Fellow Conservative,

This week, Heritage Action issued our first Key Vote of this Congress as the House passed President Trump’s rescissions package (H.R. 4), which cancels funds for wasteful programs within USAID and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. This is a first step towards fiscal sanity, but there’s still work to be done to get our budget under control — starting with the appropriations process.

Meanwhile, the Senate continues to work on the “One, Big Beautiful Bill” and we’re monitoring the latest coming out of the Senate. Changes to the text of the bill are expected in order to comply with the Senate’s “Byrd Rule” but it’s not yet clear to what extent those changes will go. Check out below to see how you can make a difference!

The First Key Vote of the 119th Congress

Codifying DOGE cuts has begun. The White House identified $9.4 billion in previously appropriated funds for woke and wasteful spending at the State Department, USAID, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (NPR and PBS) and sent a rescissions package (H.R. 4) to Congress.

Make no mistake: at $37 trillion in debt, decisive action from Congress is needed. That’s why Heritage Action was proud to issue our first Key Vote of the 119th Congress in support of H.R. 4 and will include it on our scorecard.

We are happy to report that the bill passed!
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USAID has become the poster child of a Washington bureaucracy that has gone off the ideological deep end. We have watched in horror as well-intentioned foreign aid programs were hollowed out to fund leftist absurdities like DEI musicals in Ireland and LGBT pride festivals in Eastern Europe, all while actively benefiting our enemies like China by pushing the radical Green New Deal agenda.

Meanwhile, funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting stands in contrast to the American founding principles of free speech and expression. Thomas Jefferson explained why taxpayer funding for public media outlets is immoral when he said, “To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagations of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical.” Taxpayer-funded entities like NPR and PBS have become a mouthpiece for gender ideology, critical race theory, climate hysteria, and hyperpartisan “journalism.”

>> Read more from The Heritage Foundation <<<

What next?:

The truth of the matter is that the Washington establishment is resistant to budget cuts of any kind. That’s why even though trimming $9.4 billion from the budget doesn’t solve the debt crisis overnight, this bill is a landmark achievement. Passing this bill is proof that the budget can be reduced. Congress must start recovering from its spending addiction. The next step is addressing the fundamentally broken appropriations process and ensuring that wasteful spending identified by DOGE is cut from each bill.

Remember, the American people rejected the old status quo in November. Now is the time for Congress to stand with President Trump and make sure that taxpayer dollars are used responsibly and in accordance with our interests. It’s up to the Senate to follow the House’s lead and send H.R. 4 to President Trump’s desk.

>>> Call the Senate and urge a “YES” vote on H.R. 4 <<<

The Latest on OB3 (One, Big Beautiful Bill)

OB3 — the newest acronym for President Trump’s “One, Big Beautiful Bill” — is being put under a microscope by the Senate, as was expected. The Senate’s Byrd Rule makes passing legislation through the budget reconciliation process a considerable task. However, it’s critical that Senators continue working to defend the many conservative victories already in the bill, and fight for even more.

Several Committees have already released their mark up text (including the border security funding portion) but we’re still waiting on the full text from the all-important Senate Finance Committee, which will make up a major portion of the overall bill. As a reminder, here’s the state of play:
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The House — with an incredibly thin margin — was able to pass a bill with a number of key conservative priorities. Preserving these provisions is critical to the success of OB3:

  • It cuts taxes: Extends the 2017 tax cuts, boosts expensing for capital investments in factories, reduces job training tax penalties, and cuts corporate charitable deductions to curb taxpayer-subsidized donations.

  • It provides more resources to secure the border and ramp up deportations: Supports ICE operations to deport one million illegal immigrants annually, doubles the number of detention beds, hires 10,000 new officers, increases immigration judge totals, and finishes the border wall.

  • It scales back the Inflation Reduction Act: Phases out Biden-era Green New Deal tax credits that are disrupting the grid and killing jobs.

  • It reforms the broken student loan system: Eliminates Grad Plus Loans, repeals Biden’s unlawful loan repayment plan that would have cost taxpayers $220 billion, rolls back several burdensome and costly Biden-era regulations, limits the Secretary of Education’s ability to bypass Congress and make significant policy by regulation, and holds colleges accountable for unpaid student loans from high-cost, low-value degrees.

  • It protects life: Defunds big abortion providers like Planned Parenthood which will save millions of preborn lives.

  • It slashes woke and wasteful spending in the federal budget: Strengthens Medicaid and Obamacare eligibility checks to ensure taxpayer dollars are going to Americans who need it most, establishes work requirements for Medicaid and improves work requirements for SNAP, codifies employer health reimbursement rules, expands Health Savings Account options, reverses the Biden-era EV mandate, and ends Medicaid-funded sex changes.

The Senate has some opportunities to improve upon the foundation laid by this bill, including:

It cannot be overstated how important this bill is. The success of OB3 may ultimately define the 119th Congress, as well as the two most important years of President Trump’s return to the White House. This is not a chance that we can miss.

If you haven’t already, please consider taking the time to urge your Senators to stand with President Trump that puts Americans first. Heritage Action created our reconciliation toolkit to equip both seasoned activists and first timers with the information necessary to make a difference in this fight. Check it out below!

>>> Heritage Action Reconciliation Toolkit <<<

Back to Back Wins in New Hampshire!

New Hampshire was one of the first to utilize Education Freedom Accounts (EFAs) to make education choice possible for families — now they are expanding it.

Just this week, Governor Ayotte signed SB 295 into law, and with it made New Hampshire the 17th state to embrace universal education choice. This important step allows parents to use their EFAs to cover private school tuition, homeschooling expenses, tutoring, online learning, and other educational services. Now all Granite State families will have the freedom and flexibility to choose the learning environments that align with their values and customize their child’s education.

Needless to say, this is a big win for both parents and children and should continue expanding across the country. To see where your state ranks in terms of educational freedom, check out the Heritage Foundation’s Education Freedom Report Card!

Live in a state with a low score?:

Grassroots activists can make a real difference in the fight for education freedom. If you are not already, please consider becoming a Heritage Action Sentinel. With your help, we can take on the teachers unions and ensure every child — regardless of their zip code — can receive an education tailored towards their needs. As a Sentinel, you will gain access to expert insight on the issues important to you, invitations to events with fellow patriots, and opportunities to engage with key lawmakers.

>>> Join Sentinel Today <<<

We are grateful for the opportunity to fight alongside you!

- The Heritage Action team

Join the fight to advance the conservative agenda.