Events
Our briefings provide policymakers, advocates, and organizers with the educational tools they need to understand emerging issues, explore policies that help our communities thrive, and learn how our government works.
These events feature movement leaders, advocates, policy experts, and more.
Billions for Bombs, Pennies for the People
Every year, Congress and the White House add hundreds of billions of dollars more to the war budget, while underfunding health care, food assistance, clean water, and more. The current budget for the Pentagon is a whopping $1 trillion. For next year, Congress is planning to add a record-breaking $500 billion more, bringing total spending on war to $1.5 trillion!
In just weeks, Congress will vote on this unprecedented war budget. That’s why we’re convening experts to discuss how corporate greed drives our militarized budget, the real-life impacts, where we could fund our communities instead, and next steps to oppose this egregious war spending.
Join We Build Progress on Thursday, June 18, 2026 from 2:00-3:00 PM ET for our briefing: Billions for Bombs, Pennies for the People. At a moment when people are struggling to afford groceries, pay medical bills, and send their kids to school, we’ll break down what fuels the war machine and what it would take to craft a budget that funds human needs—not death and destruction.
Past Events
Doge Double Standard: Billions for Bombs, Pennies for the People
June 25, 2025
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The Trump Administration’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) is masquerading as a cost-cutting project that, in reality, boosts billionaires’ profits at our expense. This phenomenon shows up explicitly at the Pentagon, which continues to reap budget boosts while failing repeated audits, sinking taxpayer dollars into wasteful weapons, and boosting the bottom line for corporate profiteers like Space X. At the same time, DOGE and Congress have put human needs like health care and education on the chopping block.
Our briefing with Savannah Wooten from Public Citizen, Lindsay Koshgarian from the Institute for Policy Studies, and Naveed Shah from Common Defense explores how DOGE is using “efficiency” as a cover to slash programs we rely on, while boosting the profits of billionaires.
Resisting the Rollback: Defending Public Education with Resolve and Resilience
April 30, 2025
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This briefing brings voices from across the education landscape into a discussion about the real-world impacts of current threats to K-12 and higher education, and how educators, students, and communities are navigating these challenges and responding with resilience.
Firings, Freezes, and Fallout: How the Trump Administration is Harming Local Communities
April 23, 2025
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From cuts to chaos to crackdowns, the Trump Administration has already had a devastating impact on local communities. The Trump Administration has frozen funding for essential programs families rely on, fired thousands of federal workers delivering critical services, suspended transformative clean energy infrastructure projects, and threatened lasting cuts to Medicaid and social services. In this livestreamed briefing, we broke down why gutting the federal government is putting our families and communities at risk. This briefing was hosted by the Congressional Progressive Caucus Center, Democracy Forward, American Federation of Government Employees, Local Progress, and Indivisible.
Reconciliation Rundown: Understanding the Basics of Budget Reconciliation
March 6, 2025
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Republicans are gearing up to move their agenda through Congress via “reconciliation”—the same process they used during the first Trump administration to slash the corporate tax rate and give breaks to the top 1 percent. Understanding reconciliation is essential for tracking the GOP’s policy plans, anticipating impacts on the rest of us, and holding lawmakers accountable to the people they serve.
We broke down what you need to know about reconciliation and what it means for our communities. We explained why this process matters, discuss history’s lessons learned, and answer YOUR questions! We heard from:
Trisha Maharaj, Associate Policy Director, Indivisible
Bobby Kogan, Senior Director of Federal Budget Policy, Center for American Progress
Ben D'Avanzo, Senior Strategist, Health and Economic Policy, National Immigration Law Center
Catherine Rowland, Legislative Affairs Director, Congressional Progressive Caucus Center (Moderator).
The Bottom Line: What the Tax Debate Means for You
January 30, 2025
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Congress’ upcoming tax fight will impact economic inequality, corporate power, workers, the climate crisis, and—critically—your finances. We gathered experts from across the movement to break down what’s at stake for working families and shared tools to stay informed as Congress crafts the future of our tax laws.
