End States, Signals & Who Must Act

Where each pillar is going - and how we'll know

The destination for each pillar, how we measure progress, what anyone can do, and exactly what those in power must do to get there.

How to read this page

What this is. Each pillar is laid out as a full chain. First the end state, the destination. Then the signals, the measurable ways we know the country is moving toward it. Then two tracks of action: what anyone can do, kept open and flexible, and what those in power must do, named and specific. The second track exists so the platform is not just a wish but a scorecard. When a bill is named, you can check whether your representatives backed it, and the signal tells you whether it worked.

How to read the two tracks. The Anyone can act line is an invitation: the same goal can be advanced by a mayor, an employer, an organization, a profession, or one person, each in the way that fits them. The ▸ power lines are obligations, sorted by who holds the lever: Congress, the administration and its agencies, states, and cities and counties. The Hold them to it line is the accountability question, the specific thing to ask of the people with power, paired with the signal that will reveal whether their action delivered.

On the named bills. Where real legislation matches, it is named. Where the platform goes beyond anything currently before Congress, the action is to introduce or champion it, and that is said plainly. Bill statuses are current as of mid-2026 and live in the platform's Work in Motion and Opposition sections; signal sources live in the companion reference and should be re-checked over time.

On the arc. Each pillar carries a short trajectory: roughly where the needle should be by a first term, within about a decade, and at the end state. These are markers of pace, not pass-fail gates. A missed marker triggers diagnosis first: is the pace wrong, the policy wrong, or the theory wrong? Sometimes the answer is push harder; sometimes it is redesign, and pretending those are the same would make this framework unfalsifiable. Numbers appear where the public data supports them and stay qualitative elsewhere, to avoid inventing precision we do not have.

Under each pillar, How we measure progress lists the specific signals we track: what is measured and which direction counts as progress, the official data source, and how often and at what geography it is reported. A signal marked indirect measure is a close stand-in used when the goal itself - like public trust or social connection - is hard to measure directly; when the stand-in moves, the real thing is consistent with moving, though a proxy cannot prove it: indirect signals are read alongside direct measures and competing explanations, never alone.

Human-Centered Democracy and Equal Representation

Read the Pillar 1 brief →

The end state

A democracy that is easy to participate in, hard to corrupt, and able to deliver. Every eligible citizen can register and vote without obstacle, representation reflects people rather than entrenched power, money cannot buy outcomes, and once the public decides, the government can carry it out.

The arc. By a first term, registration gaps stop widening and begin to close as automatic registration spreads, turnout rises where it has been lowest, and the small-donor share of money grows. Within a decade, registration of eligible citizens sits above ninety percent, high turnout is routine, and waits are short everywhere. At the end state, participation is easy and broad, corruption is hard, and government can deliver on what the public decides.

How we measure progress

Share of eligible citizens registered rising toward universal, with gaps between groups closing. Census Voting Supplement; each federal election; national and state.
Turnout rising, especially where it is lowest. Election Assistance Commission and state offices; per election; state and county.
Wait times and ballot-access obstacles falling.indirect measure EAC Election Administration and Voting Survey; biennial (coverage uneven).
Small-donor share of campaign money rising. Federal Election Commission; per cycle; national and state.
Public trust that elections are fair and government can act, rising.indirect measure Pew and Gallup; periodic; national.

Who must act

Anyone can act. A county clerk smooths access, a volunteer registers voters, a lawyer challenges a suppressive rule, a citizen votes and brings three neighbors.

CongressPass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, pass campaign-finance disclosure, and advance statehood for the District of Columbia.
Administration and agenciesEnforce the Voting Rights Act through the Justice Department and fund election security.
StatesAdopt automatic and same-day registration, expand early and mail voting, use independent redistricting, and match small donors.
Cities and countiesOpen enough polling places to cut wait times and administer elections nonpartisanly.

Hold them to it

Did your representative cosponsor the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Act? Did your state adopt automatic registration? The registration and turnout signals will show whether it worked.

