Truth and Action Roundup 4.11.25

View this email in your browser Welcome to the Truth and Action Roundup, a reliable weekly source of information, inspiration, and action for the first hundred days of the second Trump administration. Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up here to continue receiving it. Today is Friday, April 11, day 82 of the new Trump administration. Amidst much chaos and discouraging news this week, we’ve also seen the humble persistence of activists pushing against cruel immigration policies, reminding us that faithful perseverance can bear good fruit. As we prepare to move into Holy Week, let’s open our hearts to the message of Palm Sunday, in which Jesus’ arrival on a donkey heralds his unexpected, creative, and transformative liberation from both oppression and sin. — Rev. Adam Taylor and Rev. Moya Harris, Sojourners In the News Here’s what’s been happening this week: 1) President Trump abruptly paused some of the most dramatic tariffs he had announced last week, seemingly reacting to days of turmoil and threats of a global recession. The so-called reciprocal tariffs will be paused for 90 days, but 10% tariffs will remain in place on most countries. Trump also increased the tariffs on China to a whopping 145% in the latest escalation between the world’s two largest economies. 2) The Trump administration has stopped collecting many federal workers’ union dues through voluntary payroll deductions. This union-busting tactic comes in the context of a recent executive order that seeks to end collective bargaining rights for most federal employees on “national security” grounds, citing an expansive and dubious interpretation of the 1978 Civil Service Reform Act. 3) The human cost of slashing foreign aid continues to mount. This week, the Trump administration announced it was discontinuing emergency food aid to Afghanistan and Yemen, two nations that are already reeling from decades of war, including U.S.-led campaigns. The cuts could affect food assistance to millions of people. Elsewhere, cuts to funding for clinics in South Sudan may have contributed to the deaths of eight people from cholera who were forced to walk hours to reach open health centers. 4) People of faith and conscience are pushing back on government actions against migrant people. Some recent examples: Teachers in border czar Tom Homan’s hometown successfully secured the release of three children who had been detained by ICE. Tennessee clergy disrupted a committee debate in the state house on a bill that would deny certain immigrant children the right to an education. And last week, clergy from more than 30 Pennsylvania religious groups built an altar outside Philadelphia’s ICE office to protest Trump’s executive order allowing immigration arrests at houses of worship. Take Action Pray: On Wednesday, April 16 at noon Eastern Time, attend our weekly Faithful Witness Wednesday vigil outside the U.S. Capitol Building — in person or virtually — as we call on Congress to exercise greater moral courage in preventing executive overreach. Organize: Plan or join #PublicWitness events during Holy Week and Easter. Get resources and ideas for how you can mark Holy Week in your community by taking action to uphold the teachings of Jesus and his special focus on care for the poorest and most vulnerable. Act: Demand that Congress stop Trump’s tariffs and reclaim their constitutionally mandated trade authority. No president should have the power to single-handedly disrupt the global and national economy. Call your members of Congress and demand that they support bipartisan legislation like the Trade Review Act of 2025. Create: Participate in the national “Quilting for the Constitution” campaign by writing messages to congressional leaders on fabric squares that will be sown into quilts and delivered to Congress. Learn how you can mail a quilt square, host a “quilt-in” and more. What We’re Reading and Watching When the Revolution Doesn’t Come | “They are the children of the Black Panther party — the self-styled Panther cubs. We join them as they continue to wrestle, 50 years later, with ... the hope for radical change that did not materialise. That hope lives on in the cubs, and their reflections on America’s current crisis offers burning lessons for today.” (Documentary and essay published by the Guardian) The Powers and Principalities Manipulating Columbia University | As a professor at Columbia, I cannot remain silent about the crisis my university is facing. (By Ashley Moyse) DOGE and Trump Threaten AIDS Program that “Kept a Generation Alive” | For 22 years, the U.S. expanded global access to medication known for its life-saving “Lazarus effect.” Now the program’s future is in jeopardy. (By Bekah McNeel) Deep Breaths   Walking in Faith, Not Fear  As we enter Holy Week, the Revised Common Lectionary brings us to Psalm 118, a psalm of thanksgiving often recited in moments of collective celebration. Portions of this psalm are quoted on Palm Sunday, as we remember the crowd shouting “Hosanna!” and laying branches before Jesus as he entered Jerusalem. Yet even in this moment of joyful praise, the psalm carries deeper tension. Verse 6 — “The Lord is on my side; I do not fear. What can mortals do to me?” — is not included in the official lectionary reading, but it speaks powerfully into the moment we are living through. This line, written in the voice of someone who has faced danger and survived, names a truth we need right now. Our world is marked by war, political division, climate crisis, financial uncertainty, and rising anxiety. In many ways, we are entering this Holy Week surrounded by unrest — just as Jesus did. The road to the cross was not peaceful. Jesus entered Jerusalem with celebration in the streets and chaos in the background — political tension, religious manipulation, and looming violence. Palm Sunday is not the end of the journey — it’s the beginning of a final, painful stretch. And yet, Jesus walked it. So how do we walk our stretch of road? Psalm 118 reminds us that worship is not escapism — it’s strategy. It’s how we remember that God is present in the tension. It’s how we resist fear turning into despair. It’s how we return to joy, even in uncertain times. This psalm reflects thanksgiving and joy while also acknowledging the human reality of justified fear.  Whether you’re anchored in faith, feeling disconnected, or in need of hope — consider how you are making space to mark Holy Week. Attend or tune into a service on Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, or Good Friday. Light a candle during meditation and prayer. Pause to remember. Be intentional in how you engage the Holy.  I urge you to carry this with you: “O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; His steadfast love endures forever.” (Psalm 118:29) Because the fear is real. But so is God. ––Rev. Moya Harris, Director of Racial Justice, Sojourners The Truth and Action Roundup is compiled by Sojourners staff: President: Rev. Adam Russell Taylor Director of Racial Justice: Rev. Moya Harris Senior Research Associate: J.K. Granberg-Michaelson Senior Adviser and Director to the President’s Office: Elizabeth Denlinger Reaves Chief Program and Impact Officer: Bryan Epps Director of Congregational Outreach & Education: Rev. Andrea Saccoccio Associate Editor: Josina Guess Mobilizing and Policy Assistant: Miriam Tellez Senior Director of Marketing: Sandra Sims Copyright © 2025 Sojourners. All rights reserved. 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