U.S. Poverty Weekly Update August 8, 2017
U.S. Poverty Campaigns
Weekly Update | August 8, 2017
“I did not leave [the RESULTS Conference] the same as I went in… I see how citizen lobbyists really can make change.”
– RESULTS Boston volunteer Alison Hall in an August 2 blog post on MeetingsNet
- Got Two Minutes? Vote for Two New RESULTS Grassroots Board Members
- Got Ten Minutes? Contact House and Senate Schedulers about Meetings this Month (August Action)
- Got Twenty Minutes? Wrap Up Your Conference Follow-Up
- Quick News
- Upcoming Events
Quick Action: Tell Congress to Protect SNAP
| Take Action! |
Got Two Minutes? Vote for Two New RESULTS Grassroots Board Members
Today and tomorrow are your last opportunities to vote for two fellow RESULTS volunteers to represent the grassroots on the Boards of RESULTS and RESULTS Educational Fund. We are looking to fill two (of four) grassroots board positions to serve a term of three years beginning in September of 2017. Grassroots Board Members represent the volunteer body on the Board of Directors and on the Executive Committee of the Board (the Executive Committee of the Board is the primary governing body of the organization). It is the responsibility of the Board of Directors to work with the Executive Director in shaping the direction of RESULTS, advising on major policies for the organization, and providing fiduciary oversight. Grassroots Board Members play a particular role in representing grassroots perspectives on the Board.
This is a very important decision and we have great candidates to choose from. They are:
- Simona Combi (Washington D.C./U.S. Poverty Group)
- Willie Dickerson (Snohomish, WA/Global Group)
- Gerry Fairbrother (Santa Fe, NM/U.S. Poverty Group)
- Steven McGee (Baton Rouge, LA/Global Group Leader)
TAKE ACTION: Take two minutes to vote for your new Grassroots Board members. Only active RESULTS volunteers (group members or Free Agents) are eligible to vote. Vote online for up to two candidates before midnight ET tomorrow, August 9. Please feel free to contact Jesse Mardsen at [email protected] or (202) 783-4800 for any assistance.
Got Ten Minutes? Contact House and Senate Schedulers about Meetings this Month (August Action)
When Congress returns in September, there will be a flurry of activity on many issues impacting U.S. poverty. There may be another health care repeal attempt in the Senate, Congress must complete a budget (or at least a continuing resolution (CR)) by September 30, and both Congress and the White House want to pass tax reform. That’s a tall order and one you want to make sure you’re a part of.
Both chambers of Congress are officially now on recess until Labor Day. They call these recesses “district work periods”, so let’s put them to work. Even though we scored a huge victory a few weeks ago when the Senate failed to pass a health care bill, we have to shore up support against any future attacks on Medicaid. In addition, the proposed 2018 House budget would cut services to low- and moderate-income Americans by $2.9 trillion over the next decade, including $110 billion in cuts to Medicaid (on top of the Medicaid cuts in the House health care bill) and $150 billion from SNAP. Some of these cuts would be enacted using the “fast-track” process (no filibuster in the Senate) called budget reconciliation. Finally, Congress and the President really want to get tax reform passed this year and sadly, the proposals so far would include more tax cuts for the wealth and little or no benefits to everyone else, plus starving important services of much-needed revenue.
That’s why meeting with members of Congress this month is so important. They need to know that the backlash they got from attempts to roll back health care were not an anomaly. They need to know that any attempt to stop and undo the progress we’ve made in reducing poverty will be met with the same, fierce opposition.
TAKE ACTION: Take ten minutes to request face-to-face meetings with your representatives and senators in August. Contact schedulers (on our Elected Officials page under “Staff” for your members of Congress) to request a meeting and to ask about any town halls or public appearances they’re making in your area (also check www.townhallproject.com). The August Action has tips for requesting meetings and laser talks on the issues you want to highlight in your meetings. As you get meetings or town halls scheduled, please include them in our Lobby Meeting Schedule Form. When you get a meeting or town hall on your calendar, please contact Jos Linn ([email protected]) to help you get ready (Meredith Dodson is on vacation until August 14).
