The latest from Capitol Hill on a reconciliation package
On August 16, 2022 President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act—also known as the reconciliation bill, budget bill, and in previous forms as the Build Back Better Act. Now that the reconciliation process has concluded this page will no longer be updated. Visit our volunteer hub for up to date information, resources, and action items.
President Biden Signs the Inflation Reduction Act
On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law. RESULTS is pleased that the IRA makes historic investments to combat the climate crisis, helps to keep health insurance affordable, lowers prescription drug costs, and makes our tax code fairer. These new policies will help low-income Americans get the health care they need and take the first step towards creating an equitable tax code.
However, we are disappointed that the IRA did not include the expanded child tax credit (CTC) that lifted millions of children out of poverty. Funding for access to affordable housing and global COVID relief were also left out of the final bill. For fuller analysis of the IRA see updates on this blog post from Aug 2 & 9.
The CTC is an essential policy in our fight to end poverty, not including it in the IRA was a missed opportunity. Your fellow RESULTSer and Expert on Poverty Kali Daugherty agrees. She shared her experience with the CTC and her disappointment with the IRA in this statement from the ABC Coalition. Kali serves on the Parent Advisory Board for the coalition, which advocates for an “Automatic Benefit for Children”, also known as a child allowance, like the expanded CTC.
While we did not get the CTC in the IRA, it is important to not be discouraged. We have spent the last year and a half advocating for the CTC expansion to be in this reconciliation bill and we have built a lot of momentum and support for the CTC as a result. Now, we must build on that momentum this fall and push for the CTC to be included in any end of year tax bill. We need to build broad bipartisan support in Congress, in the media, and in our communities. You can visit our Fall Campaign page for tools and resources to help you make the most of your advocacy, publish media, grow your groups, and more.
As always, thank you for all you do!
On August 7, the Senate voted to pass the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) before going on recess. The Senate passed IRA bill is very close to what Sen. Manchin and Sen. Schumer initially proposed. It raises new revenue through a 15 percent corporate minimum tax, allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug costs, and providing additional funding to enforce existing tax laws that high-income earners easily evade. It makes historic investments to fight the climate crisis and extends Affordable Care Act subsidies so that insurance costs will not dramatically rise this fall. Additionally, roughly $300 billion will be used for deficit reduction. (See August 2 update on this thread for RESULTS’s full analysis of the IRA).
However, consideration of the IRA did contain some drama and the bill itself went through some last-minute changes before final passage. First, Sen. Sinema (D-AZ) withheld her vote to negotiate on behalf of private equity managers by successfully removing a tax provision that would have modified the “carried interest loophole”. This was eventually replaced with a 1 percent tax on stock buybacks. Then, Senators debated and offered amendments during a marathon session over the weekend known as a “vote-a-rama”. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) offered an amendment to include the expanded CTC in the final bill but was voted down, with Sen. Sanders himself being the only vote in favor. Because the IRA was painstakingly negotiated between Sen. Manchin and Sen. Schumer, any amendments were being voted down by Democrats to preserve the underlying agreement (Manchin opposed the expanded CTC). While it is disappointing that the Sanders amendment failed, we are relieved that other amendments that would have made our work harder didn’t even receive a floor vote.
One amendment that did not receive a floor vote was a “Research & Experimentation tax credit” which would send billions to big business (link to more information about this tax credit and why RESULTS opposed it). While RESULTS does not oppose R&E tax credits all together, we do oppose handing over billions of dollars to big businesses while millions of families struggle to put food on the table, find adequate and affordable housing, and pay the bills. RESULTS volunteers lobbied their senators in the final hours before the vote to oppose this tax credit (thank you for your advocacy!). Because the R&E tax credit was did not receive a vote, we have more negotiating power going into our fall campaign to include the expanded CTC in an end-of-year tax bill.
We also want to update you on the status of the Dear Colleague letter from Rep. Jayapal. Rep. Jayapal’s office has informed us that this letter has been closed and advocacy on it has been paused. The letter urged Congress not to pass a budget reconciliation bill that includes the R&E tax credit, or any large corporate tax break, without expanding the CTC for struggling families. Thank you for your advocacy to get co-signers to the letter. As a result of that advocacy, the R&E tax credit was not included in the IRA – preserving a pathway forward to advocate for the CTC in a year-end tax bill. They expect to release a similar letter soon to again put pressure on Congress not to extend tax credits for big business without also helping families in the end-of-year tax bill.
The IRA will now go to the House, whose members will be back briefly from recess, where it is expected to pass on Friday, August 12. Once passed, we anticipate that President Biden will sign the bill into law sometime next week. While RESULTS is pleased that the investments included in the IRA will address the climate crisis, make our tax code fairer, lower the cost of prescription medication, and keep health insurance affordable, Congress missed a huge opportunity to better the lives of struggling families. We need to continue working with Congress because The IRA did not include any of RESULTS’s priorities such as reinstating the expanded Child Tax Credit, investing in access to affordable housing, or providing global COVID relief funding. We will continue to advocate that families should come first and will keep you updated for further action.
Take action: Use our recently updated media action to keep the CTC in the media. Also, please join our U.S. Poverty Policy Forum on August 18 at 8:00 pm ET for more information on our CTC and housing work during fall 2022.
President Biden Signs the Inflation Reduction Act
On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law. RESULTS is pleased that the IRA makes historic investments to combat the climate crisis, helps to keep health insurance affordable, lowers prescription drug costs, and makes our tax code fairer. These new policies will help low-income Americans get the health care they need and take the first step towards creating an equitable tax code.
However, we are disappointed that the IRA did not include the expanded child tax credit (CTC) that lifted millions of children out of poverty. Funding for access to affordable housing and global COVID relief were also left out of the final bill. For fuller analysis of the IRA see updates on this blog post from Aug 2 & 9.