Protecting Workers in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
February 15, 2024
FISA Section 702: Risks, Reforms, and the Road Ahead
April 8, 2026
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The briefing covered Section 702 of FISA, which allows intelligence and law enforcement agencies to search through billions of warrantlessly acquired international communications. These agencies compel electronic communications companies to hand over the data of non-U.S. persons (meaning non-U.S. citizens or residents) outside the U.S. Many Americans’ Fourth Amendment-protected conversations are swept up “incidentally.”
Our briefing also discussed the data-broker-loophole, which allows the U.S. government to purchase Fourth Amendment-protected data directly from data brokers who harvest data from companies such as Verizon, AT&T, and Meta.
Trade Priorities: Putting Working Families First in USMCA Review
September 16, 2025
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As the mandatory, six-year review approaches for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the successor to NAFTA, working families and communities across the United States are demanding a seat at the table. The USMCA review offers the chance to fix the trade deal’s significant problems – or exit the pact altogether. Find out how improving the USMCA can help raise wages, strengthen rural communities, halt the offshoring of good paying jobs, and stop abuses by Big Tech and global corporations – and how lawmakers and policy makers can play a role in amplifying the voices of workers, unions and communities.
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Will AI’s rise transform our workplaces? What does technological change mean for the fight to protect workers’ rights and amplify their voices? Join the Congressional Progressive Caucus Center (CPC Center), the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), and special guests for “Protecting Workers in the Age of AI,” a virtual conversation on the implications of Artificial Intelligence for the future of work.
See the recording with Spanish interpretation here.
Due Process Denied: How the Trump Admin's Immigration Policies Threaten Our Civil Rights
July 10, 2025
Watch the Spanish recording here.
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The Trump administration’s immigration agenda is rooted in denying due process, tearing communities apart, and suppressing dissent. These attacks aren’t just about immigration—they’re part of a broader assault on civil rights and democratic norms that threaten us all. Watch a timely conversation on the deepening harms of Trump’s enforcement regime, the lasting impact on families, the Republican reconciliation law that will further entrench this dangerous system—and learn about the powerful work frontline organizations are doing to defend civil rights and justice for all. We're joined by:
Special Guest Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal
Kica Matos, President, National Immigration Law Center
Neha Desai, Managing Director of Children's Human Rights & Dignity, National Center for Youth Law
Lisa Sherman Luna, ED, Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC)
Katherine Eyster, Chief of Staff, CPC Center
The Federal Reserve Under Threat: Protecting Independence and Advancing Progressive
September 19, 2025
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The Federal Reserve's independence is under attack. Undermining the Fed risks more than market instability—it threatens working families with higher borrowing costs, weaker job security, and reduced accountability to the public. This briefing brings together leading experts to unpack the dangers of political interference to the Fed's independence, and to highlight the reforms needed to ensure the Fed is not only independent, but also transparent, democratic, and committed to sustaining a high-pressure economy that delivers for workers.
Resist and Reimagine: Lessons from the Labor Movement on Fighting Authoritarianism
December 10, 2025
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This year, we’ve seen the Trump Administration weaken federal agencies and programs that protect workers’ rights, mass fire federal employees, and launch unprecedented attacks on our civil liberties. But there has also been inspiring resistance. Unions and labor leaders have been at the forefront of resistance: defending the right to unionize, protecting immigrant workers, and advocating for the students, patients, and communities they serve. Our speakers uplift the bold and innovative campaigns unions across the country are leading to build power and grow solidarity when our movement needs them most.
Resist and Reimagine: Lessons from Minnesota on Fighting Authoritarianism
February 12, 2026
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Organizers and community members in Minnesota are transforming crisis into action and tragedy into solidarity. Join us for a conversation with labor and community leaders from Minnesota, including special guest Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-5). They’ll share practical lessons for fellow organizers on organizing in the midst of crisis, rapid response, economic solidarity actions, and how Minnesota’s experience can help other communities prepare to protect each other. Don't miss this community conversation hosted by We Build Progress, TakeAction Minnesota, Minnesota AFL-CIO, People’s Action, Faith in Action, Faith in Minnesota, Women's March, Inquilinxs Unidxs por Justicia, and Indivisible!