Truth and Action Roundup 7.04.25

View this email in your browser Welcome to the Truth and Action Roundup, a reliable weekly source of information, inspiration, and action for the second Trump administration. Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up here to continue receiving it. This July Fourth presents an opportunity to reflect on the vision of the United States as envisioned by those who have rejected both the creedal faith of the Declaration of Independence and the acknowledgment of the divine in every person. This is not the first time we’ve been faced with this vision. While there are many precedents, resistance in the name of liberation also has a long history.  While there is solace in knowing the history of resistance, it is not enough to rest on the belief that everything will be made right. We must remember that every moment is contingent upon the choices we make today. The moral clarity we display in our actions shall shape the story of our country going forward.  — Rev. Moya Harris and Chad Stanton, Sojourners  In the News Here’s what’s been happening this week: 1) The Congress passed a budget reconciliation bill, codifying much of the Trump Administration’s domestic agenda after a week of negotiations and protests. These culminated in Rep. Hakeem Jeffries’ ‘magic minute’ - a prolonged speech intended to delay the final vote. Without changes, the law is expected to leave thousands without healthcare and food support and will also increase funding for immigration enforcement and detention. 2) Currently, we see the Trump administration continuing to escalate its targeted attacks on migrant communities. The first detailed account of the conditions of detention for people detained at CECOT, the camp in El Salvador being used by the Trump administration, as described by Kilmar Abrego García, is troubling. We also continue to see a build in detention capacity for U.S.-run facilities here and at Guantanamo Bay, with the administration promoting a detention facility built in a Florida swamp as a “deterrent.” Meanwhile, the Trump administration is intensifying its efforts to denaturalize citizens, with threats especially directed at presumptive Democratic mayoral candidate for New York, Zohran Mamdani. 3) We’ve also seen the administration attempt to revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian migrants despite ongoing dangers in their homeland. A federal judge has blocked this move. This action, along with the fallout from the cancellation of development aid by USAID, has been garnering increasing attention. Reports have emerged from whistleblowers deployed there, indicating that U.S. contractors in Gaza firing live rounds at civilians seeking aid. Meanwhile, Israel has been accused of using hunger as a weapon, amid ongoing speculation about peace negotiations with Hamas. Take Action Please join allies and CASA at the U.S. District Court for another hearing in Kilmar's case. Kilmar is currently detained in Tennessee and Judge Xinis of the U.S. District Court in Maryland will be hearing arguments to bring Kilmar to Maryland. You can RSVP here. The Human Rights Campaign is also leading a campaign calling on Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem to cease their wrongful abductions and return Andry José Hernández Romero and others like them safely and immediately. What We’re Reading I'm Not Letting Christian Nationalists Ruin My July Fourth | “I think it’s a mistake for us to cede patriotism to those who turn it into a poisonous blend of nationalism and ethnocentrism.” (By Adam Taylor) The Big Blasphemous Bill | The GOP’s sweeping legislation would make it official: The economy is America’s god, and people will be sacrificed on its altar. (By C. Andrew Doyle) The Christian Rapper Who Thinks You’re Loving The Wrong Neighbor | “You don't know Jesus 'til you see him in your enemy.” (By Josiah R. Daniels) Deep Breaths  Whose Independence? Today, America celebrates independence with parades and fireworks, proclaiming freedom from tyranny. But we must ask open and honest hearts: freedom for whom? How can a nation celebrate liberty while enacting policies that deny life and dignity to so many? Even now, Congress has approved a budget that cuts Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP, and WIC—lifelines for children, elders, disabled neighbors, and working families. These are not just numbers on a ledger; these are human lives. Reducing them is not responsible budgeting; it is government-sponsored cruelty. At the same time, the Supreme Court makes decisions that erode birthright citizenship and redefine who is considered “one of us.” These actions are not accidental—they are part of a calculated plan to return to a time when only wealthy, straight, cisgender white men had full rights. How dare we celebrate independence while writing oppression into our laws? The prophet Zechariah calls us out: “Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another; do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the migrant*, or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another. (Zechariah 7:9-10 NRSVUE) Proverbs warns: “If you close your ear to the cry of the poor, you will cry out and not be heard.” (Proverb 21:13 NRSV) Isaiah declares: “Woe to those who make unjust laws… to deprive the poor of their rights.” (Isaiah 10:1–2 NIV) If our freedom depends on the oppression of others, it is not freedom—it is tyranny in a new form. So today, let us choose not to participate in a hollow celebration that ignores these truths. Let us remember that true freedom is collective. It cannot belong solely to the privileged few. It must extend to the poor, the immigrant, the disabled, the marginalized—everyone made in God’s image. As people of faith and conscience, let us demand budgets that uphold life, laws that honor dignity, and leaders who prioritize justice over indifference. Because a nation is judged by how it treats the least of these. These words are trustworthy and true. May we not only remember them but live by them. — Rev. Moya Harris, Director of Racial Justice, Sojourners *My word choice. The Truth and Action Roundup is compiled by Sojourners staff: President: Rev. Adam Russell Taylor Senior Research Associate: J.K. Granberg-Michaelson Digital Content and Community Specialist: Kassandra Tapia Chief Program and Impact Officer: Bryan Epps Political Director: Chad V. Stanton Director of Racial Justice: Rev. Moya Harris Digital Education and Outreach Specialist: Cortnie Brooks Mobilizing and Policy Assistant: Miriam Tellez Senior Director of Marketing: Sandra Sims Copyright © 2025 Sojourners. All rights reserved. Email: sojourners@sojo.net | Tel.: 202.328.8842