Fellow Conservative,
The census is in the news once again and it’s for a good reason — the Trump administration is calling for a new census that will not count illegal aliens. This is MASSIVE.
Who Gets Counted?
Biden’s open border enabled the Left to amass more political power, and Democratic-controlled states have gained congressional seats <[link removed]> by welcoming and harboring illegal aliens. But now, President Trump is putting an end to it.
The Trump administration announced this week their plans to conduct a new census that does not count illegal aliens. While most Americans might see the census as nothing more than an occasional nuisance, it plays a pivotal role in elections. This is perhaps most apparent in the apportionment of congressional districts — which is based on population. For decades, the Democrats have been gaming the system by overcounting populations that are ineligible to vote, including, you guessed it, illegal aliens.
>>> Read more: Commerce Department to ‘Immediately’ Make Census ‘Reflect the Number of Legal Residents’ in US <[link removed]>
Last Congress, Heritage Action issued a key cosponsorship in support of the Equal Representation Act. This bill would close this loophole and require a citizenship question on all future censuses. With the left fighting him for every inch of progress, now more than ever, President Trump needs Congress to back him up and pass the Equal Representation Act (H.R. 151) to make these policies permanent.
The Big Beautiful Tax Cuts
Washington politicians were ready to hit hardworking Americans with one of the largest tax increases in history — a $4 trillion hike that would have raised taxes on almost every family, with the middle class bearing the brunt. The Big Beautiful Bill (OB3) stopped it.
Without OB3, tax rates would have gone up nearly across the board. The child tax credit and standard deduction would have been slashed in half. Small businesses would have lost their pass-through deduction and faced federal tax rates as high as 39.6%. Millions more Americans would have been forced to pay the alternative minimum tax and the death tax. And thanks to complicated new rules, 2-3 times as many families would have been forced to itemize their deductions, wasting more time and money just to file their taxes.
>>> Read more: OB3 Ending Decades of Tax Policy Games <[link removed]>
By blocking this tax hike and adding new cuts, OB3 will save the average American $1,922 per year in federal income taxes between 2026 and 2034 — not including the indirect benefits from business tax relief. Roughly 80% of those savings come from stopping the tax increase that was scheduled to take effect.
>>> Read more: The Tax Cuts Help Small Businesses <[link removed]>
OB3 also delivers targeted tax relief to families and workers:
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Raises the child tax credit from $2,000 to $2,200 (it would have fallen to $1,000 in 2026 without action) and adds a cost-of-living adjustment for the first time.
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Increases the standard deduction by $1,500 for married couples ($750 for singles).
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Allows deductions for tipped income (up to $25,000), overtime pay (up to $12,500), domestic car loan interest (up to $10,000), and new deductions for seniors ($6,000 per eligible senior, $12,000 for married couples).
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Creates a charitable deduction of up to $1,000 ($2,000 for married) for Americans who claim the standard deduction.
>>> Read more: Reasons to Make Trump’s Tax Cuts Permanent <[link removed]>
On the business side, OB3 permanently removed tax penalties that discouraged investment in equipment and machinery while temporarily removing penalties for building factories, refineries, and farm structures.
It also phases out or eliminates costly green energy subsidies that funneled billions into the “Green New Scam.” The EV tax credit is gone, and subsidies for new solar and wind projects are being phased out.
The Big Beautiful Bill is one of the most significant pro-growth, pro-family tax reforms in decades — protecting Americans from crushing tax hikes, restoring common sense to the tax code, and ensuring more money stays in the pockets of the people who earn it.
Dropping the Ball on the Confirmation Process
The Senate recently went on recess without confirming many of President Trump’s nominees. Senate Republicans tried to negotiate with Democrats, who demanded certain conditions in exchange for confirmations. When talks failed, the Senate left for August recess and began holding pro forma sessions instead of a formal recess — blocking the President from making recess appointments <[link removed]>.
Here’s a representation of how the confirmation process has played out so far:
Football is back, but the Senate is gone:
The failure to quickly approve President Trump’s nominees has resulted in a growing backlog — 144 nominees in total — including crucial roles in Labor, Education, Agriculture, and the federal courts, remain unconfirmed. Democrats have made the process difficult by forcing cloture votes on nearly every nominee and routinely blocking unanimous consent for non-controversial picks.
Without his nominees in place, key parts of President Trump’s administration remain stalled. The American people expect results, but that can’t happen until the Senate does its job and gets these nominees confirmed. Confirming these nominees quickly is essential not only to fully staff the administration but also to appoint judges who will uphold the Constitution as written, not legislate from the bench. Senate Republicans need to get serious about the nominations backlog and do all they can to break Democrats’ obstructionism — and ensure that President Trump’s nominees make it to the endzone.
>>> Take Action: Urge the Senate to get moving and confirm President Trump’s nominees ASAP! <[link removed]>
Texas Democrats vs. Texas Constituents
The clock is ticking in Texas. With just days left before the August 20th deadline, the State House still can’t conduct its business. That’s because over 50 Texas House Democrats have fled the state in an illegal attempt to slow the Republican agenda.
Why now?
As part of the special session, the legislature will consider a redrawn congressional district map. The proposed map would fix inaccurately apportioned and unconstitutionally gerrymandered districts to ensure fair representation for millions of Texans. Yet, instead of showing up to work, these Democrats are on vacation from New York to Illinois to California.
>>> Read more from the Heritage Foundation’s Hans von Spakovsky: The Lone Star State’s Redistricting Is Constitutional, Legal, and Necessary <[link removed]>
Texans are sick and tired of the Left’s theatrics. While Governor Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton exercise their authority to hold fleeing Democrats accountable for their shenanigans, the Texas State Senate has continued to work on additional priority legislation:
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Senate Bill 7, by Rep. Middleton: Ensure women’s privacy in state-owned facilities and political subdivisions. Status: Passed the Senate.
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Senate Bill 9, by Sen. Bettencourt: Requires a voter referendum to increase property taxes by more than 2.5%. Status: Passed the Senate.
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Senate Bill 11, by Sen. Hughes: Ensures election laws do not go unenforced by allowing the Attorney General to step in if six months have passed with no proceedings on a case. Status: Passed the Senate.
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Senate Bill 12, by Rep. Middleton: Bans Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying. Status: Passed the Senate.
We will keep you updated on further developments. Thank you for your work. We’re grateful for your support.
- The Heritage Action team
Join the fight to advance the conservative agenda.
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