The CTC is an essential policy in our fight to end poverty, not including it in the IRA was a missed opportunity. Your fellow RESULTSer and Expert on Poverty Kali Daugherty agrees. She shared her experience with the CTC and her disappointment with the IRA in this statement from the ABC Coalition. Kali serves on the Parent Advisory Board for the coalition, which advocates for an “Automatic Benefit for Children”, also known as a child allowance, like the expanded CTC.
While we did not get the CTC in the IRA, it is important to not be discouraged. We have spent the last year and a half advocating for the CTC expansion to be in this reconciliation bill and we have built a lot of momentum and support for the CTC as a result. Now, we must build on that momentum this fall and push for the CTC to be included in any end of year tax bill. We need to build broad bipartisan support in Congress, in the media, and in our communities. You can visit our Fall Campaign page for tools and resources to help you make the most of your advocacy, publish media, grow your groups, and more.
As always, thank you for all you do!
On July 27, Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) released a joint statement revealing that they had come to an agreement on a new budget reconciliation bill, known as the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) (full text and executive summaries of key provisions). The bill is currently being reviewed by the Senate Parliamentarian to ensure it meets the budget guidelines for reconciliation. It will then be up for debate in the Senate, likely this week, and may be voted on as early as this weekend. RESULTS is deeply disappointed that the expanded Child Tax Credit that did so much to reduce child poverty was not included in the agreement. We are also disappointed that global COVID relief funding and housing were not addressed.
Promising Provisions: However, there are some things to be excited about in the bill. The IRA, for the first time in history, will allow Medicare to negotiate prices for many commonly used prescription drugs, thus lowering prices for American families. It also extends Affordable Care Act subsidies for low-income families so that they can afford health insurance. Without this provision, insurance premiums would have increased for millions of families this fall. The IRA also makes a historic investment of $369 billion towards combating the climate crisis. According to initial analysis by Rhodium Group, its passage would put the U.S. on a credible path to achieving a roughly 40% emissions reduction by 2030.
The IRA is partially paid for by raising revenue through the tax code. RESULTS has been working with coalition partners to make our tax code more equitable, and this bill makes some considerable progress towards that goal. It creates a 15 percent minimum tax on large corporations. It makes changes to the “carried interest loophole” which, according to the New York Times, “allows wealthy hedge fund managers and private equity executives to pay lower tax rates than entry-level employees”. While the changes made do not close the loophole entirely, they do make modest steps towards greater fairness in our tax code. The IRA also increases funding for the IRS by $124 billion over 10 years. These changes together are expected to raise $451 billion over the next decade.
As to the IRS funding, the IRA appropriates $3.1B for taxpayer services, $45.6B for enforcement, $25.3B for operations support and $4.7B for business systems modernization. Additional customer service and taxpayer advocacy services will help low-income families access tax benefits and ensure taxpayers and business owners get the help that they need. More enforcement means high-income earners who can more easily evade taxation, will have to pay their fair share. For example, audits on millionaires have fallen 71 percent between 2010-2021 because of lack of funding.
RESULTS Concerns: So, while we are encouraged by what is in the IRA, we are equally disappointed by what is not. Particularly, a bill to expand the CTC. That is why we will be pushing our members of Congress over the coming months to include the expanded CTC in any end-of-year tax legislation. The CTC made such massive progress towards ending child poverty in America that it would be shameful not to reinstate it now. That is particularly true as large corporations will be seeking to extend corporate tax breaks that expire at the end of the year. We must not allow Congress to extend these benefits without reinstating the expanded CTC for families.
Take Action: We need to keep CTC in the media so our members of Congress know their constituents care about helping struggling families. You can submit an LTE here. If you can, personalize your message with your own experiences, it will make a stronger argument and increase your likelihood of being published.
This month, RESULTS advocates around the country are meeting with their members of Congress, discussing Child Tax Credit (CTC) provisions that lifted nearly 4 million children out of poverty from July to December 2021. The CTC monthly payments from 2021 were a financial lifeline for millions of American families. 27 million children in the lowest-income families who had previously received no or little help got the full CTC for the first time. And it worked. Child poverty went down, hunger went down, housing instability went down, and family stress went down.
Last Friday, President Biden confirmed reports that the CTC (Child Tax Credit) is unlikely to be included in a reconciliation package. RESULTS volunteers did some amazing work over the past 1.5 years to push for the CTC to be a priority and we know this is heartbreaking news for many of you — and for the millions of families struggling to put food on the table and keep stably housed. We are building on your efforts in the months ahead.
In particular, this makes the longer-term work of building broad bipartisan support for the CTC that we’ve shared over the past month even more critical. Luckily, there is growing bipartisan interest in reducing child poverty via monthly payments, with a new proposal from Sens. Mitt Romney (R-UT), Richard Burr (R-NC), and Steve Daines (R-MT) released last week. On Tuesday, June 14, over 100 RESULTS volunteers organized 100+ of lobby meetings in Washington, DC to talk about the CTC – focused on the short-term goal of extending the expanded CTC, and the long-term goal of building broad bipartisan support to reduce child poverty, flagging the pending Romney proposal with many offices. With these latest developments, your lobby meetings and follow-up in the coming weeks can make a big impact!
TAKE ACTION: Here are the actions you can take to help with the Child Tax Credit this year:
- For Democrats. Ask them to speak to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), telling them to make the extension of the CTC with permanent full refundability and the monthly payment option a priority in legislation this year. Given the news that negotiators will not include the CTC in reconciliation, ask what their plan is to get this done in 2022.
