RESULTS Weekly Update July 23, 2024

Quote of the Week

“For less than $20, a child can be fully immunized in low-income countries. With that kind of bargain, no child should be dying from any preventable disease.”

– RESULTS Austin volunteer Eloise Sutherland in a July 20 letter to the editor in the Killeen Daily Herald

Table of Contents

• The summer of 2024 is our summer of action
• Congress: Focus on the work that needs doing
• Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty
• Announcements
• Upcoming Events
• Grassroots Resources

The summer of 2024 is our summer of action

The summer of 2024 is turning out to be an interesting and exciting one. For RESULTS. Despite a lack of productivity in Congress, RESULTS volunteers have kept forging ahead.

First, our summer get-together campaign has been a great success. Volunteers around the country have gotten together in person this summer to meet – some for the first time – and take action. So far, RESULTS groups have had 30 in-person summer meetings with at least 15 more in the hopper. This is fantastic. These meetings are important, and not just for the sake of meeting new people or writing postcards. In this contentious political and social time, it is vital that we stay connected to one another. Enduring the daily barrage of scandals, disasters, and controversies is bad enough; doing it alone can be debilitating. How can we believe that we can make a difference in all this noise? Being together is the first step. Meeting with other people who have similar passions and fears creates a sense of relief and inspiration. Knowing we are not alone can be transformational. That’s one reason why we are pushing these summer in-person meetings. They are a literal reminder that when we work together, no problem is unsolvable.

Second, if you haven’t heard, we are heading into the height of election season. From now until November, it will be a sprint for politicians, advocates, and voters. This is an opportune time to lay the groundwork for the next Congress. While candidates are out seeking support, we can educate them on critical issues related to poverty. Politicians aim to please in an election year. We can use that to our advantage by urging them to support practical solutions for global health, malnutrition, child poverty, and homelessness. Be it meeting with incumbents and candidates, generating media, or talking with people in our community, we can help shape the post-election landscape.

It has been a busy summer (and it’s only half over), and it will be a busy fall. But RESULTS volunteers are always up to the challenge.

TAKE ACTION: Use this summer to stay connected, engaged, and active. If you have not held a local get-together in your area, there is still plenty of time to plan something easy and fun. Be it a picnic, a letter-writing party, an ice cream social, or just coffee with friends, plan your meeting today. For resources to help plan and promote your local meeting, visit our Community of Change page under “On the Record.” Also, start planning how you will find and talk with candidates about our issues. Our Community of Change page under “Make Elections about Poverty” also has helpful resources including an election engagement guide. This guide has how-to’s, specific questions for candidates, and links to recent webinars on election advocacy. As always, please reach out to RESULTS staff for questions or attend one of our election engagement office hours in August (see dates in our Events Calendar).

Congress: Focus on the work that needs doing

Congress is back in Washington this week. Not surprisingly, most of the attention in and around Congress right now is focused on the shake-up in the presidential race. But the world continues to turn and there is still much work for Congress to do. The actions below are the most effective actions you can take this week to push Congress forward on our anti-poverty agenda:

1. Resolutions on Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. We’ve started gaining co-sponsors on our resolutions supporting Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, but we have a long way to go. Increasing access to routine vaccines during childhood is a big reason fewer kids are dying around the world, hitting a record low last year. But almost 5 million children still died before their fifth birthday. That’s why we are supporting these two crucial resolutions. During the recent Gavi pre-pledging conference, the Biden Administration pledged at least $1.58 billion over five years. Now we must see that the pledge becomes reality as we approach the full fall replenishment conference and work through the budget process. Please ask your legislators to co-sponsor the Gavi resolutions currently in the Senate (S.Res. 684) and the House (H.Res.1286). Use our online action today to make your requests.
2. Urge Congress to protect SNAP. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is America’s last line of defense against hunger. Serving about 40 million people each month, SNAP reduces food insecurity for families and lifts millions from poverty each year, many of them children. With benefits already low (averaging around $7 per day per person), the House’s Farm Bill proposal cuts SNAP benefits by $30 billion over the next decade, making it harder for families to buy food. Congress must not let the House proposal become law. Use our online action to tell Congress to protect SNAP. Also, use our SNAP letter to the editor alert to call on lawmakers in the media to protect and strengthen SNAP in the Farm Bill.

Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty

Debriefing the Policy Landscape after the SCOTUS Term (part two). In case you missed it, please join RESULTS U.S. Poverty Associate Director Michael Santos for a follow-up discussion on some of the high-profile rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court impacting our work (listen). This second debrief will recap the ruling on Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo and its impact on our mission. Bring questions you may have about how these cases could affect our work with Congress. The webinar is Tuesday, July 30 at 1:00 p.m. ET. Log in to the Zoom directly – no registration required.

Use media to tell Congress to act on housing. To help make rent more affordable. last week President Biden urged Congress to pass legislation that would cap rent increases by corporate landlords at 5 percent. This comes on the heels of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson where the Court ruled that cities could criminalize homelessness. Congress needs to act on America’s housing crisis. Please submit a letter to the editor today urging Congress to take action now to end homelessness.

What’s going on with the Child Tax Credit? For the latest update on where our Child Tax Credit campaign is, please read the new RESULTS blog post from our tax policy expert David Plasterer.

