America at 250: The fight for the next 250 years of democracy has already begun
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As the United States observes its 250th birthday, American democracy is at a pivotal juncture that will determine the nation’s future. While Americans continue to believe in democracy's foundational promises—free and fair elections, fundamental freedoms, and government accountability—those promises have never been fully achieved and today are under active attack by extremists and wealthy special interests. Yet this moment is also an opportunity to reject authoritarianism, strengthen our democratic institutions, and build a government that is truly representative of and delivers for the people. At the Center for American Progress, that work means defending democracy where it is under attack while advancing a bold vision for how it can better serve Americans for the next 250 years.
The right to vote remains the foundation of American democracy and one of its most contested battlegrounds. While the SAVE Act—which would require Americans to show proof of their citizenship in person to register to vote or to update their registration—has stalled in Congress, CAP's latest research shows that state lawmakers across the country are rapidly advancing similar legislation. Fourteen states now have SAVE Act-like laws on the books, with 12 of those laws enacted since 2024 alone. These measures threaten to block millions of eligible citizens from casting a ballot, particularly Americans who cannot afford to spend $165 for a passport or have changed their name after getting married. As America enters its next 250 years, protecting free and fair elections means ensuring that every eligible citizen can easily exercise their constitutional right to vote and that we reject any effort by politicians to try and handpick which American citizens can vote.
For decades, the influence of corporate money in politics has distorted American democracy and undermined public trust in government. CAP's “Corporate Power Reset” offers a new path forward: Rather than continuing to fight the legal legacy of Citizens United on its own terms, states can redefine the powers they grant corporations in the first place, making unlimited corporate political spending no longer one of the core functions they grant corporations. This year, Hawaii became the first state to enact legislation based on this framework, creating a groundbreaking model for reducing the influence of corporate and dark money in elections. The achievement demonstrates that meaningful reform remains possible even in the face of entrenched legal doctrines and special interests. Building a democracy that works for the next generation requires ensuring that elected officials answer to voters, not corporations.
Religious liberty has long been one of America’s defining democratic freedoms, but only when it protects the rights of all people equally. With the Trump administration’s Religious Liberty Commission, it’s never been clearer that the nation's founding promise of religious liberty is being distorted by efforts to privilege particular religious viewpoints. True religious freedom, by contrast, depends on maintaining the constitutional separation of church and state and protecting the rights of people of every faith tradition and the nonreligious. As faith leaders, legal advocates, and scholars argue in CAP’s alternative inclusive vision, religious liberty must remain a shield that safeguards human dignity and pluralism, not a sword used to impose religious conformity or political dominance. Preserving this founding freedom is essential not only to religious expression itself, but to the future of American democracy.
One year of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act has cost most American families thousands of dollars
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This week marks one year since President Trump signed congressional Republicans’ regressive One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) into law—enacting the largest-ever cuts to basic-needs programs for vulnerable families to fund tax cuts for the ultrawealthy.
Where does the OBBBA leave Americans one year later?
From our friends at CAP Action: Trump and his congressional allies have cost families more than $2,000 since January 2025
Earlier this week, President Trump filed his personal financial disclosure, showing that the president made more than $2.2 billion in income during his first year back in the White House. While the president is amassing more and more wealth for himself, a new analysis from CAP Action shows that Trump’s second-term policies are leaving Americans worse off by raising costs for American families. The analysis looks at the financial impact of four key federal actions—the OBBBA, war in Iran, expiration of the premium tax credits, and tariffs—have had on the costs Americans pay. Together, those votes have cost the average American household an additional $2,072 in gas, utility, and tariff costs; that total cost soars to $3,569 for a household if they receive their health care on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace. The analysis also includes a vote tally for how many times members of Congress have voted for policies that are increasing costs for Americans and making life less affordable.
Taking a closer look at the impact of the OBBBA, Trump and congressional Republicans repealed or severely limited tax credits that had been incentivizing dramatic growth in energy industries like solar, wind, batteries, and electric vehicle manufacturing. Based on U.S. Energy Information Administration data on residential electricity sales from January 2025 to March 2026, families have spent $183.66 more on utility bills since President Trump took office, with states seeing totals as high as $515.32. By the end of June, that total could rise to $213 if bills continue to rise at the same rate as in 2025.
In its first year, the OBBBA has raised the incomes of the wealthiest households to the detriment of low-income Americans while driving up the number of uninsured Americans and households without the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Millions of Americans are losing affordable health insurance: The OBBBA’s health care provisions are expected to leave 10 million more Americans uninsured by 2034.
ACA plan sign-ups fell by 5 percent, or 1.2 million people, during the 2026 enrollment period compared with 2025—the largest decline since the marketplace opened in 2014.
SNAP participation rates have fallen in every state: SNAP participation fell by 10 percent, or more than 4 million people, between the OBBBA’s enactment in July 2025 and March 2026.
Arizona (53 percent decline), Florida (17 percent decline), and Louisiana and Oklahoma (both 16 percent decline) saw the largest declines in participation.
Families, communities, and health care systems nationwide will be experiencing the harms of these policies for years to come, all while the OBBBA’s tax provisions enrich the top 1 percent.
From 2025 to 2034, the OBBBA will cut taxes on net by $4.5 trillion through provisions such as slashing marginal tax rates and the estate tax.
