RESULTS Campaigns Weekly Update July 21, 2020

Quote of the Week

“Families in our country look to Congress for support, protection, and guidance – especially when it comes to legislation that feeds and supports the health and nutrition of our nation.”

– John Lewis, Congressman (D-GA-5) and civil rights leader, who passed away on July 17

Table of Contents

• Global Poverty Campaigns Update
• U.S. Poverty Campaigns Update
• RESULTS Announcements
• Upcoming Events
• Grassroots Resources

Global Poverty Campaigns Update

QUICK ACTION Write a letter to the editor on prioritizing global health and education during the COVID-19 crisis

Got Fifteen Minutes? Contact your senators and representatives about the global pandemic

We must take action to ensure Congress does their job for the people who are most at risk during this global pandemic. Our window of opportunity for taking action on the next COVID-19 supplemental is closing. The next few weeks are critical. If you haven’t already, reach out to your senators and representatives today. If you have reached out, be sure to follow up. Then get the latest on the supplemental in the days ahead via our blog.

Global health systems are overburdened as limited resources are diverted to address COVID-19—vaccination rates, TB case detection, and access to basic healthcare services are all down. There are alarming projections of increased deaths from treatable disease and malnutrition. And as COVID-19 takes a toll on healthcare systems, it is also negatively impacting economies, with projections that, without action, global hunger could double, and 70 million people could be pushed into extreme poverty.

We are asking for the following:

A global response of at least $20 billion for development assistance in the next COVID-19 supplemental spending bill, and a designation of $10 billion of that to be used as follows:

• $4 billion over two years for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria
• $4 billion for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance
• $2 billion for anti-hunger programs, with at least $500 million for nutrition

If your representative or senator signed the House Frankel-Rooney letter or the Senate Cardin-Rubio letter in favor of action in the face this global situation, thank them and ask them to also speak directly to leadership about a global response. Send them our detailed requests. Ask them to let you know if they will take this action.

If your representative or senator did not sign a letter, send them a copy of the final letter for their chamber (see letters above), and ask that they write their own similar letter and speak directly to leadership.

TAKE ACTION: Contact your senators and representatives about a global response to this global pandemic. Use our Global Poverty July Action Sheet, laser talk, and online alert to take action and to engage others in calling and writing.

Got Another Fifteen Minutes? Follow up on your International Conference activity

The joy of the International Conference is still being felt across our network. But don’t let the memories fade. Follow up on the good work done during the conference and the Week of Action!

1. Revisit the conference. Enjoy playbacks of select conference sessions.
2. Keep getting lobby meetings. Schedule meetings with those legislators with whom you couldn’t meet during our Week of Action. Your voice is important and effective. (Need help? Read our activist milestone for top tips.)
3. Follow up on the lobby meetings you had during the Week of Action. Your reports are important to us in many ways, as they help us track progress and point to what to do next. Please report your meetings. And personalize our email template in order to follow up on the requests you made in each meeting. Be persistent until you get clear responses to your requests.

TAKE ACTION: Follow up on your Week of Action meeting requests and fill out your lobby report forms. Then take more action by contacting Congress about dedicating at least $20 billion toward the global COVID-19 pandemic response.

QUICK NEWS ON GLOBAL POVERTY

Get a letter to the editor published. The recent COVID-19 bill in the House of Representatives failed to include any international funding to fight coronavirus and its fall out. As we’ve said all along, it’s clear that a global pandemic requires a global response. So, it now falls to the Senate to make sure that happens. The U.S. can and must play a role in slowing COVID-19’s spread globally and protecting access to other health services and education. Make sure your senators get that message loud and clear in their local paper.

Nutrition webinar. A webinar titled “Critical Action for Nutrition Equity” will take place on July 23 at 10:00 am ET and will highlight global food and nutrition systems disparities. You are invited to join via this online link. The webinar is co-led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Alliance to End Hunger.

U.S. Poverty Campaigns Update

QUICK ACTION Tell Congress to fund emergency rental assistance

Got Five Minutes? Today is the Housing Day of Action!

Today, advocates from around the country are taking action to help low-income renters struggling to keep a roof over their heads. With Congress back in Washington already working on the next COVID-19 relief package, it is imperative they include substantial funding to help low-income renters who are unable to pay the rent because of the pandemic. If not, between 19 million and 23 million Americans will face eviction as rent comes due with no way to pay it. Congress wants to complete a bill in the next few weeks, so time is of the essence. Your voice could be the difference between help and homelessness for millions.