- For Republicans. Ask them to review the new “Family Security Act 2.0” proposal (see overview in Quick News) from Sens. Mitt Romney (R-UT), Richard Burr (R-NC), and Steve Daines (R-MT). RESULTS does not have an official position on the proposal (we like some parts, have serious concerns about others), but we’re seeing our legislators’ feedback. This is our chance to build support amongst conservative members of Congress, knowing that Congress is likely to revisit bipartisan tax legislation later this year.
- For all. Attend the Child Tax Credit Legislative Update and General Office Hour at 1 pm ET on Wednesday, June 22. Join with no registration required.
Please see our Advocacy Month Resources page for all the materials you need to schedule, prepare, and execute powerful lobby meetings this month – including talking points for different policymakers, a long-term CTC leave behind document, and an updated background memo. In addition, RESULTS policy staff will host a special Legislative Update/General Office Hour tomorrow, June 22, at 1 pm ET to talk through the latest developments and answer questions. Feel free to contact RESULTS staff with additional questions or for specific lobby coaching.
This month, RESULTS advocates around the country are meeting with their members of Congress, discussing Child Tax Credit (CTC) provisions that lifted nearly 4 million children out of poverty from July to December 2021. The CTC monthly payments from 2021 were a financial lifeline for millions of American families. 27 million children in the lowest-income families who had previously received no or little help got the full CTC for the first time. And it worked. Child poverty went down, hunger went down, housing instability went down, and family stress went down.
Meanwhile, as negotiations intensify on a possible reconciliation package, on Tuesday over 100 RESULTS volunteers organized 100+ of lobby meetings in Washington, DC to talk about the CTC – focused on the short-term goal of extending the expanded CTC, and the long-term goal of building broad bipartisan support to reduce child poverty. Advocates had a powerful day on the Hill. We urge you to continue that momentum by meeting with your members of Congress back home. Congress will be in DC this week but then back home from June 27-July 8. Make the most of this time by requesting face-to-face meetings with them to talk about the CTC. If you cannot meet with members themselves, set up meetings with their tax aides.
These meetings are in the midst of ongoing conversations on a reconciliation package — and growing bipartisan interest in reducing child poverty via monthly payments. On Wednesday, Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) released the The Family Security Act 2.0 (FSA), which provides $4,200/year for children 5 and under and $3,500 for children 6-17 (by comparison the American Rescue Plan (ARPA) CTC was $3,600 and $3,000 for same age groups). It also provides $700/month to families during the final 4 months of pregnancy. Families become eligible for benefits starting at their first dollar earned and become eligible for the full benefit at $10,000 earned. These monthly payments would be administered by the Social Security Administration. RESULTS commends Senators Romney, Daines (R-MT), and Burr (R-NC) for moving forward the conversation about policies that can reduce child poverty.
RESULTS concerns: while the benefit amount and monthly payments are improvements over the ARPA CTC, RESULTS continues to advocate against income requirements that would limit the ability of families with limited or no income to get the CTC. It is, however, important to note that the income requirement in the FSA is a huge improvement over the current CTC which requires families to earn much more for full eligibility (roughly $30,000) and is not available at all to families making under $2,500. Given the work done to administer monthly payments through the IRS, RESULTS is concerned about moving administration to the SSA – which could impact access to other anti-poverty programs. And, the FSA requires that at least one parent possesses an SSN – another step backwards from current law.
Problematic payfors: The FSA pays for the additional benefits it provides in a few ways, most of which are problematic. In particular, the FSA cuts the EITC and the eliminates of the head-of-household deduction. Chuck Marr from CBPP calculated that a single mother making $25,000 with 2 children would see her yearly income drop by $450, even with the increased CTC benefit amount.
We are cautiously optimistic that this proposal can start a bipartisan conversation around the permanent expansion of the CTC. We urge you to share information about the new proposal – including RESULTS concerns about those left behind in the FSA and the cuts to EITC, etc. – with policymakers in your lobby meetings and follow up. With your advocacy including your meetings this month, we can make our tax code stronger and more equitable to ensure it has the greatest impact in reducing poverty.
Please let us know if you have questions – and please keep filling out those lobby reports!
7:00 am, Friday, May 27, 2022
As we discussed on the May U.S. Policy Forum and in lobby prep calls to prepare for RESULTS Advocacy Month, won’t see a deal on a reconciliation package before recess but conversations are happening in earnest (more in this Axios story) that will could determine the fate of historic reductions in child poverty via the Child Tax Credit and so much more. Let’s make the most of Memorial Day recess and then the next few weeks (when some RESULTS advocates are coming to DC) to make the most of this opportunity! In particular, we strongly urge you to push for meetings with Senate Democrats (or their key tax staff) ASAP — more via this week’s update:
…members of Congress will be home all week for the Memorial Day recess. This gives you a terrific opportunity to meet with them face-to-face, perhaps for the first time in over two years. And the timing could not be more important. On our U.S. issues, leaders in the Senate are working on a new budget reconciliation bill they hope to pass this summer. It is likely to include provisions on climate change and deficit reduction. Will it also address the needs of children and families? That is certainly our goal. Specifically, to make sure any bill extends an enhanced Child Tax Credit (CTC), which cut child poverty by 30+ percent last year.
TAKE ACTION: Kick off Advocacy Month by requesting face-to-face meetings during the Memorial Day recess (May 30-June 3). Prioritize meeting with Democratic Senate offices next week to talk about the Child Tax Credit (CTC). Tell them how the CTC, including the monthly payments, can help families struggling with higher costs from inflation. Ask them to tell Senate leadership that any reconciliation bill must include an extension of the CTC with permanent full refundability and monthly payment option. push to meet with members of Congress face-to-face, either in-person or virtually.
