Fellow Conservative,

The budget reconciliation process is in full swing as House committees began their legislative markups this week. Additionally, the White House released President Trump’s FY 2026 Discretionary Budget Request yesterday, which informs the blueprint for the Appropriations Committees to start crafting the 12 government funding bills.

Although the attention is primarily focused on Washington, many state legislatures are still in session and there are big stories playing out across the country. We’ve seen major wins for conservatives standing strong on school choice, but we’ve also witnessed others capitulate to foreign interests.

Republicans ran (and won) on promises to restore America to greatness and reverse the damage caused by the Left and the Deep State. Over the past few decades, Republicans have oftentimes backed away from these tough fights — but with President Trump back in the White House, this is no longer an option.

We need your help to hold them to their word.

Take Action: Help Eliminate the Deep State

The Deep State is a vast network of entrenched, unelected D.C. bureaucrats at all levels — not just the top of the food chain. For too long they have been shielded from accountability, and as a result, they feel untouchable. President Trump is changing that.

President Trump carries a mandate from the people. If federal employees fail to do their jobs, or actively undermine the President’s mission, the President should have the means to remove them from their positions.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is crafting new regulations to reform this system and they need your support to get them over the line.

>>>Write a comment to support President Trump’s efforts to cripple the Deep State!

Update on the Trump Agenda

Yesterday, President Trump’s discretionary budget request was released, detailing his blueprint to reform the government from the top down, and kicking off the appropriations process. Over the coming months, Congress will be tasked with passing all 12 separate government funding bills by August 31st or be faced with another continuing resolution, omnibus, or government shutdown.

You can read Heritage Action’s statement of support for the President’s budget request HERE.

Meanwhile, Congress continues to forge ahead on budget reconciliation. Committees have been given formal instructions which must be turned into tangible policy solutions that meet the topline specified targets in the House budget resolution. This week, most of the committees held markups except for Agriculture, Energy & Commerce, Natural Resources, and Ways & Means.

Here’s a brief overview of the instructions for House committees:

These numbers represent more than just reorganizing certain agencies and programs. Within the text of the bill are many conservative wins, including:

• Massively increasing funding for ICE and border security
• Strategically boosting to defense funding while eliminating woke DEI priorities in the military
• Confirming billions in DOGE cuts
• And more…

REMINDER:

Given the narrow margins in both chambers, all it takes is a few Republicans to cave to the pressure for Trump’s agenda to fail. That’s why Heritage Action has created a one-stop toolkit for both first-time and seasoned activists to hold Congress accountable and ensure they deliver on President Trump’s policies.

>>> Visit our new Toolkit on Reconciliation HERE<<<

Custer’s Last Stand (Against Political Corruption)

Preventing foreign billionaires from tipping the balance of state ballot initiatives is widely popular, and many states are enacting laws that secure our elections from foreign influence. Heritage Action was hopeful that Montana would soon be next. Unfortunately, many Republican legislators decided to put the interests of foreign billionaires over the interests of their fellow Montanans.

>>>Read more HERE<<<

HB 818, which was recently sent to Governor Gianforte to sign, is nothing more than the skeleton of a once good bill. Though Heritage Action initially supported the legislation, during the legislative process, it was gutted and removed critical text from the bill. Let’s be clear: this is a political shell game.

This bill is being marketed as a “win” for election integrity because it “bans” foreign nationals from donating directly to a ballot campaign. However, HB 818 still allows foreign billionaires to indirectly influence elections by contributing to woke organizations that then donate to a ballot campaign. The bill would effectively do nothing to stop millions of foreign dollars from diluting Montanan voices at the ballot box.

Heritage Action strongly urges Governor Gianforte to veto HB 818. Montanans deserve real protections against foreign billionaires from influencing Montana’s elections.

Education Freedom — a Winning Message

Just this week, South Carolina’s SB 62, was signed into law. This bill reinstates and reinforces the previously passed legislation that established the widely popular Education Savings Accounts (ESA) after it was erroneously struck down by the South Carolina Supreme Court.

By signing this bill, Governor McMaster is ensuring that parents are empowered to choose the educational tools that best fit their child’s education needs.

No longer should a student’s zip code or economic background determine the quality of education they receive. To give students access to the best education possible, taxpayer-funding for education should follow the student, and not be tied to a specific school.

Check out where your state ranks on the Heritage Foundation Education Freedom Report Card.

Keeping the Pressure On

Lastly, Colorado Democrats are trying to ram through a troubling bill that would deny the rights of parents for simply recognizing biological reality. It would allow a parent to move a child to Colorado to start a harmful, so-called “gender transition” and avoid complying with custody rulings from another state.

In response, Heritage Action’s crusade against the bill has resulted in over 350,000 emails being sent to Colorado legislators through our Action Center.

Now, in the face of the overwhelming backlash received from all of you, Colorado Democrats are trying to “water down” the bill. Make no mistake: this bill still must be killed.

This fight is ongoing — so be sure to share the link with friends in Colorado. This truly shows that your voice can make a difference.

Once again, this is a testament to the power of YOUR activism. Thank you for all your effort to stand up for American values!

- Ryan and the Heritage Action team

Join the fight to advance the conservative agenda.