Welcome to the Truth and Action Roundup, a reliable source of information, inspiration, and action for the post-election period. Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up here to continue receiving it.

Today is Monday, Jan. 6, 14 days before Inauguration Day. In today’s Truth and Action Roundup, we report on the proceedings in Congress today to officially count the electoral votes and certify President-elect Donald Trump as the next president in the shadow of the violent insurrection he helped incite four years ago, cover President Biden’s ban of offshore drilling along most of the U.S. coastline, and look at the political situation in Canada as embattled Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resigns as his party’s leader. We also offer an opportunity to join an organizing call tonight focused on ensuring U.S. senators properly scrutinize Trump’s cabinet nominees. Finally, we offer our “Deep Breaths” spiritual resources to equip you for the days ahead.

— Rev. Adam Taylor, Sojourners

In the News

Here’s what we know at the time of writing:

1) Congress convenes today, as required by law, to count the electoral votes from all 50 states and the District of Columbia — and officially certify Trump as the winner of the 2024 presidential election. At the time of writing, the process is expected to unfold free of violence, controversy, or procedural drama, setting it in stark contrast to Jan. 6, 2021, when Trump’s denial of his loss to Joe Biden and false claim of a stolen election incited violence and chaos. As a result of the 2021 insurrection, Congress made several important revisions to the certification process by passing the bipartisan Electoral Count Reform Act in 2022. The ECRA makes it more difficult for members of Congress to challenge a state’s election results by raising the threshold for initiating a challenge to 20% of the members in each chamber. Previously it only took a single member from each chamber to force debate on a given state’s results. The ECRA also clarifies that the vice president’s role in presiding over the count is purely ministerial, after Trump unsuccessfully pressured his vice president, Mike Pence, to reject the 2020 results. Today’s proceedings are also taking place under a heightened level of security usually reserved for a presidential inauguration.

2) Today, Biden banned new offshore oil and gas drilling along most of the U.S. coastline, protecting about 625 million acres of ocean. The move comes as Biden attempts to protect his legacy on combating climate change from the incoming Trump administration and Republican-controlled Congress, which have signaled a desire to roll back many of Biden’s climate efforts. Biden’s move to protect ocean areas from offshore drilling is the largest ever and may take an act of Congress to reverse.

3) Justin Trudeau resigned today from his position as the leader of Canada’s ruling Liberal Party, announcing that he will remain prime minister until a new leader is chosen. The move comes amid Trump’s threats to implement tariffs on Canadian goods, the resignation of key Trudeau allies, and polls that show his party trailing the Conservative Party by more than 20%. Canada must hold its next parliamentary election no later than October 20.

Take Action

Don’t Obey in Advance: Faith-Based Call to Action to Save Democracy. On Jan. 6, the fourth anniversary of the attack on the U.S. Capitol, join faith leaders at 8 p.m. EST for an organizing call on how faith communities can ensure that all cabinet nominees are highly qualified to perform their duties and are committed to upholding the Constitution. The call will also feature spiritual grounding as we prepare for activism in the years ahead. Sojourners is one of several organizations co-sponsoring this call.
Tell the Senate: Take vetting Trump's nominees seriously. Sign the petition urging the Senate to fulfill their responsibility to thoroughly vet Trump’s cabinet nominees now! Sojourners is one of several organizations co-sponsoring this letter.

Deep Breaths

Today's spiritual nourishment is drawn from Sojourners’ daily Verse and Voice newsletter.

Verse of the day:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. — Proverbs 3:5-6

Voice of the day:
I want to make a New Year's prayer, not a resolution. I’m praying for courage. — Susan Sontag, As Consciousness Is Harnessed to Flesh (2012)

Prayer of the day:
God, grant us the courage to trust you fully, knowing you will guide our paths this year.

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
Senior Director of Campaigns and Mobilizing: Sandy Ovalle Martínez
Director of Congregational Outreach & Education: Rev. Andrea Saccoccio
Digital Communications Associate: Lexi Schnaser
Senior Director of Marketing: Sandra Sims

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