Fellow Conservative,

What a wild week. The House started its August recess early, while the Senate may end up staying in Washington to confirm President Trump’s nominees.

Texas’s Special Session also started this week — and Heritage Action is there on the ground. Check out below for the latest!

With August recess fast approaching, the pace of Senate confirmations has taken center stage. While President Trump’s cabinet is in place, he needs more of his nominees confirmed by the Senate to effectively deliver on his agenda. Senate Democrats continue to try and obstruct President Trump’s nominees. Now, with August mere days away, the President has pushed for the Senate to stay in Washington until all pending nominees are confirmed.

Senators are set to leave beginning in August and to return September 2nd — just like the House. However, there are currently 144 civilian nominees on the Senate’s calendar, including positions in agencies such as labor, education, agriculture, and other major agencies. This also includes six federal judicial nominees who have yet to be confirmed by the Senate. The Senate is on track to significantly trail in the pace of confirmations for President Trump compared to that of previous administrations, including the President’s first term. The logjam of nominations is growing, and it’s crucial that the Senate increase its speed in confirming appointments.

The Senate has to do its job and confirm President Trump’s nominees. If Senate Democrats continue to obstruct, the Senate should stay in session past the scheduled break, and confirm as many nominees as possible, or formally vote to go into recess so that the President can recess appoint his team.

>>> Read more from the Heritage Foundation’s Hans von Spakovsky <<<
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The House adjourned earlier than expected this week and won’t return until after August recess. Although negotiations will continue, once again, Congress has failed to complete the appropriations process and will, in all likelihood, consider another Continuing Resolution (CR) in September.

This is all too common, unfortunately. As one of the few conservative members of the House Appropriations Committee pointed out, every year Congress returns from their August recess and feigns surprise that the annual funding deadline is less than a month away. Leadership then finds itself grappling with the looming threat of a shutdown leading them to force funding measures that would otherwise struggle to pass.

What options do conservatives have?

Make no mistake: the best outcome is passing all twelve appropriations bills with the President’s budget request as the blueprint. Unfortunately, this is more aspirational at this point. That means passing a CR is the most likely option if Congress wants to avoid a shutdown.

How can I help?

With the House back in the district, now is a great time to engage with your representatives in Washington. Check out our tips for visiting your member of Congress.

Texas lawmakers returned for the first Special Session of the 89th Legislature after Governor Greg Abbott announced 18 agenda items. Special sessions are limited to 30 days and may only address the specific issues outlined by the Governor. Of the 18 items on the Governor’s agenda, Heritage Action is focused on several in particular: protecting unborn children, defeating woke gender ideology, and securing elections.

Protect Women’s Spaces:

Clear, biologically based definitions are essential to protecting women’s spaces and safeguarding their privacy. The Texas Legislature should strengthen the definitions of sex and related terms within state law, ensuring the safety and privacy of Texas women and girls.

Eight other states have passed The Heritage Foundation’s model legislation. Texas should be next.

Protect Unborn Children:

The special session agenda includes legislation to further protect unborn children and their mothers from the harm of abortion. Heritage Action supports efforts to pass strong laws preventing the trafficking and misuse of abortion pills and to continue Texas’s leadership in protecting and affirming the dignity of life.

Check out The Heritage Foundation’s model legislation here.

Election Integrity:

Heritage Action continues to advocate for legislation to make it easy to vote and hard to cheat. This special session, lawmakers are working on legislation that would allow the Attorney General to prosecute election crimes if the local district attorney fails to do so. Ranked 14th on the Election Integrity Scorecard, this bill would be an additional tool to help secure Texas elections.

Digitized currency simply represents physical money in electronic form, but Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) are fundamentally different. They give the government the power to assign a unique serial number to every digital dollar, enabling full tracking and monitoring of every transaction — from paying your babysitter to tipping a waiter.

All transactions would flow through a centralized government-controlled network called a node, giving authorities the ability to approve, block, or freeze payments at will. Whether issued directly by the government or through private intermediaries such as major banks like JP Morgan and Wells Fargo, the outcome is the same: total surveillance and control over your money.

This isn’t theoretical. Countries like China and several European nations have already rolled out similar CBDC systems to control, devalue, or confiscate funds.

H.R. 1919 — which passed the House last week — bans the Federal Reserve from issuing a digital dollar in any form and locks in protections against this unprecedented government overreach. Now, conservatives are focusing on getting the CBDC ban included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and ensure this policy is sent to President Trump’s desk for signature. The House Armed Services Committee wrapped up its markup this month, and leadership expects the bill to hit the floor in September.

>> Take Action: Call your representative and senators and urge them to support including the Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act in the NDAA

As we mourn the passing of Ed Feulner, we gratefully reflect upon his unwavering love of country and commitment to the conservative movement. As the founding architect and longest serving President of The Heritage Foundation, Ed shaped the intellectual backbone of modern conservatism.

During his 37-year tenure, Ed Feulner transformed Heritage from a policy upstart into one of the most influential think tanks in the world. Mission-driven and undeterred by opposition, ‘Onward!’ — his signature sign-off — captured his relentless determination to advance the promise of America. Feulner never wavered in his belief that the greatest of American triumphs were still ahead, and every day was a chance to pursue that promise with courage and conviction.

Ed was not just a strategist; he was a mentor, a builder, and a believer in the enduring power of freedom — deep convictions that inspired his own phrase, “people are policy.” This mission captured his commitment to equip, encourage, and elevate a new generation of conservative leaders.
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Critically aware that the battle of ideas shapes not just policy but the soul of a nation, Ed emphasized Heritage’s frontline role in building lasting ideas that strengthen the American promise. “The war of ideas is a war of words — a war of intellect. It is a war of great importance because, as Richard Weaver said, ‘Ideas have consequences.’” The full address is available here.

Ed Feulner was a tireless advocate for the founding principles of our nation. And as a proponent of truth and moral clarity, he understood that leadership begins with conviction, and that integrity must precede influence. His legacy is not just the institution he built, but the movement he helped grow — a movement rooted in faith, family, freedom, and the founding.

And it will live on in every conservative thinker, policymaker, and citizen who dares to speak the truth and defend freedom.

With grateful hearts for Ed Feulner’s devotion, sacrifice, and leadership, we extend our deepest prayers and condolences to his beloved wife, Linda, their children, and grandchildren.

- The Heritage Action team

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