A Government That Works

Read the Pillar 2 brief →

The end state

A mission-sized government that reviews, repairs, and modernizes itself as a matter of routine. Public systems are staffed to their mission, programs and tax breaks are retired when they stop serving a purpose, people can get what they need without fighting paperwork, and competence is the norm.

The arc. By a first term, a standing review cycle is established, the worst backlogs turn downward, and the first service dashboards go live. Within a decade, backlogs are routinely low, most major programs and tax breaks sit on a regular review, and people get what they need from government without a fight. At the end state, the government reviews and repairs itself as a matter of course, and competence is ordinary.

How we measure progress

Time to deliver core public services, benefits decisions, permits, claims, falling.indirect measure Agency administrative data, varies by program; mostly federal.
Backlogs in key systems falling, for example disability claims and immigration courts. SSA, EOIR, and TRAC; periodic; national.
Share of programs and tax expenditures reviewed on a set cycle, rising. (measurement gap) No standing source today; the Government Maintenance Act would create it.
Public satisfaction with federal services rising.indirect measure Federal Customer Experience surveys and the American Customer Satisfaction Index; periodic.

Who must act

Anyone can act. An agency publishes a live dashboard, a caseworker removes a redundant step, a state adopts a shared form, a resident reports a broken process so it gets fixed.

CongressPass a National Government Maintenance Act and a Tax Code Public Value Test, fund service delivery, reform permitting by staffing it rather than gutting standards, and protect the career civil service.
Administration and agenciesPublish service and backlog dashboards, clear backlogs, modernize digital services, and use AI for paperwork while people make the decisions.
States and localAdopt shared forms and modernize alongside federal partners.

Hold them to it

Did your member back the Maintenance Act and the Public Value Test? Are agency backlogs published and falling?

The Foundations of a Dignified Life

Read the Pillar 3 brief →

The end state

Everyone has the floor a free life requires, and the deepest barriers get the deepest investment. Health coverage is universal, comprehensive, and affordable - the full range of care, including mental health, dental, vision, and prevention - reached through a Swiss-style universal bridge and, as the clearest path, a public program like Medicare for All; care for children, elders, and the disabled is treated as infrastructure, and no one is bankrupted by illness or priced out of stability.

The arc. By a first term, the coverage gap stops growing and turns down as the subsidies are restored and automatic enrollment begins, with the uninsured rate heading back toward its prior low near eight percent. Within a decade, a Swiss-style universal system has taken hold: coverage is near-universal in the low single digits, losing coverage when you change jobs is rare, and medical debt is down by roughly half. At the end state, coverage is universal, comprehensive, and affordable - public, along the lines of Medicare for All - and medical bankruptcy is near zero.

How we measure progress

Continuous health coverage rising toward universal, and coverage lost when changing jobs falling. Census ACS and CMS; annual; state and county.
Medical debt falling. CFPB and Urban Institute credit-bureau data; annual; to county.
Illness-driven financial distress falling. Federal court bankruptcy data and KFF; annual.
Care cost as a share of family income falling while access rises. BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey and the DOL childcare price database; annual; state.
Highest-barrier communities closing the gap with everyone else (Barrier Reduction Index). Built from the sources above, sliced by income, race, and rural-urban.
Child poverty (Supplemental Poverty Measure) falling toward and below the 5.2 percent proved possible in 2021. Census Bureau SPM; annual; national and state.
Food insecurity among households with children falling toward the 2021 low, with the household survey restored and statutory. USDA/Census household food security survey; annual.
The share of fourth and eighth graders below Basic in reading and math falling, weighted to the lowest performers, and chronic absenteeism back below pre-pandemic levels. NAEP and state attendance data; biennial/annual.
Maternal mortality falling nationally, and the gap between restriction states and access states narrowing. CDC NCHS maternal mortality files; annual; state.
Student debt outstanding and the share of borrowers behind on payments falling. Federal Reserve and New York Fed household debt data; quarterly; national.
Workers paid below the minimum wage under 14(c) certificates falling toward zero. Department of Labor certificate data; periodic; national.

Who must act

Anyone can act. A clinic extends its hours, an employer adopts portable benefits, a caregiver's work is finally counted, a neighbor drives someone to an appointment.

