RESULTS Weekly Update June 6, 2023

Quote of the Week

“People in vulnerable circumstances especially rely on compassionate leadership for resources that allow them to live with dignity – resources that ensure access to healthy food, safe housing, and decent health care.”

– RESULTS staff person and West Virginia volunteer Joanna DiStefano in a May 28 letter to the editor in the Dominion Post

Table of Contents

• Ask your representatives to sign a crucial letter on tuberculosis
• Media 150: Debt ceiling deal cuts poverty programs, but we can fight to expand others
• Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty
• Announcements
• Upcoming Events
• Grassroots Resources

Ask your representatives to sign a crucial letter on tuberculosis

Advocates, we must create steady, positive pressure for the U.S. to be bold against the scourge of tuberculosis (TB). Why? Because TB, a disease of poverty, disproportionately burdens low- and middle-income countries. The world has experienced a severe setback in curbing TB due to resource diversion during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the WHO, 1.6 million people died of tuberculosis in 2021. Will you ask your representative to sign onto a bipartisan House letter asking the Administration to show necessary real leadership at this fall’s United Nations High Level Meeting on tuberculosis? We must redouble our efforts to call on the U.S. to show up against this disease.

TAKE ACTION: Watch and share this powerful short video on our tuberculosis campaign to get inspired. Then take action via our online action alert. Craft your personalized message and request that your representative sign onto this important bipartisan House tuberculosis letter to the Administration in advance of the United Nations High Level Meeting on tuberculosis this fall.

Media 150: Debt ceiling deal cuts poverty programs, but we can fight to expand others

Over the weekend, President Biden signed the Fiscal Responsibility Act into law. This bill raises the debt ceiling through the end of 2024 thus avoiding an economic catastrophe. But it comes at a cost. One is the new work reporting requirements for SNAP, which will put 750,000 older Americans at risk of losing food assistance. Another concern is the fact that non-defense discretionary spending is capped at current levels for the next two years. Because inflation makes administering programs more costly from year to year, cuts to services are likely. This could impact global health and education funding, as well as endanger domestic poverty programs such as Head Start and childcare assistance.

So, what’s next? We anticipate that House leaders will release a new tax proposal in the next few weeks. Reports are that it will make permanent the provisions from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 that will expire in 2025. Because the TCJA overwhelmingly benefitted wealthy Americans and corporations, making them permanent would be as reckless as the manufactured debt ceiling crisis we just endured.

Instead, House leaders should focus tax policy on helping workers and families. They can easily do this by expanding the full Child Tax Credit (CTC) to as many families experiencing poverty as possible. Also, increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for workers without children. Because their current EITC is too low, these are the only workers in the U.S. taxed into poverty each year.

TAKE ACTION: Use local media to turn Congress’ attention to helping workers and families in any new tax legislation. Submit a letter to the editor urging them by name to support expanding the CTC and EITC this year. Use our updated tax credit media alert as a template for your letter. If you need help, please contact Jos Linn for assistance. If you’re looking to do more than one letter, we also have letter templates on the debt ceiling deal or the End TB Now Act.

And thank you for your fabulous work on Media 150 campaign. With one month to go, you are already close to hitting our goal of 150 media pieces between April 1 and June 30 (see details below). Let’s shatter that goal with a huge June!

• Total pieces April 1-June 5: 139
• April media total: 59
• May media total: 75
• June media to date: 5
• Some of the topics covered: Child Tax Credit and/or Renter Tax credit (80); debt ceiling/budget cuts (39); U.S. poverty in general (9); global TB (7); SNAP/Farm Bill (5)

Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty

End Tuberculosis Now Act still needs co-sponsors. In the run-up to the fall United Nations High-Level Meeting on tuberculosis, ask your members of Congress to co-sponsor the End Tuberculosis Now Act. Help us create the kind of positive pressure that could make ambitious TB eradication efforts a reality. The legislation is open for co-sponsorship in both the House (H.R.1776) and the Senate (S.288).

Have you asked your member of Congress to be a READ Act co-sponsor? We are still working on securing co-sponsors for the READ Act (H.R.681, S.41). In the glow of graduation season, we are keenly aware that many around the globe don’t get access to the essential life building block of quality basic education. Make your co-sponsorship requests to Congress, highlighting why access to education is so important to you, and follow up a week later.

Media hooks for the week. Use the hook ideas below to submit a letter to the editor this week. If you need a template, use our online media actions to edit and submit your letter today.

• U.S. Poverty: Use the resolution of the debt ceiling crisis as a hook to tell lawmakers to focus on lifting people out of poverty, not pushing them in. They can start by expanding the Child Tax Credit.
• Global Poverty: Have you seen this brief video on tuberculosis and why we work on it as a campaign? This global scourge has a deep history intertwined with poverty, and that’s why we are working so hard to bring this disease to a halt. Use some statistics from this video explainer as starter text for your next letter to the editor.