Conversations we have over the coming weeks will also build broader bipartisan support for a permanent CTC expansion that reduces child poverty long-term. With election season already ramping up, Advocacy Month may be our best opportunity to meet with Congress in-person before November. If you cannot get a face-to-face meeting next week, ask for one sometime during Advocacy Month. Request a face-to-face meeting during June, during the July 4 recess (July 4-8), or, if your state has delegates traveling to DC next month, during our Capitol Hill Lobby Day on June 14.
The Memorial Day recess is also an opportunity to talk to members of Congress at public events. Lawmakers may hold town halls or take part in Memorial Day celebrations. Attend these events and ask them their position on these issues.
To support your efforts, see our advocacy resources with briefs on the issues, talking points, and more. If you have questions or get a meeting and want coaching (especially if your state’s lobby prep call is AFTER your meeting), please contact RESULTS staff for help.
11:00 am, Wednesday, March 30, 2022
President Biden released his FY2023 budget proposal this week. The budget called for continuing the expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to help families with rising costs. In addition, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) is starting to reach out to Senate colleagues about passing a new economic package this spring. It won’t be easy, but we must pressure senators that the CTC is a powerful tool for families facing higher costs. Here are the facts:
Extending the CTC would offset rising costs for food, rent, and fuel. Moody’s research shows that inflation is costing American families an average of about $300 each month. CTC payments made in 2021 averaged about $444 per month per household.
Families spent their CTC payments on basic needs. Families receiving the CTC payments in 2021 spent those funds on food, utilities, housing, clothing, and education. This is due in part because the payments prioritized the lowest-income families.
The CTC does not cause inflation. There is no evidence that the increased CTC in 2021 contributed to rising costs. As noted by CBPP, the expanded CTC “would generate little or no inflationary pressure at a time when much larger fiscal stimulus is ending as the Rescue Plan, CARES Act, and other COVID-19 relief spending and tax cuts expire.”
The CTC payments lifted millions of children out of poverty. Between July-December 2021, 3-4 million children were kept from poverty by the CTC each month. When the payments stopped, 3.7 million children fell back below the poverty line.
The expanded CTC is the right tool for this moment. Reinstating monthly larger CTC payments (which can be done within weeks of Congressional action) will help families struggling to afford basic necessities, keep the economy on the path of recovery, and lift millions of children out of poverty. Let’s do our part to make it happen.
TAKE ACTION: As Congress negotiates a possible economic package, continue to get media published calling on them to include an expanded CTC. Remind your members of Congress by name that the CTC is the best tool to help families with higher costs. The March 2022 U.S. Poverty Action Sheet has background and resources to help you, including a draft letter to the editor on the CTC (there is also one on expanding rental assistance). You can also use our updated tax (and housing) media alerts to submit letters online. If you need help with drafting or submitting your letters, please contact RESULTS staff.
11:00am, Wednesday, February 9, 2022
by Jos Linn, Manager of Grassroots Impact
Yesterday was a National Day of Action for the CTC and EITC, a key opportunity to highlight the importance of claiming the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) — and a time to pause and remember why extending these policies this year is so important.
The CTC and EITC are two of our most effective tools are reducing poverty. Consistently year in and year out, when the U.S. Census measures the poverty-reducing impacts of various federal programs, the CTC and EITC rank second only to Social Security in the number of people lifted out of poverty (2020 was an outlier because of federal stimulus payments and enhanced unemployment payments in response to the pandemic). And when it comes to lifting children out of poverty, no program is more effective than the CTC and EITC. However, this impressive track record is overshadowed by what happened with these credits in 2021.
When 2021’s American Rescue Plan (ARP) increased the CTC amount, added a monthly payment option, and made it fully refundable (i.e., all low-income families get the full credit), it’s efficacy skyrocketed. In the six months that CTC payments went out last year, 3-4 million children per month were kept from poverty. And this tax season, families who got the payments will get the second half of their CTC when they file their 2021 taxes, providing another financial boost to families. In addition, low-wage workers not raising children, including more than one-third of 19-24 year olds, will be able to claim the EITC for the first time or a much higher EITC when they file their taxes. In fact, because of ARP, more low-wage workers than ever before will get the EITC this year.
But the gains we make in reducing child and worker poverty from these improvements could be short-lived. The ARP changes only applied to the 2021 tax year. The CTC monthly payments stopped in January and efforts to extend both the CTC and EITC provisions are stalled in Congress. One of the stumbling blocks is the full refundability provision. Some lawmakers want a work requirement reinstated before they will support an extension of the CTC, despite the fact that by doing so, the children and families most in need of support (those with little or no income) will be denied the credit. As poignantly outlined on the February RESULTS National Webinar by Dr. Dorothy Brown, this work requirement argument is rooted in racist rhetoric and policies that have persisted decades, casting government assistance that goes predominantly to people of color as “welfare” and assistance that benefits mostly White Americans, i.e. farm subsidies, as noble and necessary.
The simple fact is this – the CTC and EITC work. They lift more children out of poverty than any other programs and the new EITC will keep millions of low-wage workers above the poverty line this year. As Dr. Brown noted, if there is to be any kind of work requirement, it should be on Congress. To work so that no child goes to bed hungry. To work so that low-wage workers are not taxed into poverty each year. To work so that all Americans, regardless of race or class, can live a life free of poverty.
TAKE ACTION: Join advocates around the country in telling your members of Congress to prioritize extending the 2021 CTC and EITC provisions as soon as possible. Make sure they know that they can prevent millions of children and low-wage workers from falling back into poverty. The February 2022 U.S. Poverty Action has talking points for e-mails and letters to the editor (you can also use our online action alerts). If you need help, please contact RESULTS staff for assistance.
10:00am, Friday, January 14, 2022
by Meredith Dodson, RESULTS Director of US Poverty Policy
For the last six months, millions of families like mine have gotten a key boost on (or right before) the 15th of the month – the monthly payment of the expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC), which has the potential to reduce the number of children below the federal poverty line almost in half.
