John,

Over the holiday weekend, President Trump signed into law the budget bill that will drastically shape the direction of our country. While many are still unpacking the full scope of its impact, one thing is already clear: It could have been much worse without the voices of people like you.

In the face of enormous pressure and powerful interests, thousands of you responded to our calls to action. You called, emailed, and showed up to urge Congress to reject deeply troubling provisions — ones that would have ripped apart the very concepts of separation of powers and weakened the system of checks and balances our democracy depends on.

Because of your advocacy, the final bill did not include measures that would have:

• Empowered the president to reorganize or eliminate entire agencies without any congressional oversight.
• Weakened the authority of the courts by making it harder to enforce judicial rulings when the government is noncompliant.
• Gutted state laws on AI, blocking both current and future efforts to regulate tech responsibly for the next 10 years.

These provisions were removed. That’s no accident. That’s you!

We know that billionaires and the ultra-wealthy often have outsized influence, but your voice still matters. When we take action, we can shift the outcome.

We may not always win every fight, but we’re not powerless. Not when we show up.

Thank you for standing with us. We’ll keep working — alongside you — to protect and strengthen our democracy so it works for everyone. Because this democracy belongs to all of us, and together we will defend it.

In gratitude,
The Issue One Team