Support the site
We the People is free for every reader and always will be. Type a bill number, get what it does, who is behind it, who is voting for it, where the money is, and what happens next. Free for you is not free to run. This page is the honest bill.
I cover the first 50 readers and every fixed cost myself: the domain, the server, the database, the software I build with. About $400 a year, out of pocket. The fundraiser covers everything beyond that: every reader after the first 50, getting the word out, launching the apps, building a community, making the project official, and buying the hours to ship features on a schedule instead of when life allows.
Accounts are capped at what we can afford. Every dollar raised opens more spots.
Where the money goes
AI explanations
2¢ to 5¢
per new bill, written by Claude from the bill text and the official summary. Short version or full breakdown. Cached after the first read, so nobody pays twice.
Server and database
24 / 7
A paid plan keeps the site awake and fast instead of sleeping between visits. Accounts, favorites and watchlists live in a database.
AI build tools
monthly
The coding assistants and API usage I build with. One person with good tools ships like a small team.
My time
hours
Every feature on the roadmap is hours. Funded hours ship on a schedule. Unfunded hours ship when life allows.
The government data itself (Congress.gov, GPO, the House Clerk, the Senate) is free. Per-explanation costs measured on this site, November 2026.
What your donation buys
$2
Every bill they look up, explained in plain English.
$20
A whole group chat, covered.
$100
A year of the Apple developer account the iOS app needs.
$1,000
Developer accounts and build tooling for iOS and Android.
A reader costs about six new bills a month at about 3¢ each. Most of every dollar runs and grows the site; a part-time stipend lets me ship features on a schedule.
The goal
| What the fund pays for | Amount |
|---|---|
| Growth to 1,000 readers: AI explanations plus bigger server and database tiers | $4,500 |
| Promotion: ads and Upwork help with social, design and outreach | $9,600 |
| Community: watch parties, streaming tools, Telegram and Facebook groups | $1,000 |
| iOS and Android apps: developer accounts and build tooling | $1,000 |
| LLC and nonprofit formation, 501(c)(3) filing | $4,000 |
| AI build tools: the coding assistants and API usage I build with | $4,800 |
| Builder time: a part-time stipend, about 10 hours a week, to ship a feature every month | $12,000 |
| Payment fees and a cushion for traffic spikes around big votes | $3,100 |
| Total | $40,000 |
Every cost line is doubled from the measured baseline so a good month never becomes a problem. I will post a monthly update with what was spent and what shipped.
Stretch goals
Goal
$40,000
A year of explanations for 1,000 readers, both apps in the stores, promotion, community, formation, and a part-time builder shipping a feature a month.
Stretch 1
$60,000
Build time doubles to about 20 hours a week, so features ship every two weeks. A part-time community and promotion lead runs the watch parties and the groups.
Stretch 2
$100,000
Senate votes at full depth, watchlist alerts, both apps polished, a Spanish version, and AI capacity for 10,000 readers.
Stretch funds are spent in this order. If a level is only partly reached, builder time is funded first, because hours are what the roadmap runs on.
What gets built next
A native iPhone app in the App Store: decode a bill, check a vote, and reach your reps from anywhere.
The same experience on Google Play, so nobody is left out because of the phone they carry.
A push notification or email the moment a bill you follow moves, with the plain-English version attached.
Every senator, every roll call, every party split, the same way the House works today.
Community
Watch parties on socials for the big floor days, with the bill decoded on screen while it happens. A Telegram group and a Facebook group for ongoing collaboration: what to decode next, what the site gets wrong, and how to reach your reps. Links will be posted here and on the fundraiser page as they go live.
If you can help with promotion, design, or community, that is worth as much as a donation. Reach out through the fundraiser page.
No ads. No party. No paywall. No spin. Reader-funded means the only people I answer to are the people using the site.
Who is building it
I built We the People because the laws that shape our lives are written in a language most of us were never taught to read. Everyone deserves to understand the laws that govern them, not just the people who can afford lawyers and lobbyists. If you believe that too, chip in what you can, then share this with one person who has ever said “I have no idea what Congress is doing.”