But today, that payment didn’t come.
Will you call your senators now at (888) 738-3058 and urge them to swiftly renew the CTC as part of the Build Back Better Act?
At a time when many of us are facing increased costs for basic needs, the loss of the CTC hits hard. With negotiations on large-scale recovery legislation (also known as “Build Back Better”) on hold, it’s important that policymakers hear from people back home – including those of us that can speak to the importance of the CTC for our own families – to build momentum for large-scale anti-poverty legislation early this year.
I’ve been working on tax policy for almost two decades, but this is also personal to me. My husband’s retail job came to an end as COVID-19 shutdowns began, and over the past few years like many others we’ve faced huge student debt and increased rental costs. The monthly CTC payments came at the perfect time as we moved to a larger place for our growing children (we are now the parents of a teenager!). At the same time, sign up fees for kid activities came due and food costs went up. That money was so much more than just a check. It was groceries, gas in the car, new pairs of shoes, and simply peace of mind.
Around 90 percent of families raising children are eligible for larger 2021 CTC payments; Columbia University researchers found the monthly payments were lifting nearly 4 million children above the poverty line. In particular, the expanded 2021 CTC is a lifeline for 27 million children in the lowest-income families who got the full value of the CTC as richer peers for the first time last year — this includes roughly half of all Black children and half of all Latino children whose families are overrepresented in low-paid work because of historical and ongoing racism. These changes could child poverty for African American households by 29 percent per year. It is unacceptable that Congress let the checks expire. That must change.
Will you call your senators now at (888) 738-3058 and urge them to swiftly renew the CTC as part of the Build Back Better Act? If you can speak to the impact the CTC has had for your own family, we strongly urge you to share that when you call.
Please call today and urge others you know to do the same!
Thank you for your advocacy.
Meredith Dodson
PS: Can’t call while Senate offices are open today, or looking to amplify your message via emails or social media? See our online alert, along with other tools on our website to make your voice heard.
5:30pm, Monday, January 10, 2022
Happy New Year! We hope everyone had a restful holiday break with friends and family. Starting the year, Congress still needs to pass Build Back Better Act (BBB) that contains anti-poverty provisions that are historic, transformative, and long-term.
To recap, the House passed BBB on November 19 last year. This bill:
To pass in the Senate, the bill needed all 50 votes from Democrats with the additional tie-breaking vote from Vice-President Harris. Once the Senate passes the legislation, the bill must go back to the House for a final vote before heading to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.
BBB is unfortunately stalled in the Senate. On December 19, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) publicly said he won’t support the current version of BBB. He had several reasons for opposing the House-passed version of BBB, including concerns about inflation, the temporary nature of the policies, the lack of targeting the lowest-income Americans, and other policy proposals included in the bill.
Top-level negotiations between Congressional leadership, Sen. Manchin, and the White House need to resume, and the fate of BBB remains unclear until they agree on a new version of BBB. And with Congress currently focused on voting rights legislation, talks on BBB are delayed until the end of the month or possibly even later.
When negotiations on BBB resume, there is a distinct possibility that an agreement on a new version of this bill will not include our key anti-poverty priorities on housing and the Child Tax Credit (CTC). Senator Manchin has been vocal about his opposition to the CTC in BBB. And many alternative proposals do not include housing investments. This is déjà vu all over again for many of you who fought similar threats last year and lobbied your members of Congress when they were negotiating the reduced size and scope of the recovery package.
We cannot let key anti-poverty policies be excluded in this once-in-a-generation legislative opportunity! As part of our broader campaign goals for 2022, we need Congress to pivot from an emergency response to a structural, long-term response to address poverty – starting with BBB that invests on the country’s human infrastructure. Passing a scaled-down version without the CTC and housing investments would set us back in ending poverty.
It is critical that Congress pass BBB that includes housing provisions. Wages have not kept pace with the increase in rents across the country. And with shortage in supply of affordable housing and only one in four eligible for federal housing assistance actually getting it, many households will continue to struggle to make ends meet. We need Congress to provide long-term housing investments starting with BBB, particularly if we want to curb the rise of evictions and homelessness and their harmful and traumatic consequences in 2022. Most importantly, with the pandemic & housing crisis disproportionately harming communities of color & other historically disadvantaged communities, our work to achieve housing justice also works towards the goal of achieving racial justice.
Likewise, we cannot let Congress pass BBB without the Child Tax Credit. Already, families are not receiving the monthly payments since Congress let the CTC provisions lapse. To allow millions of children to fall back into or deeper into poverty would be unconscionable, particularly at a time when vulnerable families across the country need additional assistance to recover from the devastating effects of the pandemic. The expanded CTC would lift millions of children out of poverty and begin to close racial gaps.
Since the negotiations will likely happen behind the scenes, it is key that leaders hear loud and clear from policymakers that we need to prioritize key anti-poverty investments in any legislative package. Ask your MoCs to proactively weigh in with Congressional leadership and the White House to pass BBB with historic investments in anti-poverty policies that includes Housing Choice Vouchers, continuation of the expanded CTC, and permanent full refundability for the CTC. You can take action using our online action alerts and monthly action sheets – make sure to coordinate with your group so that key aides are hearing from RESULTS directly in addition to widespread support via calls and letters.
12:30pm, Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Obviously, we had hoped to update you here on Congress moving forward on large-scale anti-poverty legislation. However, as you have likely read already, negotiations over a recovery package stalled over the past few days. We hope — and it appears — cooler heads ultimately will prevail and negotiations will continue in January.
