance and the United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Leadership has featured executives who previously worked with campaigns and institutions including the Republican National Committee, the National Republican Congressional Committee, and advocacy groups like Americans for Prosperity.

Controversies and Criticism

Heritage Action has drawn criticism from progressive organizations such as the Center for American Progress, civil liberties groups like the American Civil Liberties Union, and labor unions including the AFL–CIO for its role in opposing expansions of Social Security, rolling back regulations promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency, and for aggressive tactics during nomination fights before the United States Senate Judiciary Committee. Allegations have centered on coordination with outside groups during election cycles scrutinized by the Federal Election Commission, transparency debates similar to disputes involving the Soros network, and claims of exerting undue influence over Republican leadership in the United States House of Representatives, paralleled by critiques leveled at organizations such as the Tea Party Patriots.

Impact and Influence on Policy

Heritage Action's scorecards and grassroots mobilization have been credited by supporters for influencing legislative outcomes in budget negotiations tied to the Budget Control Act of 2011 and for shaping tax and regulatory changes associated with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and deregulatory initiatives under the Trump administration. Critics argue its interventions have contributed to legislative polarization in the United States Congress and have affected the selection of judicial nominees to federal courts including the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The organization's model of advocacy is studied alongside entities such as the American Enterprise Institute, the Brookings Institution, and the Federalist Society for its role in modern conservative policy networks.

Category:Political advocacy groups in the United States