RESULTS Weekly Update June 21, 2022

Quote of the Week

“I think that more and more people are turning to advocacy organizations because we believe policy changes are the most effective solution to issues like climate change, wealth inequality and the spread of disease.”

– RESULTS St. Louis volunteer Arushi Katyal in a June 9 letter to the editor in The St. Louis Jewish Light

Table of Contents

• Keep talking about the Child Tax Credit with lawmakers
• Global nutrition co-sponsors needed in Senate
• Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty
• Announcements
• Upcoming Events
• Grassroots Resources

Keep talking about the Child Tax Credit with lawmakers

This month, RESULTS advocates around the country are meeting with their members of Congress to talk about poverty. Many of you are meeting with offices to talk about extending an expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) to reduce poverty while building support for RESULTS’ long-term goal of building broad bipartisan support for a robust monthly CTC.

Last Tuesday, over 100 RESULTS volunteers held dozens of lobby meetings in Washington, DC, to talk about the CTC, focusing on both the short-term goal of extending the expanded CTC and the long-term goal of building broad bipartisan support to reduce child poverty. Advocates had a powerful day on the Hill. We urge you to continue that momentum by meeting with your members of Congress back home. Congress will be in DC this week but then back home from June 27-July 8. Make the most of this time by requesting face-to-face meetings with them to talk about the CTC. If you cannot meet with members themselves, set up meetings with their tax aides.

An update: Last Friday, President Biden confirmed reports that the CTC (Child Tax Credit) is unlikely to be included in a reconciliation package. This makes the longer-term work of building broad bipartisan support for the CTC even more critical. Luckily, there is growing bipartisan interest in reducing child poverty via monthly payments, with a new proposal from Sens. Mitt Romney (R-UT), Richard Burr (R-NC), and Steve Daines (R-MT) released last week. With these latest developments, your lobby meetings and follow-up in the coming weeks can make a big impact!

TAKE ACTION: Here are the actions you can take to help with the Child Tax Credit this year:

• For Democrats. Ask them to speak to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), telling them to make the extension of the CTC with permanent full refundability and the monthly payment option a priority in legislation this year. Given the news that negotiators will not include the CTC in reconciliation, ask what their plan is to get this done in 2022.
• For Republicans. Ask them to review the new “Family Security Act 2.0” proposal (see overview in Quick News) from Sens. Mitt Romney (R-UT), Richard Burr (R-NC), and Steve Daines (R-MT). RESULTS does not have an official position on the proposal (we like some parts, have serious concerns about others), but we’re seeing our legislators’ feedback. This is our chance to build support amongst conservative members of Congress, knowing that Congress is likely to revisit bipartisan tax legislation later this year.
• For all. Attend the Child Tax Credit Legislative Update and General Office Hour at 1 pm ET on Wednesday, June 22. Join with no registration required.

Please see our Advocacy Month Resources page for all the materials you need to schedule, prepare, and execute powerful lobby meetings this month – including talking points for different policymakers, a long-term CTC leave behind document, and an updated background memo. In addition, RESULTS policy staff will host a special Legislative Update/General Office Hour tomorrow, June 22, at 1 pm ET to talk through the latest developments and answer questions. Feel free to contact RESULTS staff with additional questions or for specific lobby coaching.

Global nutrition co-sponsors needed in Senate

As news coverage of the global malnutrition crisis continues fairly relentlessly, we are persisting in our work on global nutrition legislation and need the Senate to step into leadership. The Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act of 2021 focuses on interventions that work and aren’t cost-prohibitive: prenatal vitamins, breastfeeding support, vitamin A supplementation, and emergency therapeutic foods. After receiving more than 100 bipartisan co-sponsors, the House of Representatives passed the Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act of 2021 earlier this year. We need the same to happen in the Senate, and that first means co-sponsorship. You can use our global May/June Action Sheet to help you speak to your senators so that the Senate bill is also successful and the process moves forward. You can also read up on the issue of global malnutrition – what’s at stake and what the world can do about it – with this backgrounder.

TAKE ACTION: Write to your senator, calling on them to co-sponsor life-saving legislation, the Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act (S.2956). The House has already passed its version of the bill and the Senate must follow suit. The policies in this legislation will make U.S. nutrition assistance more effective and help make sure that every child in the world has a chance to not only survive, but thrive.