TAKE ACTION: Take five minutes to participate in the House Day of Action by contacting your senators and representatives urging them to include $100 billion in emergency rental assistance and a national moratorium on evictions in the next COVID-19 response package. Use our online alert to call or e-mail today. Also, help us generate many e-mails and calls by sharing the alert with your action networks and others you know.  If you want additional tools to take action today, see the National Low-Income Housing Coalition’s toolkit (borrowing from RESULTS resources).

Got Fifteen Minutes? Use meetings and media in final housing push

The House and Senate are back in DC this week and we expect quick movement on a new COVID-19 bill. Senate Republicans are expected to unveil their proposal at any time, move rapidly to pass it, and then begin negotiations on a final bill with the House. It is important that that the Senate bill include $100 billion in emergency rental assistance and a national moratorium on evictions. The House’s HEROES Act, passed back in May, already includes those provisions (as well as increased funding for SNAP and a temporary expansion of the EITC and CTC), so the closer the Senate and House are on those measures, the greater the likelihood they will be in the final bill.

This is likely to be the last COVID-19 bill in Congress before the November election. Therefore, making this last push our strongest will be vital in making sure low-income Americans are protected from further economic damage caused by the virus.

TAKE ACTION: If you have not followed up with Senate offices from recent lobby meetings (or have yet to meet with housing aides in those offices, set up meetings with them and your group ASAP). See the July U.S. Poverty Action for more details. Check on the status of your housing, SNAP, and tax credit requests with congressional aides. You can use our template follow-up e-mail as a starting point, but please remember to personalize it before sending. If you want an additional reason to contact housing aides, forward them a copy of the National Low-Income Housing Coalition’s new Out of Reach 2020 report, which shows the significant gap between wages and housing costs by state.

In addition, keep the pressure on Congress to do the right thing by getting housing letters to the editor published this week in your local paper. The July U.S. Poverty Action has a sample letter you can personalize or you can use our online media alert to send your letter today. If you get published, let us know at www.tinyurl.com/RESULTSMedia.

QUICK NEWS ON U.S. POVERTY

Bread for the World Racial Equity Scorecard. The new Bread for the World Institute #RacialEquity Scorecard is a way of assessing how successfully a given policy/program or legislation applies a racial equity lens. For more, visit: https://bread.org/sites/default/files/downloads/racial-equity-scorecard-policies.pdf.

Southern States Hit Hard by Food Insecurity. This week, the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) issued a report highlighting the need for and value of federal nutrition programs in the Southeastern United States, where there are serious gaps in participation compared to other regions. In the face of rising food insecurity and the relaxing of some administrative rules, however, participation in the Southeast has spiked. Georgia has seen a 34 percent expansion in caseloads, with double-digit increases in all 159 counties. No state has seen more growth than Florida, which has sent nearly a million more residents EBT cards. Use these resources when connecting with members of Congress from that region; find more info in our recent blogpost overviewing federal nutrition programs.

Conservatives Talk EITC/CTC: A diverse group of conservative scholars and leaders have signed a letter asking Congressional leaders to expand the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), claiming that “tax policies are proven to be the most effective programs at lifting Americans out of poverty and expanding them now would provide much needed aid to America’s working families.” Be sure to forward the letter to the tax aides for your Republican members of Congress. Also, read CBPP’s new report on how expanding the CTC would benefit 6 million women of color.

RESULTS Announcements

Remembering John Lewis. The country lost a giant in the fight for civil rights, racial justice, and the end of poverty with the death of Rep. John Lewis this weekend. The RESULTS community was lucky to learn from Rep. Lewis and work with him throughout his years in office, and we send our deepest condolences to his family, friends, staff, and colleagues. As this country continues to reckon with centuries of systemic racism and injustice, we’re committed to continuing the fight that Rep. Lewis led for so many years. Read RESULTS’ full statement on the legacy of Congressman Lewis on the RESULTS Blog.

Congratulations to new Board members. The Grassroots Board election is over and the results are in. RESULTS welcomes Lindsey Saunders of RESULTS Raleigh and Lily Callaway of RESULTS Pittsburgh as our newly elected Grassroots Board members, joining Maxine Thomas of RESULTS Indianapolis and Qiana Torregano of RESULTS New Orleans.  Congratulations, Lily and Lindsay! We also thank all the other candidates (Andy Clarke, Gerry Fairbrother, and Alaina Dougherty) for running and making this one of the best group of candidates we’ve ever had. The new members will succeed Willie Dickerson and Steve McGee – we thank them for their service.