While this is not where we hoped to be, your steadfast work to build support for anti-poverty investments has made an impact. You’ve worked hard to educate policymakers and generate hundreds of media pieces, and policies you helped enact earlier this year cut child poverty nearly in half in 2021. The House passed the Build Back Better Act last month, which includes:
- Extending the increased Child Tax Credit and monthly payment option another year and makes it permanently and fully refundable for all low-income families. The House bill also restores eligibility for the CTC for immigrant families who file tax returns using an ITIN.
- Extending the increased Earned Income Tax Credit for younger workers and workers not raising children another year.
- Investing $22 billion in Housing Choice Vouchers to help more low-income renters find a place to live.
- Allocating $1.3 billion in pandemic preparedness, which includes increasing global vaccine manufacturing capacity.
For now, we believe this is a time to rest and enjoy family and friends while staying safe. We go into these holidays grateful for the RESULTS community, including the work we have all done to lay the foundation to reduce poverty further and increase equity.
Happy New Years and we look ahead to important work in 2022!
8:00am, Wednesday, December 15, 2021
Today is the day when millions of families get their Child Tax Credit monthly payment — but they are about to end unless Congress acts, so it is key to raise our voices in local media to tell the Senate to pass Build Back Better now!
In November, the House passed the Build Back Better (BBB) Act (more below). In addition to important provisions helping low-income renters, low-wage workers, and global vaccine manufacturing, the bill extends the Child Tax Credit (CTC) monthly payments for another year. In October, these payments lifted 3.6 million children above the federal poverty line.
The next CTC monthly payment goes out today Wednesday, December 15. Unless the Senate passes BBB this month, it could be the last. Unless Congress acts, millions of children will lose their CTC in January, forcing them deeper into poverty. Congress must not let that happen.
Tell the Senate to protect children from poverty. Highlight the December 15 CTC payment as you submit a letter to the editor today urging your senators to pass Build Back Better now!
10:00am, Friday, November 19, 2021
The House has voted to pass Build Back Better (BBB), clearing one of the hurdles for this once-in-a-generation, transformational recovery package to become law.
RESULTS’ advocacy played a critical role ensuring that children in the lowest income families will get the Child Tax Credit (CTC) monthly payments and affordable housing provisions that were kept in the bill. We know that the CTC is helping families put food on the table and pay bills, and these provisions will have a positive impact on millions of families in 2022 across the country.
The Senate will then take up the bill in early December, and make changes and amendments to it. The bill needs to comply with Senate budget reconciliation rules and at least 50 votes (i.e. all Senate Democrats) to pass. We must remain active and diligent to carry this bill, with its anti-poverty provisions intact (without harmful amendments), over the finish line.
Once accomplished, the House will take the Senate-passed bill up for one more vote before sending it to President Biden’s desk to become law. With other competing deadlines on the horizon, it is going to be a very busy end of the year for Congress.
Use our tools and resources to share your stories and make your voices heard on how provisions in BBB would benefit millions of Americans.
On housing, it is urgent that Congress pass BBB to address the ongoing housing affordability, eviction, and homelessness crises. Millions are struggling to make ends meet and we need relief soon. The $22.1 billion in funding for Housing Choice Vouchers will benefit over 300,000 households. Here’s an article you can reference to see how your state would benefit from the program’s expansion.
On taxes, Congress cannot let the expansions to the CTC and EITC expire by the end of the year. Without BBB, monthly payments to families will stop after December, leaving many families without an additional source of income heading into 2022. Here’s a refresher on what’s at stake, from our partners at Center on Budget Policy and Priorities, that includes state numbers.
In addition, it is critical that Congress move forward on investing $1.3 billion in pandemic preparedness, which includes increasing global vaccine manufacturing capacity. We cannot delay further efforts to help end the global pandemic.
TAKE ACTION: While Congress is on recess for the Thanksgiving holiday, get letters to the editor published urging your senators to pass the Build Back Better Act when they return to Washington. It must be priority number one. Use the letter template in our online letter to the editor action to draft and submit your letter today. When you get published, please forward your letter to the appropriate aides in your Senate offices (and please let us know too). And remember, all the media RESULTS volunteers have gotten published since we began work on BBB in March can be found on our website.
4:00pm, Wednesday, November 10, 2021
Happy Veterans’ Day! Congress is on recess this week but work continues behind the scenes to pass the Build Back Better Act (“BBB”).
To recap, the House still needs to vote on the actual bill itself after it comes back next week from recess. What caused the delay? When the House passed the Bipartisan Infrastructure package last week (the first component of President Biden’s domestic policy agenda), Moderate House Democrats also agreed to vote on Build Back Better once there is more information from Congressional Budget Office (the full “CBO score” estimates the costs and revenues from the bill and is needed for the Senate to take up the bill). It will take several days to a few weeks before a full CBO score becomes available.
Senate will then make changes and take up the bill, likely sometime after Thanksgiving, and make changes and amendments to it. The bill needs to comply with Senate budget reconciliation rules and at least 50 votes (I.e. all Senate democrats) to pass. Once accomplished, the House will take the Senate-passed bill up for one more vote before sending it to President Biden’s desk to become law. With other competing deadlines on the horizon, it is going to be a very busy end of the year for Congress.
While Congress is on recess and awaiting for the CBO score, it is also important for members to hear beyond what this number is. This is where your advocacy plays an important role: it is critical for lawmakers to hear from you about the human cost of passing BBB and why it is urgently needed. Use our tools and resources to share your stories and make your voices heard on how provisions in BBB would benefit millions of Americans.
On housing, it is urgent that Congress pass BBB to address the ongoing housing affordability, eviction, and homelessness crises. Millions are struggling to make ends meet and we need relief soon. The $22.1 billion in funding for Housing Choice Vouchers will benefit over 300,000 households. Here’s an article you can reference to see how your state would benefit from the program’s expansion.