CongressMake the enhanced ACA subsidies permanent, close the Medicaid gap, pass the Child Care for Working Families Act and paid family and medical leave, protect Medicare drug-price negotiation, and reverse the Medicaid and SNAP cuts.
Administration and agenciesBuild automatic-enrollment pathways, implement drug-price negotiation fully, and fund the public-health and care workforce.
StatesExpand Medicaid where they still have not, and adopt automatic enrollment.

Hold them to it

Did your member vote to extend the subsidies and against the Medicaid cuts? Did your governor expand Medicaid? Watch the coverage and medical-debt signals.

Build Enough, Build Well

Read the Pillar 4 brief →

The end state

The artificial scarcity is gone: the country builds what people need, fast and well, without gutting standards or handing the value to insiders. A normal job covers a decent home, transit and clean energy and public goods get built on schedule, and communities grow without displacement.

The arc. By a first term, homebuilding rises to meet household growth in the fastest-growing metros, rent as a share of income stops climbing, and the missing middle is legalized in a first wave of states and cities. Within a decade, the national housing deficit is closing and rent falls back toward thirty percent of income in most metros, with displacement low. At the end state, the deficit is gone, a typical job covers a decent home almost everywhere, and public investment returns value to the public.

How we measure progress

Homes built and preserved rising to catch up with household growth. Census Building Permits Survey and Housing Unit estimates; annual; state, metro, county.
Rent and home price as a share of local median income falling toward affordable. Census ACS and HUD; annual; county.
Time to permit a compliant project falling while standards stay intact.indirect measure Local permitting data where published; coverage uneven.
Displacement staying low in growing areas, by cost burden and eviction. ACS cost-burden data and the Eviction Lab; annual; county.
Public return captured on public investment rising. (measurement gap) No standing source today; depends on public-return tracking.

Who must act

Anyone can act. A city legalizes the missing middle, a builder goes modular, a land trust holds homes permanently affordable, a resident shows up to back a project instead of blocking it.

CongressDefend and extend the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, go further with the End Hedge Fund Control of American Homes Act, and tie housing funds to production and anti-displacement.
Administration and agenciesCondition federal housing and transit dollars on zoning reform and anti-displacement, and speed federal permitting by staffing it.
StatesLegalize the missing middle, allow by-right approval of compliant projects, and protect tenants.
Cities and countiesEnd single-family-only zoning, cut parking minimums, speed permits, and back community land trusts.

Hold them to it

Did your city legalize the missing middle? Did your member back the ROAD to Housing Act? Watch homes built and rent as a share of income.

Climate Renewal and Regional Resilience

Read the Pillar 5 brief →

The end state

Climate action has become renewal: the country runs on clean power and its communities can absorb the shocks already coming. Clean energy is cheap and abundant, homes and infrastructure withstand heat, flood, and storm, mitigation happens before disasters, and the transition has produced good jobs and cleaner air.

The arc. By a first term, the clean-energy share keeps climbing, the clean-energy credits are defended from repeal, mitigation funding is restored and rising, and emissions keep falling toward the roughly fifty-percent cut below 2005 levels the country has aimed at for 2030. Within a decade, clean power is a majority of generation, pre-disaster mitigation is a substantial share of disaster spending, and losses per person are falling. At the end state, power is clean and cheap, communities are resilient, and the transition has produced jobs and cleaner air.

How we measure progress

Clean energy share of generation rising and household energy cost burden falling. Energy Information Administration; monthly and annual; state.
Greenhouse-gas emissions falling. EPA; annual; state.
Disaster losses per person falling as resilient building rises. FEMA and NOAA; annual; county.
Pre-disaster mitigation rising as a share of total disaster spending. FEMA; annual; national and state.
Clean-energy jobs rising. DOE Energy and Employment Report and BLS; annual; state.
U.S. methane emissions falling on the path to the roughly one-third global cut by 2030. EPA Greenhouse Gas Inventory; annual.
Real recycling and reuse rates rising in producer-responsibility states, counting material only when it becomes material again. State EPR program reports (CalRecycle, Oregon DEQ, and peers); annual; state.

