Just as the coronavirus pandemic is not an excuse for legislatures to pass irresponsible measures in the name of protecting their citizenry, the coronavirus pandemic is also not an excuse for these same legislatures to forego their responsibilities to continue working on unrelated issues. Once the current state of affairs has passed, citizens will return to their daily patterns and elected officials to their posts taking care of issues unrelated to coronavirus.

Jason Pye co-authored this post.

FreedomWorks is proud to honor Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.) as our member of the month for March 2020. Representing Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, located to the northwest of Phoenix, Rep. Lesko is a consistent, strong female voice for conservatism in the House of Representatives. The lone female member of the House Freedom Caucus and co-chair of the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues, Rep. Lesko is beyond deserving of FreedomWorks’ recognition in this Women’s History Month.

Last week, President Trump extended clemency to nearly a dozen Americans. Much contention has arisen around those who he chose to pardon and commute the sentences of, but there are a few simple truths that undergird the whole process and remain true, no matter who clemency is given to. Chief among these is that, in order to pursue justice, prison sentences should be no more excessive than necessary to fit the crime -- That is, to provide proper measures for punitive purposes, for any victims’ purposes, and importantly for rehabilitative purposes.

FreedomWorks is proud to honor Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) as our member of the month for February 2020. Representing the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the United States Senate since 2011, Sen. Toomey becomes our first-ever senator to be recognized as member of the month. This is well-deserved, as his principles, intellect, and compassion suit him well to represent his constituents and defend liberty, on everything from healthcare and taxes to trade and spending.

At his State of the Union address last week, President Trump highlighted the need for school choice across America, and rightly so. There is nobody who knows better what education is most suitable for their children than parents and the student themselves. Certainly, the government does not know best and we should do all we can to put this decision in the hands of those closest to the students in our communities.

This week, the House of Representatives will consider a joint resolution to remove the deadline for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. This constitutional amendment was approved by Congress in 1972 and submitted to the states for ratification. The preamble of the proposed constitutional amendment, however, set the deadline for ratification. In 1978, Congress extended the deadline, but even this new deadline has long since passed.

Today, the Republican Study Committee’s Government Efficiency, Accountability, and Reform (GEAR) Task Force released its first report, Power, Practices, Personnel: 100+ Commonsense Solutions to a Better Government on bettering the way that our government is run in Washington. As we know far too well, the federal government is dysfunctional and too often does not work for Americans. It instead works for the bureaucrats, for the politicians, and for the special interests.