RESULTS Weekly Update June 13, 2023

Quote of the Week

“TB anywhere threatens all of us. It is time to end this threat once and for all.”

– RESULTS Indiana volunteer Steve Arnold in a June 11 letter to the editor in the Herald-Times

Table of Contents

• Two opportunities to take action on tuberculosis, a disease of poverty
• Media 150: House tax bill your opportunity for CTC media
• Register for Thursday’s monthly policy forums
• Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty
• Announcements
• Upcoming Events
• Grassroots Resources

Two opportunities to take action on tuberculosis, a disease of poverty

Tuberculosis is a treatable scourge. And yet this disease, which disproportionately affects low- and middle-income countries, is experiencing a resurgence due to resource diversion during the COVID-19 pandemic. It took the lives of 1.6 million people in 2021, according to the WHO.

How can you take action? First, in advance of the fall United Nations High-Level Meeting on tuberculosis, ask your members of Congress to co-sponsor the End Tuberculosis Now Act. The legislation is open for co-sponsorship in both the House (H.R.1776) and the Senate (S.288).

Next, ask your representative to sign onto a bipartisan House letter to the Administration. The letter is co-led by Representatives Bera (D-CA-6), Salazar (R-FL-27), McCaul (R-TX-10), and Meeks (D-NY-5) and asks the Administration to show bold 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. These two advocacy opportunities will truly make a difference.

TAKE ACTION: Watch and share this powerful short video on our tuberculosis campaign to get inspired. Then take action twice via our online action alerts. First, ask your members of Congress to co-sponsor the End Tuberculosis Now Act in both the House (H.R.1776) and the Senate (S.288). Then use this second online action alert to craft a personalized message and request that your representative sign onto an important bipartisan House tuberculosis letter to the Administration in advance of the United Nations High-Level Meeting on tuberculosis this fall.

Media 150: House tax bill your opportunity for CTC media

This week, the House Ways and Means Committee plans to mark up their new tax bill, the American Families and Jobs Act. Sadly, this bill would do little to help families and create jobs, as it focuses mainly on giving tax breaks to corporations and wealthy Americans, much like the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. It does increase the standard deduction for families, but as Chuck Marr of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities points out, this primarily benefits higher income families and does nothing to help families with the lowest incomes.

For RESULTS, what’s missing is most telling. The bill does nothing to expand the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Combined, these credits lift more children and families out of poverty each year than any anti-poverty program. Despite House Ways and Means chair Jason Smith (R-MO-8) saying earlier this year that working families should come first in any tax legislation this year, this bill is a huge missed opportunity. For more details on the impacts of the bill, read this analysis.

In addition, the introduction of the American Family Act (AFA) last week, which would expand the CTC back to 2021 levels and has already been co-sponsored by almost all House Democrats (see more below) shows how far apart the parties are on tax policy right now.

The House leadership bill (nor the AFA) is expected to pass in this Congress. They are “messaging bills” members can use to publicly state their priorities. Any tax legislation this year or next will require compromise to pass. And that’s why we are here. To bring public pressure on lawmakers to focus their tax work on those who most need it.

TAKE ACTION: Our Media 150 campaign still has a few weeks left. The introduction of the House leadership tax bill is a great hook to generate media urging Congress to focus on helping children, not wealthy corporations. Use our updated tax credit media alert to send your letters today. We are only 5 letters away from reaching our goal of 150 by June 30. Help us meet and exceed this goal and bring conversation to where it should always be on tax policy – what will help those who need it most? If you need help with your letters, please contact Jos Linn for assistance.

Register for Thursday’s monthly policy forums

Join our June Policy Forums on Thursday, June 15. On the U.S. Forum at 8:00 pm ET, RESULTS Associate 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. Please join us!

TAKE ACTION: Join our U.S. and Global Policy Forums this Thursday, June 15. You must register for each forum to attend. Register for the U.S. Forum at 8:00 pm ET and the Global Forum at 9:00 pm ET today.

Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty

Thank you for your work on the AFA! Last week, House Democrats unveiled the American Family Act, which would restore the Child Tax Credit to its 2021 levels and lift millions of children out of poverty. The bill was introduced with 207 original co-sponsors! Learn more about the bill and your important work in generating such strong support for it in our new RESULTS Blog post.

We need READ Act co-sponsors. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, 57 percent of children living in low- and middle- income countries did not have access to education that enabled basic literacy. This is one of the myriad reasons we are working on securing co-sponsors for the READ Act (H.R.681, S.41), legislation that speaks to access to quality basic education. Make your co-sponsorship requests to Congress, personalizing the requests with your passion for the issue, and follow up a week later.

Celebrate Children’s Week. June 12-16 is Children’s Week, which aims to spotlight the impact public policy has on children. There are a number of events planned, including a webinar this Friday, June 16, Keep Up the Fight to Improve the Tax Code for Kids is webinar with Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH).

Homelessness and the LGBTQIA+ community. In honor of Pride Month, RESULTS Emerson Hunger Fellow Gabe Haferman has published a new RESULTS Blog post on homelessness in the LGBTQIA+ community. This community faces a homelessness rate sometimes twice that of cis-gender communities. This is a problem that needs to be addressed.

Senate hearing on the CTC/EITC. The Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing tomorrow, Wednesday, June 14 at 10:00 am ET on anti-poverty and family support provisions in the tax code, focusing heavily on the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit. You can watch the hearing here.

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 recent release of the House leadership tax bill as hook to talk about expanding the Child Tax Credit.
• Global Poverty: Check out the ever-growing 2023 global media packet to see what other advocates have written about our global poverty issues and gain inspiration for your own letter. You can do this!

Announcements

Board election voting ends in two weeks. 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 from which to choose. 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.

July National Webinar on adjusted date. Due to the Independence Day holiday, the July National webinar will be held on Saturday, July 8. With the August recess approaching, in-district meetings will be great opportunities to move our priorities forward. We’re excited to welcome Neesha Suarez, Deputy Chief of Staff for Rep. Seth Moulton (MA-06), who will share her insights and expert tips on how to grab hold of those opportunities for advocacy success. Register today.

Keep planning in-person events. To strengthen and grow our community of advocates, RESULTS is prioritizing groups getting together for in-person events this year. To help you, we have a new in-person events resource guide for tips in planning and running a successful event. Also, get direct coaching from RESULTS staff during our Event Planning and Outreach Office Hours on June 15, 22, and 29, 12:00-1:00 pm ET. Join at https://results.zoom.us/j/98524229370 or call (312) 626-6799, meeting ID 985 2422 9370. No registration required.

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: June 12-18. The House and Senate are in session.

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

Thursday, June 15: Event and Outreach Office Hour, 12:00 pm ET. Additional dates: June 22 and 29. Join at https://results.zoom.us/j/98524229370 or (312) 626-6799, meeting ID 985 2422 9370. No registration required.

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.

Thursday, July 13: Global Allies Program with RESULTS, 8:30 pm ET. Learn more here.

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.