Who must act

Anyone can act. A utility adds clean capacity, a county adopts a resilience code, a homeowner hardens a roof, a worker trains for a clean-energy job.

CongressProtect the Inflation Reduction Act's clean-energy credits from repeal, fund a national resilience program, fund the Civilian Climate Corps, and clear the way for clean-energy transmission.
Administration and agenciesBuild out clean energy and transmission, and restore and fund pre-disaster mitigation through FEMA.
States and localAdopt clean-energy standards and resilient building codes, and decide who pays for new electricity load at the public utility commission.

Hold them to it

Did your member vote to protect the clean-energy credits? Did your state adopt a resilience code? Watch the clean-energy, mitigation, and disaster-loss signals.

Innovation With Public Return

Read the Pillar 6 brief →

The end state

When public investment helps create private value, the public shares in it, and innovation serves people rather than discarding them. Major subsidies carry public-return conditions by default, publicly funded breakthroughs like medicine stay affordable, and automation augments workers instead of displacing them without recourse.

The arc. By a first term, public-return and affordability conditions are attached to new major subsidies as the default, negotiated drug prices take effect and begin to widen, and a first AI-accountability framework is in place. Within a decade, public return is the norm on most major public investment, affordable publicly funded medicine is broad, and automation comes with real worker transition. At the end state, the public shares in the value it helps create, and innovation augments people rather than discarding them.

How we measure progress

Share of major public subsidies and contracts carrying public-return or affordability conditions, rising. (measurement gap) USAspending and the Federal Procurement Data System plus award terms; annual.
Prices of publicly funded, negotiated medicines falling and staying affordable. CMS drug price negotiation data; annual; national.
Public research investment sustained, and more of it reaching people as affordable products.indirect measure NSF and AAAS R&D data; annual (the reaching-people half is a stand-in).
Workers displaced by automation landing well, with transition support used. (measurement gap) BLS Displaced Worker Survey as a partial stand-in; no full measure yet.

Who must act

Anyone can act. An agency attaches a public-return clause, a university licenses a discovery affordably, an employer redeploys rather than discards workers, a displaced worker uses a transition benefit.

CongressMake public-return and affordability conditions the default on major subsidies, broaden Medicare drug negotiation and use march-in rights, and pass AI accountability with a worker-transition fund.
Administration and agenciesUse existing march-in authority on publicly funded medicines, attach return conditions to grants and contracts, and govern AI through the agencies.
StatesWrite AI and data-center rules while federal law is absent, and attach public return to state subsidies.

Hold them to it

Did your member back public-return conditions and AI accountability? Are negotiated drug prices falling?

Fair Markets, Fair Work, and Anti-Rent Extraction

Read the Pillar 7 brief →

The end state

Markets reward contribution, not extraction, and work provides a stable, dignified life. Workers can organize and are not trapped by noncompetes, wages and schedules and benefits are stable, monopoly and junk fees and rent-seeking are curbed, and ownership is broader.

The arc. By a first term, real wages rise fastest at the bottom, organizing and a noncompete ban advance, and the first junk fees are curbed. Within a decade, bargaining coverage and labor's share of income are climbing, broadened ownership is growing, and concentration is falling. At the end state, markets reward contribution over extraction, and work provides a stable, dignified life.

How we measure progress

Union and collective-bargaining coverage rising. BLS; annual; state.
Real wages rising, especially at the bottom, and labor's share of income rising. BLS and the Bureau of Economic Analysis; monthly and annual; state.
Schedule and income stability improving, by involuntary part-time work and income volatility.indirect measure BLS; monthly (volatility is partial).
Market concentration and junk fees falling.indirect measure Economic concentration indices and the CFPB; periodic.
Broadened ownership rising, for example employee ownership and assets at the bottom.indirect measure National Center for Employee Ownership and the Fed Survey of Consumer Finances; periodic.
Share of U.S. emissions carrying a real price rising, and pollution damage per dollar of output falling. EPA damage estimates; IMF fossil fuel subsidies update; annual; national.
Natural capital accounts funded and published on schedule, with a beyond-GDP dashboard released alongside GDP. Bureau of Economic Analysis SEED pilot accounts; annual; national.