Quick News

Media hooks of the week. To help you in your media advocacy, here are suggested media “hooks” this week to use in letters to the editor:

• U.S. Poverty: Sen. Mitt Romney has released his own plan to expand the Child Tax Credit. It has serious flaws, but it is a place to start. And it is proof that, if they work for it, Democrats and Republicans can come together to enact a permanent child allowance that helps all low-income families and cuts child poverty in half.
• Global Poverty: Inflation, unrest, drought, and the lingering effects of the pandemic – all are colluding to exacerbate global malnutrition. Your letters to the editor will feel sharply relevant amidst today’s news cycle. Write and submit today.

New Family Security Act introduced. Last week, Senators Mitt Romney (R-UT), Steve Daines (R-MT), and Richard Burr (R-NC) released the Family Security Act 2.0 (FSA), a new child allowance proposal similar to the Child Tax Credit (CTC). The FSA provides a $4,200/yr. refundable tax credit for children 5 and under and $3,500 per year for children 6-17 (plus $700/month to families during the final 4 months of pregnancy). These amounts are higher than the expanded CTC in 2021. But the FSA does exclude the lowest income families from the full credit and it is paid for with cuts to other provisions that help low-income families. RESULTS commends these senators for moving forward the conversation about reducing child poverty and hope this will help spur efforts to pass a bipartisan, permanent child allowance for all low-income families. Read more about the FSA in our June 16 RESULTS reconciliation blog post and in a new post by Senior Associate David Plasterer.

Announcements

Thank you to advocates who came to DC. Last week, over 100 RESULTS volunteers came to Washington, DC, to meet with congressional offices. They pushed lawmakers to support the Child Tax Credit, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria, and the Global Malnutrition Treatment and Prevention Act. Lawmakers were informed and advocates were inspired. We thank all the advocates for attending this event and for making their voices heard.

Please complete your lobby reports. Most of you have done or will be doing lobby meetings this month to talk about child poverty, global health, and global nutrition. Once you finish a lobby meeting, please designate someone to complete the RESULTS Lobby Report Form. These reports are critical in helping us understand where your lawmakers stand on these issues. They help us plan the most effective next steps to turning advocacy into policy. After each meeting, please complete the form with as much detail as possible. If you have questions, please contact us.

Vote for your next RESULTS Grassroots Board Member. RESULTS/RESULTS Educational Fund are looking to fill one of the four Grassroots Board Member positions to serve a term of three years beginning in August 2022. Grassroots Board Members represent the interest of our grassroots volunteers on the Board of Directors and on the Executive Committee of the Board. We have three exciting candidates running for the open position. For information on all the candidates and how to vote, please check out our blog. Voting ends Thursday, June 30 at 11:59 pm ET.

Mark your calendars for July 14 Advocacy Month celebration! Instead of our normal National Webinar on July 9, we will hold a special hour-long “celebration” webinar on July 14 to delight in your accomplishments from Advocacy Month. Again, the event will be Thursday, July 14 at 8:00 pm ET. Register today! If you registered for a previous monthly National Webinar, you don’t need to register for this event; we already have you on the list.

June Policy Forums update. In lieu of traditional policy forums this month, RESULTS policy staff will host a special Legislative Update/General Office Hour tomorrow, June 22, at 1 pm ET to talk through the latest developments (particularly on the Child Tax Credit) and answer questions. Join without registration.

Upcoming Events

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

Unless otherwise noted, registration ends one hour prior to the start of all webinars and trainings.

RESULTS Advocacy Month, May 30 – July 8. Learn more on our website.

Tuesday, June 21: Together Women Rise Advocacy Chapter with RESULTS, 8:30 pm ET. Check out more information.

Wednesday, June 22: Legislative Update (particularly on Child Tax Credit) and General Office Hour, 1:00 pm ET. Join with no registration required.

U.S. and Global Poverty Free Agents meetings resume in July.

Monday, July 4: Independence Day holiday. All RESULTS offices closed.

Thursday, July 14: Advocacy Month celebration, 8:00 pm ET. Register today!

Tuesday, July 19: Together Women Rise Advocacy Chapter with RESULTS, 8:30 pm ET. Check out more information.

Wednesday, July 20: RESULTS Action Network Managers webinar, 12:30 pm ET and 8:00 pm ET. Register for the afternoon or the evening session.

Grassroots Resources

Learn about the RESULTS Experts on Poverty.

Find actions and volunteer resources on our Volunteers Hub, including our anti-oppression resources. To join the RESULTS listserv for more RESULTS conversation, send an email to [email protected].

Remember to please report your recent advocacy successes in lobby meetings, media, and outreach activities. Also, use our Volunteer Information Form to add or edit volunteer info and to sign up for updates and alerts.

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.