RESULTS Weekly Update January 18, 2022

Quote of the Week

“Sens. Roy Blunt and Josh Hawley must pass a CTC extension with permanent full refundability for all low-income families and the monthly payment option in early 2022.’’

– RESULTS St. Louis volunteer Sarah Miller in a January 16 letter to the editor in the Kansas City Star

Table of Content

• Keep pushing senators on BBB and the CTC
• Urge Congress to pass COVID-19 global health funding
• Join the January Policy Forums this Thursday
• Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty
• Announcements
• Upcoming Events
• Grassroots Resources

Keep pushing senators on BBB and the CTC

Last Friday, millions of American families checked their bank accounts to find that their Child Tax Credit (CTC) monthly payment was not there. The payments were a financial lifeline for the lowest-income children and families who had been ignored by policymakers for years. As noted by Columbia University researchers, these payments:

• Buffered family incomes amidst the continuing COVID-19 crisis
• Kept nearly 4 million children out of poverty
• Were spent on food and other basic needs
• Reduced food insufficiency, financial stress, and other hardships
• Did not reduce employment

Now that lifeline is gone. And the risks are real. Families are once again struggling to make ends meet and children lifted above the poverty line face falling below it again.

The worst part of this is that none of had to happen. The renewed hardships could have been easily avoided had the Senate passed the Build Back Better Act (BBB) in December. The bill calls for a one year extension of the new CTC (along with permanent full refundability of the credit), a one-year extension of the expanded Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), $25 billion for rental assistance, and $1.3 billion to help share the COVID-19 vaccine with other countries.

Sadly, opposition to BBB with its extension of the expanded CTC by 50 Senate Republicans and Democrat Joe Manchin (WV) has resulted in families getting no CTC payment this month. That will continue until one of them is convinced to support extending the CTC. That is not an insurmountable goal. Grassroots pressure is what can break this logjam. What will you do to convince your senator to get it done?

TAKE ACTION: Contact your senators and tell them to prioritize passing a CTC extension as part of their agenda over the next month. Here are actions that will help the most.

• If you have not connected with your Senate tax and housing aides in the new year, reach out to them this week and urge their bosses to take action now to pass a strong anti-poverty package that extends the 2021 EITC and CTC provisions (along with permanent full refundability of the CTC) expands rental assistance via the Housing Choice Voucher program.
• Get a letter to the editor published urging the Senate to extend the CTC now by passing BBB with the anti-poverty provisions we support. Share stories how the CTC payments are making a difference for families.
• Urge people you know to write to their senators today urging action on BBB and the Child Tax Credit now with our online action alert.

Our January 2022 U.S. Poverty Action has talking points and background to help with letters and you can also take action directly through our website. If you need help, please contact RESULTS staff for assistance. For the latest details on BBB, see the RESULTS Blog).

Urge Congress to pass COVID-19 global health funding

Omicron has shown once again that the COVID-19 pandemic won’t end until everyone has access to vaccines, treatments, and tools. We now have an opportunity to get us closer to that goal. There is a chance we can get Congress and the Administration to include supplemental funding for global vaccine access when they pass the final fiscal year 2022 (FY22) spending bills sometime before February 18, when the current continuing resolution (CR) expires. RESULTS is working with coalition partners like CARE, Partners in Health, and others to set up congressional meetings with key members of Congress before the February 18 deadline to advocate on the need for $17 billion in supplemental funding. You can support this campaign by writing letters to the editor calling on your members of Congress and the Administration to support the supplemental funding.

TAKE ACTION: Use our online media action to submit a letter to the editor today urging Congress to pass supplemental funding to continue the fight against COVID-19. Personalize your letter and if your member of Congress signed the December 2021 vaccines supplemental sign-on letter, please thank them in your letter. Also, share this action with others in your group and network and encourage them to submit their own personalized letters to the editor. If you want to learn more about the $17 billion supplemental, check out CARE’s fact sheet.

Join the January Policy Forums this Thursday

We are excited to kick off the year with an exciting slate of Monthly Policy Forums this Thursday, January 20. On our Global Forum, we are thrilled to have No White Saviors speak with us. They will be sharing their expertise as we explore advocacy that embraces solidarity with others through the lens of anti-oppression and equity. Because they are based in Uganda, which is eight hours ahead of the U.S. east coast, the global webinar will happen at 11:00 am ET.

On our U.S. Poverty Forum later that evening (8:00 pm ET), Emma Mehrabi, Director of Poverty Policy at the Children’s Defense Fund, will join the U.S. Forum to learn more how partners are approaching their advocacy for the passage of Build Back Better with its key, transformative anti-poverty policies. Please plan to attend one or both of these informative events.

TAKE ACTION: Register for Thursday’s Global Poverty Policy Forum (11:00 am ET) and U.S. Poverty Monthly Policy Forum (8:00 pm ET) today.

Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty

Tax filing season begins January 24. Our friends at CLASP have posted a new blog this week on what families need to know about the Child Tax Credit (CTC) in 2022, with a focus on the importance of filing a tax return this year to get the remaining half of their 2021 CTC payment. Also, remember that if you work in a low-wage job, are between the ages of 19 and 65, and are not raising children in the home, you will potentially qualify for a higher Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) when you file your 2021 taxes. Help spread the word about the importance of claiming these credits this tax season. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ 2022 EITC and CTC Outreach Toolkit can help!

Housing investments in Build Back Better are urgently needed. The affordable housing crisis will continue to be unabated this year, with housing costs, inflation, and evictions expected to continue rising. Long-term rental assistance, among other things, are sorely needed to combat these trends that harm struggling renters. Check out this article from the Bipartisan Policy Forum that briefly explains how housing costs contribute to inflation, with additional tools and resources that you can use for your advocacy.

Announcements

Please complete your Group Roadmaps by January 31. Annual group planning is one of the keys to RESULTS advocacy successes over the years, helping volunteers articulate the key roles and goals for building the political will to end poverty. Your 2022 Roadmaps build on your 2021 plans and successes. The 2022 Group Roadmap resources are available on our Working with Your Group page (under “Make your group plans”). Please complete your 2022 Roadmap by January 31. Contact Jos Linn ([email protected]) with any questions.

Register for anti-oppression training workshop. Following the anti-oppression audit conducted last spring, after continuous work over the last five years, we commit to continue to embark on this journey of becoming an anti-oppressive organization and volunteer network. The first of our anti-oppression workshops will be led by RESULTS volunteer advocate Dr. Christina B. Gunther, Ph.D. She will lead a 90-minute foundational workshop, “Diversity and Inclusion 101: Implicit Bias, Microaggressions and Understanding of Systemic Racism and Oppression.” The first offering is Saturday, February 5 at 3:00 pm ET following the National Webinar (register here). Seating is limited to 40 participants, so be sure to register as soon as you can! Learn more about the workshop and additional offering dates on the RESULTS Blog.

Report your advocacy actions for 2021! If you have outstanding lobby meetings, published media, or community outreach from 2021 that you have yet to report, please let us know about these exciting successes ASAP.

Upcoming Events

Congressional schedule. The House and Senate are in session this week.

Tuesday, January 18: U.S. Poverty Free Agents, 1:00 pm and 8:00 pm ET. If you are interested in joining, contact Jos Linn for more information.

Wednesday, January 19: Action Network Webinars, 12:30 pm ET and 8:00 pm ET. Register for the afternoon session or evening session. Registration ends one hour prior to each webinar. In 2022, Action Network webinars will take place every other month).

Thursday, January 20: Global Poverty Monthly Policy Forum with No White Saviors, 11:00 am ET (note special time).  Register here. Registration ends one hour prior to the webinar.

Thursday, January 20: U.S. Poverty Monthly Policy Forum with Emma Mehrabi of CDF, 8:00 pm ET. Register here. Registration ends one hour prior to the webinar.

Monday, January 24: Global Poverty Free Agents, 7:00 pm ET. If you are interested in joining, contact Lisa Marchal for more information.

Tuesday, January 25: At the Intersection of Global Health and Climate Change. 8:30 pm ET. Hosted by NPCA affiliate groups RPCVs for Environmental Action and Global Allies Program: Partners Ending Poverty with RESULTS. Register here. Registration ends one hour prior to the webinar. All welcome.

Wednesday, January 26: Motivational Interviewing Techniques, 9:00 pm ET. Register today. Registration ends one hour prior to the webinar.

Saturday, February 5: RESULTS National Webinar, 1:00 pm ET. Register today. Registration ends one hour prior to the webinar.

Saturday, February 5: Diversity and Inclusion 101: Implicit Bias, Microaggressions and Understanding of Systemic Racism and Oppression, 3:00 pm ET. This workshop is a foundational 90-minute workshop for all advocates in the RESULTS network. Register today. Registration ends one hour prior to the webinar.

Thursday, February 10: Global Allies Program for Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, 8:30 pm ET. Register today. Registration ends one hour prior to the webinar.

Thursday, February 10: Quarterly Call-in with Grassroots Board Members, 9:00 pm ET. Join via Zoom or by phone at (301) 715-8592, meeting ID 922 0921 5298, passcode 985046.

Saturday, February 26: Back to Our Roots – Connecting Policy to the BIPOC Community in a Historical Context, 12:00-4:00 pm ET. More information soon.

Weekend of June 4. RESULTS International Conference. Keynote speaker: Jelani Cobb of The New Yorker. More information soon on this virtual event.

Grassroots Resources

Learn about the RESULTS Experts on Poverty.

To update volunteer info (e.g., subscribe to the Weekly Update or action alerts, add new advocate information, update an existing advocate’s information or preferences), use our Volunteer Information Form.

Find actions and volunteer resources on our Volunteers Hub, including our anti-oppression resources.

Remember to please report your recent advocacy successes in lobby meetings, media, and outreach activities.

To join the RESULTS listserv for more RESULTS conversation, send an email to [email protected].

If you have a question, comment, or suggestion for the RESULTS/REF Board, please e-mail Lindsay Saunders at [email protected]. View Board minutes and Annual Reports.

RESULTS Staff directory and job postings.