Who must act

Anyone can act. A firm shares ownership with its workers, an employer drops noncompetes, a worker organizes, a regulator kills a junk fee.

CongressPass the PRO Act, the Workforce Mobility Act, the Social Security Expansion Act, and the Price Gouging Prevention Act, strengthen antitrust, and reward broadened ownership.
Administration and agenciesEnforce antitrust, restore the noncompete ban, kill junk fees through the CFPB, and back the labor board.
StatesBan noncompetes, pass fair-scheduling laws, and incentivize employee ownership.

Hold them to it

Did your member cosponsor the PRO Act and the Social Security Expansion Act? Watch union coverage, real wages, and junk fees.

Humane Safety, Justice, and Immigration

Read the Pillar 8 brief →

The end state

Safety that reduces harm and earns legitimacy, and an immigration system that is lawful, fast, and humane. The response fits the problem, crisis workers for crises and police for crime, the justice system is accountable and focused on prevention and reentry, and immigration runs quickly and humanely with real pathways.

The arc. By a first term, the immigration backlog stops growing and turns down as judges are funded, crisis-response coverage expands, and crime continues its decline. Within a decade, waits fall from years toward months, trained responders handle most crisis calls, and incarceration and recidivism drop while safety holds. At the end state, the response fits the problem and earns legitimacy, and immigration is lawful, fast, and humane.

How we measure progress

Violent crime and victimization falling while clearance rates rise. FBI UCR and NIBRS and the BJS victimization survey; annual; state.
Share of crisis calls met by trained crisis responders rising. (measurement gap) Emerging local 988 and co-responder data; not yet national.
Incarceration and recidivism falling while safety holds. Bureau of Justice Statistics; annual; state.
Immigration case backlog and average wait falling. EOIR and TRAC; monthly; national.
Detention falling relative to alternatives, and due-process access rising.indirect measure DHS and EOIR; periodic (coverage partial).
Share of eligible cases, especially youth cases, resolved restoratively, with reoffending and victim satisfaction tracked against standard prosecution. State court and juvenile-justice administrative data; periodic.
The safe-city drivers tracked directly: childhood blood lead levels falling, blighted lots remediated and streets lit in the highest-violence neighborhoods, shooting and homicide clearance rates rising, and youth summer employment rising. CDC blood-lead surveillance; city land-bank and utility data; FBI/local clearance data; BLS and city program data.
Firearm homicide and suicide rates falling, watched against the permit-to-purchase evidence base. CDC WONDER injury mortality data; annual; state.

Who must act

Anyone can act. A city funds co-responders, a court adds case management, an employer supports reentry hiring, a community helps newcomers settle.

CongressPass the Dignity Act and go further with a path to citizenship and a service-to-citizenship route, fund immigration judges to clear the backlog, pass police accountability, fund 988 and co-responders nationally, and reverse detention-only funding.
Administration and agenciesExpand alternatives to detention and due-process access, fund crisis response, and pursue pattern-or-practice oversight.
States and localFund co-responder and crisis teams, and reform bail and reentry.

Hold them to it

Did your member back the Dignity Act, court funding, and police accountability? Did your city fund co-responders? Watch crime, backlog, and detention.

Civic Life, Service, and National Renewal

Read the Pillar 9 brief →

The end state

Everyone has a real way to contribute, and the country is rich in the shared institutions that give people purpose and belonging. A national service path exists and is widely taken, service can earn things people value, and public spaces and civic life are abundant and used.

The arc. By a first term, national service stops shrinking and grows, with AmeriCorps funding restored and slots expanding from tens of thousands toward many more. Within a decade, a service path is widely available and taken, on the order of hundreds of thousands of positions, civic participation is rising, and a civilian service-to-citizenship route exists. At the end state, everyone has a real way to contribute, civic life is abundant, and belonging is rising.