Announcements

Vote in the Board election! Voting is open for two upcoming vacancies on the RESULTS Board. These seats are reserved for grassroots members of RESULTS, being your voices on the Board. We have three excellent candidates for to choose from. If you have not voted yet, please see our RESULTS Blog post for info on the candidates and how to vote. Voting ends June 28.

Join tomorrow’s webinar on in-person event planning.  This year, RESULTS wants to restart what has been an integral part of the RESULTS model for decades – in-person meetings and gatherings. After three years of Zoom meetings, we are hoping everyone will take an opportunity to step from behind the computer screen and get together with others this year (see our in-person events resource guide). To get a sense of what’s possible, read this new blogpost on RESULTS Triangle’s inspiring recent outreach event. To help you, we are hosting a webinar to discuss resources and strategies for events that enhance our goals for leadership development, outreach, fellowship, awareness, and skill-building. The webinar is tomorrow, June 7 at 8:00 pm ET. Be sure to register today!

Register for June policy forums. Join our June Policy Forums on Thursday, June 15. On the U.S. Forum at 8:00 pm ET, RESULTS Assistant Director for U.S. Policy Michael Santos will discuss the mechanics of a federal renter tax credit. On our Global Forum at 9:00 pm ET, RESULTS Manager of Global Health Partnerships Selamawit Bekele will facilitate an important discussion about combatting tuberculosis around the world. Register for the U.S. Forum and the Global Forum today.

Listen to the June webinar. Thank you to everyone who participated in last weekend’s National Webinar. It was a great webinar with excellent speakers. If you were not able to participate, here’s what you missed: an update on what happened in the debt ceiling deal, new resources and a role play on how to talk about the Child Tax Credit, a new TB letter has been released you can help promote, shares from volunteers on the RESULTS community inspiring their advocacy, breakouts on how to gather in person this year, and meeting the Grassroots Board candidates. View the webinar, slides, and transcript from the RESULTS website. It is well worth your time.

Remember our Outreach Action Sheets. If you are organizing an outreach meeting in the coming weeks, remember that our monthly Outreach Action Sheets are there to help you get into action. This month, we are focused on global tuberculosis and the Renter Tax Credit in the action sheets. Download and use them today!

Upcoming Events

Congressional schedule: May 29-June 4. The House and Senate are in session.

Typically, registration ends one hour prior to the start of all webinars and trainings.

Wednesday, June 7: In-person Event Planning webinar, 8:00 pm ET. Register today.

Thursday, June 8: Event Planning and Outreach Office Hours, 12:00 pm ET. Event to be repeated June 15, 22, and 29. Drop in any time during the hour via https://results.zoom.us/j/98524229370 or call (312) 626-6799, meeting ID 985 2422 9370. No registration required.

Thursday, June 8: Global Allies RESULTS program for Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, 8:30 pm ET. Learn more.

Thursday, June 15: U.S. Poverty Policy Forum, 8:00 pm ET. Guest speaker: Michael Santos on the Renter Tax Credit. Register today.

Thursday, June 15: Global Poverty Policy Forum, 9:00 pm ET. Guest speaker: Selamawit Bekele on global TB. Register today.

Monday, June 19: Juneteenth holiday. All RESULTS offices closed.

Tuesday, June 20: U.S. Poverty Free Agents, 1:00 pm and 9:00 pm ET. Contact Jos Linn for more information.

Tuesday, June 20: Together Women Rise/RESULTS Advocacy Chapter, 8:30 pm ET. Learn more.

Wednesday, June 21: Action Network Managers webinar, 12:30 pm and 8:00 pm ET. (Choose your time.) Join the 12:30 pm ET session at https://results.zoom.us/j/93288388695. Join the 8:00 pm ET session at https://results.zoom.us/j/91531456676. No registration required.

Wednesday, June 21: Media Office Hour, 2:00 pm ET. Join via Zoom at https://results.zoom.us/j/93668005494 or (312) 626-6799, meeting ID 936 6800 5494. No registration required.

Friday, June 23: Oppression – The Missing Perspectives, 12:00 pm ET. Learn more about this important 90-minute webinar.

Monday, June 26: Global Poverty Free Agents, 7:00 pm ET. Contact Lisa Marchal for more information.

Friday, June 30: Anti-oppression Applied Learning Simulation, 12:00 pm ET. Learn more about this important 90-minute webinar.

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

Saturday, July 8: National Webinar, 1:00 pm ET (adjusted date). Register today.

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 story about advocacy that you feel might inspire others, use our online form to tell us your story.

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.