InProgress

from the Center for American Progress

In this edition:

• An inclusive, alternative vision to Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission
• Montana is one step closer to getting dark and corporate money out of its politics
• Persisting despite threats of deportation, DACA nurses are vital amid a national nursing shortage 
  

CAP offers an inclusive vision as an alternative to Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission

As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, Americans still believe that religious freedom is a cornerstone of U.S. democracy. Against that backdrop, the Trump administration’s creation of a Religious Liberty Commission in May 2025 has raised serious concerns among leading faith groups. The administration’s commission reflects a narrow ideological perspective that does not represent the extraordinary diversity of religions and beliefs in today’s America. At a moment when the nation should be renewing its commitment to the constitutional promise of liberty and equality for all, the commission risks advancing a vision of religious freedom that favors some voices while leaving out many others.

“Religious liberty only works when it is universal. The moment it becomes a privilege reserved for the majority, it stops being a right and becomes a tool of exclusion.” 

- Assemblyman Ravi S. Bhalla, New Jersey General Assembly, District 32

Together with the American Humanist Association, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Interfaith Alliance, the Center for American Progress has released a report that brings together diverse voices to present a clear and compelling alternative to the Trump commission. 

in the news

“Early Brief: What we’re watching” (The Washington Post)

Following the launch of the report, CAP hosted an event with the co-authoring organizations to make the case for a vision of religious liberty rooted in dignity and the Constitution.

Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) provided the closing remarks:

Montana’s fight against dark and corporate money is moving toward the ballot

There is big—and terrific!—news out of Montana in the fight to get dark and corporate money out of U.S. politics.

Organizers behind the Montana Plan faced a June 19 deadline to submit 30,121 valid signatures to get the measure on Montana’s November 3 ballot. Today, they announced that they have cleared the bar: 34,906 signatures have been declared valid by the state of Montana. That is comfortably above the number needed to qualify for the ballot. And organizers say they have submitted roughly 10,000 additional signatures that have not yet been processed.

Opponents may still try to challenge the measure before November. During the verification period, they can challenge signatures, including on the question of whether they were collected properly. But given the number already cleared, they would need to invalidate an extraordinary number of signatures to knock the measure off the ballot.

There is also a second possible challenge. After the governor is notified that the measure is cleared, opponents have 10 days to go to the Montana Supreme Court and argue that the attorney general should not have cleared the measure for the ballot in the first place. But that path is very narrow.

The bottom line: This is very good news. The Montana Plan is now on a glide path to the ballot. The chances are excellent that Montana voters will have the chance on November 3 to take corporate and dark money out of their politics.

‘Alondra: A DACA Nurse Providing Care Despite Barriers’

Despite the many opportunities Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) has opened, recipients like Alondra still face barriers obtaining professional licenses and live under the threat of the Trump’s administration’s aggressive mass deportation efforts, which have resulted in DACA recipients being arrested and removed from the country. Alondra’s story highlights the obstacles DACA nurses face and her passion for serving as an emergency department nurse.

As demand for nurses continues to outpace supply, DACA recipients play a vital role in the nursing workforce, even as federal law limits their opportunities and legal challenges create ongoing uncertainty about their future. To safeguard the U.S health care system and protect the front-line workers helping to sustain it, lawmakers should remove state-level barriers to allow DACA recipients to enter the nursing profession and advance a pathway to citizenship.