On taxes, Congress cannot let the expansions to the CTC and EITC expire by the end of the year. Without BBB, monthly payments to families will stop after December, leaving many families without an additional source of income heading into 2022. Here’s a refresher on what’s at stake, from our partners at Center on Budget Policy and Priorities, that includes state numbers.
In addition, it is critical that Congress move forward on investing $1.3 billion in pandemic preparedness, which includes increasing global vaccine manufacturing capacity We cannot delay further efforts to help end the global pandemic.
TAKE ACTION: While the House and Senate are on recess this week, get letters to the editor published urging your members of Congress to pass the Build Back Better Act when they return to Washington. It must be priority number one. Use the letter template in our online letter to the editor action to draft and submit your letter today. When you get published, please forward your letter to the appropriate aides in your House and Senate offices (and please let us know too). And remember, all the media RESULTS volunteers have gotten published since we began work on BBB in March can be found on our website.
9:00am, Saturday, November 6, 2021
Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed a procedural rule to allow recovery legislation, also known as “Build Back Better”, to be considered on the House floor — while postponing the vote until the legislation has been “scored” by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Key House Moderate Democrats agreed to take up the recovery bill once that score is available – so we could see House vote in next two weeks. As a reminder, this bill includes key anti-poverty investments, including:
- Extending the increased Child Tax Credit and monthly payment option another year and makes it permanently and fully refundable for all low-income families. The House bill also restores eligibility for the CTC for immigrant families who file tax returns using an ITIN.
- Extending the increased Earned Income Tax Credit for younger workers and workers not raising children another year.
- Investing $22 billion in Housing Choice Vouchers to help more low-income renters find a place to live.
- Investing $1.3 billion in pandemic preparedness, which includes increasing global vaccine manufacturing capacity.
This bill is not perfect, but it is historic. And putting these changes in place now lays the foundation for us to expand them in the future to reduce poverty further and increase equity. This bill must be passed — in the next week we urge you to call your representative and tell them to vote YES on the Build Back Better plan when it comes up for a vote. Call 1-888-516-5820 and when connected, say:
My name is _____________ and I am a constituent from _______________. I am also a RESULTS volunteer. I am calling in strong support of the new Build Back Better plan. This plan will help low-wage workers, reduce homelessness, expand vaccine access around the world, and cut child poverty in half. And it’s fully paid for by making the wealthy and corporations pay a fairer share of taxes. I strongly urge Rep. ______________ to vote YES on the Build Back Better Act. Will you please give them that message?
You can use our online action alert to call (and email or tweet) and share this link with others. Also use the media to keep the pressure on Congress by using our online letter to the editor action to submit your letter today calling on Congress to pass Build Back Better now. Please urge others you know to take action too — we are on the cusp of major legislation that could put us on the path to ending poverty and creating more equity.
7:30am, Friday, November 5, 2021
After months of advocacy, negotiations, and horse-trading, the House is now moving forward with recovery legislation, also known as “Build Back Better”, with a vote expected today. This bill invests significant resources in programs that have proven successful at lifting people out of poverty, including:
- Extending the increased Child Tax Credit and monthly payment option another year and makes it permanently and fully refundable for all low-income families.
- Extending the increased Earned Income Tax Credit for younger workers and workers not raising children another year.
- Investing $22 billion in Housing Choice Vouchers to help more low-income renters find a place to live.
- Investing $1.3 billion in pandemic preparedness, which includes increasing global vaccine manufacturing capacity.
This bill is not perfect, but it is historic. And putting these changes in place now lays the foundation for us to expand them in the future to reduce poverty further and increase equity. This bill must be passed.
The House vote could be as early as this morning! Please call your representative TODAY and tell them to vote YES on the Build Back Better plan when it comes up for a vote. Call 1-888-516-5820 and when connected, say:
My name is _____________ and I am a constituent from _______________. I am also a RESULTS volunteer. I am calling in strong support of the new Build Back Better plan. This plan will help low-wage workers, reduce homelessness, expand vaccine access around the world, and cut child poverty in half. And it’s fully paid for by making the wealthy and corporations pay a fairer share of taxes. I strongly urge Rep. ______________ to vote YES on the Build Back Better Act. Will you please give them that message?
You can also use our online action alert to call. Please share this e-mail with others and urge them to call too.
We are so close to taking a major step forward in the fight against poverty. Let’s make it happen.
1:30pm, Thursday October 28, 2021
This morning, the president unveiled a framework for the recovery package, also known as “Build Back Better”. We want to highlight some of the text related to our anti-poverty policies:
- “Earned Income Tax Credit for 17 Million Low-Wage Workers: Extend for one year the current expanded Earned Income Tax Credit for childless workers.
- “Expanded Child Tax Credit: Extend for one year the current expanded Child Tax Credit for more than 35 million American households, with monthly payments for households earning up to $150,000 per year. Make refundability of the Child Tax Credit permanent.
- “Housing: $150 billion investment in housing affordability and reducing price pressures, including in rural areas. Funds go towards building more than 1 million new affordable rental and single-family homes, rental and down payment assistance, and public housing.”
The recovery package also includes funding to address global inequity in vaccine access. While not specified in the White House summary, draft legislation to enact the recovery package includes $1.3 billion for pandemic preparedness, including “to support expanded global and domestic vaccine production capacity.” This funding could boost efforts to establish regional manufacturing hubs to expand access to COVID-19 vaccines.
There are many additional important anti-poverty investments included in the package, including $10 billion for U.S. domestic child nutrition programs—which the White House notes “will help children reach their full potential by investing in nutrition security year-round. The legislation will expand free school meals to 8.9 million children during the school year and provide a $65 per child per month benefit to the families of 30 million children to purchase food during the summer.”