Got Twenty Minutes? Wrap Up Your Conference Follow-Up
As noted last week, the 2017 RESULTS International Conference was a great success. With hundreds of advocates from around the world descending on Washington, DC to demand action on ending poverty, it lived up to the hype. The main focus of the Conference was Advocacy Day on July 25, where volunteers had over 300 meetings with members of Congress and their staff. But as many of you know, these meetings are only one part – albeit an important part – of our advocacy work. Without follow-up from these meetings, you have no way to know what action your members of Congress took. Follow-up is about accountability.
TAKE ACTION: Take twenty minutes to follow up from your lobby meetings from the International Conference. Here are several things to do for your follow up:
1.Fill out the RESULTS Lobby Report Form at www.tinyurl.com/RESLRF. This lets us know what happened in your lobby meetings so if you need help with your follow-up, we can tailor it specifically to what occurred in the meeting. It also gives us valuable information about what position your members of Congress have on our issues. This helps us and our allies better strategize our next steps in addressing poverty in America.
2.Contact the aides you met with in DC. Hopefully all or most of you have sent a thank you note to the people you met with on Advocacy Day (if not, please do so ASAP). Now is the time to check in on the status of any requests you made. Without this step, you have no way of knowing is they did anything they promised. Contact the appropriate aide(s) and ask if their bosses have taken any action you discussed with them. If they haven’t, ask when will they and set up a time to check in again. If these offices know you’re going to keep following up on your request, they’re more likely to follow through on it. If you need guidance on your follow-up, please contact Jos Linn at [email protected].
3.Request face-to-face meetings and attend town halls in August. Another way to follow up on your requests is to ask members directly about it. Take the August Action and request meetings and attend town halls this month to ask them what actions they have taken or will take to protect core anti-poverty programs. The Action has sample laser talks you can use in these meetings and events.
Remember that you can find all of materials and resources from the Conference on our 2017 RESULTS Conference Resources page.
Quick News
Invite People to RESULTS Presentations in Wyoming and South Dakota. Next week, RESULTS U.S. Poverty Organizer Jos Linn will travel to Cheyenne, WY on August 14 and Spearfish, SD (near Rapid City) on August 15 to do several presentations about RESULTS and our issues. If you know anyone in these areas, please invite them to come. See below for details.
Keep Generating Media. Whether it is keeping Medicaid cuts off the table in future health reform fights or protecting SNAP in the 2018 budget, use the media to protect these programs and keep adding to your amazing media totals (277 pieces so far in 2017) by submitting a letter to the editor today.
August Webinar is on August 15. The August U.S. Poverty National Webinar is next Tuesday, August 15 at 8:00 pm ET. We’ll return to the second Tuesday of the month in September.
Upcoming Events
Go to the RESULTS Events Calendar to see a full list of RESULTS events. Also, find a list of the RESULTS U.S. Poverty staff with contact information on the RESULTS website.
Upcoming U.S. Poverty staff vacations: Meredith Dodson: July 27 – August 13. Kristy Martino: July 27 – August 10. Jos Linn: August 24 – September 4.
Upcoming Congressional Recesses: House: July 31-September 4; Senate: August 7 – September 4.
RESULTS Introductory Call, Wednesday, August 9 at 9:00 pm ET. If you want to learn more about RESULTS, register for an Intro Call on the RESULTS website.
RESULTS Cheyenne Issue Overview, Monday, August 14 at 7:00 pm MT. Cheyenne, WY. Contact Jos Linn for location details ([email protected]).
RESULTS Spearfish Group Start, Tuesday, August 15 at 6:30 pm MT. Bay Leaf Café, 126 W Hudson St, Spearfish, SD. Contact Jos Linn for more details ([email protected]).
RESULTS U.S. Poverty National Webinar, August 15 at 8:00 pm ET – NOTE DIFFERENT WEEK. Participate at http://fuze.me/32255914 or (201) 479-4595, Meeting ID: 32255914#.
RESULTS U.S. Poverty Free Agents Calls, Tuesday, August 22 at 1:00 pm and 8:00 pm ET. To participate, login at http://fuze.me/32256018 or dial by phone at (201) 479-4595, Meeting ID: 32256018#.
If you have a question, comment or suggestion for the RESULTS/RESULTS Educational Fund Board, please e-mail them to RESULTS Grassroots Board Member Vanessa Garcia at [email protected]. You can view the most recently published minutes from Board meetings on the RESULTS website, as well as download RESULTS’ most recent Annual Report.