Announcements

Join RESULTS Fellowship webinar on Thursday. This spring, thirty-six RESULTS Fellows fanned out across Capitol Hill to meet with their members of Congress and staff. To celebrate that event, join us for “Making an impact on Capitol Hill: Behind the scenes with RESULTS advocates” webinar this Thursday, July 25 at 12:00 p.m. ET. You’ll hear from three of these inspiring RESULTS Fellows who will share what it was like for them to walk the halls of Congress for the first time and how their meetings went. They will also describe how RESULTS is transforming their lives. Please register to join us for this lively conversation and celebration!  Also, we are now accepting applications for the 2025 Fellowship class. If you know someone who would make a great Fellow, please urge them to apply today.

Plan to join the August 3 National Webinar with Melanie Vant. Join us on Saturday, August 3 at 1:00 p.m. ET for the RESULTS National Webinar. During this month’s National Webinar, our guest will be Melanie Vant, Director of the Democracy Delivers Initiative at USAID (Melanie also used to work for RESULTS). She’ll discuss strengthening democracy around the world through citizen engagement. We will provide resources to help you interact with candidates and incumbents and continue to get them on the record on U.S. and global poverty issues. Together, we can elevate poverty issues among the public discourse and also continue community base-building efforts launched this summer. Come on along for all the resources and excitement! Register for the webinar today.

Join media office hour tomorrow. If you need help drafting, editing, or submitting a letter to the editor or op-ed, please join our Media Office Hour tomorrow, July 24, 2:00-3:00 pm ET. Come any time that hour with your questions. Join via Zoom at https://results.zoom.us/j/93668005494 or (312) 626-6799, meeting ID: 936 6800 5494.

Join New Advocate Mentor Community Call next week. On Wednesday, July 31, at 8:00 p.m. ET, join the New Advocate Mentors community for a reflection and strategizing session on engaging new volunteers in our movement. All are welcome! Please come and share your thoughts on how we can mobilize more people into anti-poverty action. Your thoughts are so important so we can fully maximize our impact during the busy election season. We look forward to seeing you! Register today.

Welcome Kasapo Chibwe to the RESULTS Educational Fund Board of Directors! You, our volunteers, have elected Kasapo Chibwe (RESULTS Northern Virginia) as your new Grassroots Director. Kasapo works for World Vision as a policy advisor for global health. She has a master’s in health communication from DePaul University. Her professional background has been in public health with experiences in HIV/AIDS research and teaching public health at the University of Zambia. Her experience as a busy volunteer with RESULTS will be a great contribution.

Please submit your advocacy reports. If you need to report your lobby meetings, media publications, or outreach events, you can find the applicable report forms on our website.

Upcoming Events

Congressional schedule: This week, both the House and the Senate are in session.

Find these and other events on our website Events Calendar.

Tuesday, July 23: U.S. Poverty Free Agents, 1:00 p.m. ET and 8:00 p.m. ET. Contact Jos Linn for more information.

Wednesday, July 24: Media Office Hour, 2:00-3:00 p.m. ET. Join at https://results.zoom.us/j/93668005494 or call (312) 626-6799, meeting ID 936 6800 5494.

Thursday, July 25: Making an Impact on Capitol Hill – Behind the Scenes with RESULTS Advocates, 12:00 p.m. ET. Read for more information.

Tuesday, July 30: Debriefing the Policy Landscape After the SCOTUS Term (part two), 1:00 p.m. ET. No registration necessary.

Wednesday, July 31, New Advocate Mentor Community Call, 8:00 p.m. ET. Register today.

Saturday, August 3: National Webinar, 1:00 p.m. ET. Register for the webinar.

Wednesday, August 7: Elections Support Office Hours, 5:00-7:00 p.m. ET. Drop in to discuss your questions relating to election engagement. Join via https://results.zoom.us/j/97873811515 or call (312) 626-6799, meeting ID 978 7381 1515 (see additional August dates in our online Events Calendar).

Thursday, August 8: Outreach and Event Office Hour, 2:00-3:00 p.m. ET. Join via https://results.zoom.us/j/94004748060 or call (312) 626-6799, meeting ID 940 0474 8060.

Thursday, August 8: Global Allies (Returned Peace Corps Volunteers) Webinar, 8:30 p.m. ET. Register today.

Thursday, August 15: Global Poverty Policy Forum on Malnutrition, 9:00 p.m. ET. Register here.

Friday, August 16: Anti-Oppression Learning Community, 12:00-1:30 p.m. ET. Registration is open.

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

Grassroots Resources

• EOPs: Learn about the RESULTS Experts on Poverty.
• Actions and volunteer resources: Visit our Volunteers Hub, including our anti-oppression resources. To join the RESULTS listserv for more RESULTS conversation, send an email to [email protected].
• Please report your actions. Remember to please report your recent advocacy successes in lobby meetings, media, and outreach activities. Also, use our form to add to/edit your info and to sign up for updates and alerts.
• Share your story. If you have an inspiring story about advocacy, please tell us about it. Also, if you want to celebrate the actions of a new volunteer, sharing about the experience.
• Questions for the Board? If you have a question, comment, or suggestion for the RESULTS/REF Board, please e-mail [email protected]. View Board minutes and Annual Reports.
• Staff and jobs: RESULTS Staff directory and job postings.