Has Your Representative Taken the Pledge?

What to Know: Almost 60 state and local elected officials have pledged to end lobbying funded by tax money this session. The long list of signatories all agree that cities, counties, and school districts shouldn’t hire “contract lobbyists, directly or indirectly, to lobby the Texas Legislature or another governmental jurisdiction.

The TPPF Take: Every state and local elected official should sign the pledge to ban taxpayer-funded lobbying.

“The fight to end lobbying funded by tax dollars is the defining issue of the 2021 legislative session,” says TPPF’s James Quintero. “Its success is the key to protecting taxpayers and keeping Texas fiscally stable and responsible. Now is the time for every elected official to let it be known where they stand—with taxpayers or with tax spenders.”

For more on lobbying funded with tax money, click here.

The Big Freeze

What to Know: A federal judge has blocked President Biden’s plan to freeze deportations, after the state of Texas sued over the policy.

The TPPF Take: Biden’s order would violate federal law.

“The new administration’s sudden drive to undermine and hamstring U.S. immigration law enforcement at virtually every turn has no credible justification and is counterproductive and harmful to the nation’s best interests,” says TPPF’s Ken Oliver. “The foreseeable effect of the President’s decision to not execute his duties to deport unlawfully present migrants from our country will result in a humanitarian crisis of epic proportion on our southern border.”

For more on immigration, click here.

Getting Hot

What to Know: The Biden administration has also issued a sweeping executive order on climate change policies.

The TPPF Take: Biden’s efforts to keep a campaign promise to environmentalists will have a negative effect on all Americans.

“President Biden’s executive overreach will grow government, hurt responsible energy producers, and make the energy we need expensive and scarce — damaging every sector of our economy,” says TPPF’s Jason Isaac. “What’s even worse is that none of these actions will affect climate change in the slightest.”

For more on energy policies, click here.