Join tonight’s book discussion on So You Want to Talk About Race. The RESULTS Anti-Oppression Grassroots Group is hosting its next book discussion on So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo. With many Americans looking to deepen their knowledge of how racism impacts our lives, our communities, and our policies, join us for this conversation on how to better recognize, understand, and dismantle racism in America. The discussion begins tonight, July 21 at 9:00 pm ET and will focus on the first 5 chapters. Join by logging in at https://results.zoom.us/j/390106571 or dialing (929) 436-2866 or (669) 900-6833, meeting ID: 390 106 571.

Join rescheduled letter to the editor training tomorrow night. Join grassroots writing and publishing leaders for this informative and inspirational workshop. Bring along access to a local newspaper, a copy of our EPIC format worksheet, and a copy of a recent editorial packet or a U.S. poverty or global poverty leave-behind. You’ll learn about finding and utilizing great hooks for your writing and the power of the EPIC format to enhance your writing, as well as get positive feedback before submitting your letter for publication. The webinar training is tomorrow, July 22 at 9:00 pm ET. All in an hour! Join at https://results.zoom.us/j/6602641580 (updated link) or dial in to (929) 436-2866 or (669) 900-6833, meeting ID 660 264 1580.

National Webinar agenda for August 1. With Congress making critical decisions on COVID-19 relief both domestically and globally over the next few weeks, we are shortening the national webinar on August 1 to one hour so that you and your groups can get together and plan your next action steps. Join us at 1:00 pm ET on August 1 for a powerful and informational hour, and plan how you’re going to meet with your group immediately following.

Visit coronavirus blog for updates. Things will move fast over the next few weeks as Congress finalizes its next COVID-19 relief package. Read the RESULTS coronavirus blog for the latest updates and actions you can take.

Fill out the lobby report form. Please take time to let us know what happened in each of your recent lobby meetings at: www.tinyurl.com/RESLRF. Please be as detailed as possible when completing the form.

Watch International Conference recordings. If you were unable to participate fully in the International Conference – or if you’d simply like to revisit something you heard –  take a look at the International Conference agenda for individual playback links for select sessions.

Receive action alerts via text. We are setting up a system to send some of our action alerts via text. If you’d like to receive text action alerts, please text RESULTS to 50457 to sign up for text action alerts.

Upcoming Events

Congressional schedule. The House and Senate are back in session. Submit your remote meeting requests today.

Tuesday, June 21: U.S. Poverty Free Agents Webinars, 1:00 pm and 8:00 pm ET. Join at https://results.zoom.us/j/324294681 or dial by phone at (929) 436-2866 or (669) 900-6833, meeting ID 324 294 681.

Tuesday, July 21: So You Want to Talk About Race book discussion, 9:00 pm ET. Login at https://results.zoom.us/j/390106571 or dialing (929) 436-2866 or (669) 900-6833, meeting ID: 390 106 571.

Wednesday, July 22: Hit “Send”: Write and Submit a Letter to the Editor in an Hour, 9:00 pm ET. Join grassroots writing and publishing leaders for this informative and inspirational workshop. Join at https://results.zoom.us/j/6602641580 (updated link) or dial in to (929) 436-2866 or (669) 900-6833, meeting ID 660 264 1580.

Saturday, August 1: RESULTS National Webinar, 1:00 pm ET. Join at https://results.zoom.us/j/994444828. You can also join by phone at (669) 900-6833 or (929) 436-2866, meeting ID 994 444 828.

Monday, August 17: Global Poverty Free Agents Webinars, 1:00 pm and 8:00 pm ET. Join at https://results.zoom.us/j/464361707 or, by phone, (669) 900-6833 or (929) 436-2866, meeting ID 464361707.

Grassroots Resources

Learn about the RESULTS Experts on Poverty.

Do you have a new person in your RESULTS group or info to update? Use our Volunteer Information Form to add them.

Find actions and volunteer resources on our Current Volunteers page, including our anti-oppression resources.

Remember to please report your recent grassroots successes in lobby meetings, media pieces, and outreach activities.

If you have a question, comment, or suggestion for the RESULTS/REF Board, please e-mail Steven McGee at [email protected]. View Board minutes and Annual Reports.

RESULTS Staff directory.