How we measure progress

National service participation rising, in slots, applicants, and completion. AmeriCorps program data; annual; national and state.
Volunteering and civic-participation rates rising. Census Civic Engagement Supplement and AmeriCorps civic-life data; periodic; state.
Density of civic and community institutions rising.indirect measure Census County Business Patterns, civic and membership organizations; annual; county.
Social connection rising and loneliness falling.indirect measure Surgeon General and Gallup series; periodic; national.

Who must act

Anyone can act. A person serves a year, a town funds a library or a park, an employer offers paid service leave, a neighbor starts a group that did not exist before.

CongressFund and expand AmeriCorps and the Civilian Climate Corps rather than cut them, create a universal national-service pathway, and open a civilian service-to-citizenship route.
Administration and agenciesProtect and grow national service, and stand up the service corps.
States and localFund service programs, libraries, parks, and the civic spaces that build belonging.

Hold them to it

Did your member vote to fund, not cut, national service? Did your town fund the library or the park? Watch service participation and civic density.

Democratic Security in a Changing World

Read the Pillar 10 brief →

The end state

Security understood as resilience: the capacity to absorb shocks at home, with force used only as a democratically authorized last resort abroad. Critical supply chains, energy, public health, and infrastructure withstand disruption, alliances are strong and aid is held to one consistent standard, and war is debated and authorized rather than launched on one person's say-so.

The arc. By a first term, war-powers reform advances, reshoring of critical supply chains is underway, grid hardening is funded, and the human-rights standard is applied to security aid more consistently. Within a decade, domestic capacity in key sectors is substantially higher, the grid is more reliable, public-health surge capacity is rebuilt, and major uses of force routinely get a vote. At the end state, security means resilience, and force is used only as a democratically authorized last resort.

How we measure progress

Domestic capacity in critical sectors rising, for example semiconductors and essential medicines.indirect measure Commerce Department and sector agency data; periodic.
Grid reliability and energy security improving. DOE and EIA reliability metrics; annual; region.
Public-health preparedness capacity rising, in stockpiles, surge, and surveillance.indirect measure CDC and ASPR preparedness reporting; periodic.
Security assistance held consistently to the human-rights standard. (measurement gap) State Department vetting data is limited; consistency is not yet measured well.
Major uses of force authorized by Congress rather than undertaken alone. The public legislative record; per event.
National-scale resilience exercises run on schedule, with identified gaps fixed and recovery times improving. FEMA/DHS exercise program reporting; annual.

Who must act

Anyone can act. A manufacturer reshores a critical input, a utility hardens the grid, a public-health department builds surge capacity, a citizen presses their member of Congress for a war-powers vote.

CongressPass war-powers reform through the National Security Powers Act, fund supply-chain, energy, and biosecurity resilience, and demand an authorization vote before force is used.
Administration and agenciesReshore critical supply chains, harden the grid, build public-health surge capacity, and apply the human-rights standard to security aid consistently.
States and localHarden the grid and build public-health surge capacity.

Hold them to it

Did your member demand a war-powers vote and back resilience funding? Watch supply-chain capacity, grid reliability, and preparedness.

Abbreviations used on this page

ACA: Affordable Care Act (the 2010 health-coverage law)
ACS: American Community Survey (U.S. Census Bureau)
AVR: Automatic Voter Registration
BIA: Board of Immigration Appeals
BLS: Bureau of Labor Statistics
CBO: Congressional Budget Office (nonpartisan)
CFPB: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
CHIP: Children's Health Insurance Program
CMS: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
CRA: Congressional Review Act (lets Congress overturn a federal rule)
DOL: Department of Labor
FEC: Federal Election Commission
FTC: Federal Trade Commission
GAO: Government Accountability Office (nonpartisan)
IRA: Inflation Reduction Act (the 2022 law - not the retirement account)
KFF: KFF, independent health-policy research (formerly Kaiser Family Foundation)
M4A: Medicare for All
OBBBA: One Big Beautiful Bill Act (the 2025 budget-reconciliation law)
PAC: Political Action Committee
SNAP: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (federal food aid)
VRAA: Voting Rights Advancement Act

See the gaps still to close in The Unfinished Agenda, track the bills on the Platform Tracker, and follow the sources in the Evidence companion.