While not at the scale that we had initially hoped, your tireless advocacy work helped ensure that children in the lowest-income families will ongoingly get the full value of the Child Tax Credit as their wealthier peers — a policy that was under deep threat in negotiations. Similarly, there was initial talk about housing being dropped from the package entirely, or included at lower levels, and your hard work resulted in what the National Low-Income Housing Coalition notes “$25 billion in rental assistance for hundreds of thousands of new households is the single largest expansion of the program since its creation almost 50 years ago.” Funds for increasing global vaccine supply capacity were not guaranteed in this deal—but thanks to your advocacy Congress is now proposing $1.3 billion that can help support this goal.
We’ll continue to update this blogpost and our action center as Congress moves forward with the recovery legislation—it will be important to secure passage of the recovery package AND build momentum for what else needs to be done, knowing this is just an important first step to create an equitable future and end poverty.
10:30am, Tuesday October 26, 2021
Tell Congress RIGHT NOW to pass a strong anti-poverty recovery bill
This is likely the week. We’ve been here before and unexpected things always happen, but this is likely the week Congress finalizes the economic recovery bill (also known as Build Back Better bill (BBB)) — with important conversations happening midday today. Use these last few hours to get the strongest economic recovery bill possible.
TAKE ACTION: Use our online alert to e-mail or call your members of Congress RIGHT NOW urging them to the following provisions in the final Build Back Better deal:
- Make the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) provisions permanent, including full refundability of the CTC
- Include $90 billion for rental assistance including the highest possible amount for Housing Choice Vouchers
- Include $2 billion to for COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing to help vaccinate the world
More on what’s happening: First, press reports are that Democratic negotiators are close to a deal, with key conversations about the details happening at today’s Senate Democratic Caucus meeting. In fact, it could be announced as soon as tomorrow. Second, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12) promised moderates in her party that she would bring the Senate-passed bipartisan infrastructure bill to a vote by the end of October. But without a deal on Build Back Better, she does not have the votes to pass it. So, getting a BBB framework in place this week is critical to getting both bills passed.
This means we have could have just a few more hours to influence what’s in this bill. Sadly, what is included from our priorities is still up in the air. Will full refundability of the Child Tax Credit be made permanent? Will Housing Choice Vouchers get any new funding? Will money for vaccine manufacturing be included? We don’t know.
What we do know is that your grassroots pressure can make a difference on these priorities. Just a few weeks ago, there was a real fear that all the housing money was going to be dropped from the bill. That didn’t sit well with you and you took action, getting more than 150 members of Congress on a letter urging negotiators to protect the housing provisions. We’re hearing now that housing money will be included in the bill (albeit much lower than the $328 billion proposed by the House and how it would be divided is unknown) — and as Senator Merkley noted yesterday, your advocacy has made a difference:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">“I want us to keep fighting. Your advocacy last week helped put housing back on the charts. We started the week with something less than $100 billion and finished with $150 billion.” - <a href="https://twitter.com/SenJeffMerkley?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenJeffMerkley</a> on <a href="https://twitter.com/NLIHC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NLIHC</a> national <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HoUSed?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HoUSed</a> call.</p>— Diane Yentel (@dianeyentel) <a href="https://twitter.com/dianeyentel/status/1452958693071409159?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>Share the alert link with your action networks, friends, family, and colleagues now and please urge them to take action, too. Let’s push Congress to pass the strongest possible deal.
12:45pm, Friday October 22, 2021
Details of what the final recovery package are taking shape, the size and scope of which may be released soon.
Lawmakers were busy this week ironing out the final details of the recovery package (aka “Build Back Better Act”). Moderate and progressive democrats are continuing negotiations with Congressional leaders and President Biden.
Democrats are all-hands-on-deck to resolve differences and make significant progress before the tentative October 31 deadline that Speaker Nancy Pelosi set to pass both the recovery package (via budget reconciliation) and the already Senate-passed bipartisan infrastructure package.
Democrats are all-hands-on-deck to resolve differences and make significant progress before the tentative Democrats are making difficult decisions on scaling back the price tag of the recovery package, rumored to be less than $2 trillion. This deal on the reduced size and scope of the package that comes out of these negotiations will include specific anti-poverty policies that we have been advocating for these past several months.
Housing investments in the recovery package may be drastically cut from $327 billion to $100 billion, significantly reducing (or even completely eliminating) funding for Housing Choice Vouchers as a key step towards a universal rental assistance. There is continuing pressure from advocates and some members of Congress to pressure leadership and the White House to preserve these critical and historic housing investments in the recovery package aimed at addressing the ongoing affordable housing, eviction, and homelessness crises. The House Financial Services Committee recently held a hearing on how important affordable housing is for many Americans across the country and how the housing investments advance the other priorities in the package.
The Earned Income Tax Credit and larger Child Tax Credit (CTC) is likely to only be extended for one year. Because of continued attacks on provisions that ensure children in no- or very low-income families can get the Child Tax Credit (CTC), there are reports that the CTC will only be extended for one year – with full permanent refundability.
It is not clear if this recovery package will include resources to increase global vaccine manufacturing.
TAKE ACTION: Please continue to take action as Congress wraps up negotiations on the size and scope of the recovery package. Don’t stop informing your members of Congress of how important these investments are and why these matter to you as constituents. Speak out in the media and continue to follow up with housing, tax, and foreign affairs/health aides and urge them to pass a bold recovery package that:
- Makes the 2021 EITC/CTC provisions permanent (particularly full-refundability for very low- or no-income families);
- Includes at least $90 billion for rental assistance, with highest possible investments in Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs) targeting the lowest-income households; and
- Includes at least $2 billion to scale up global vaccine manufacturing.
12:30pm, Wednesday October 13, 2021
Another week has passed without an agreement on a new economic recovery package. While temporary progress has been made to avoid a government shutdown and default on our debts (Congress passed temporary measures to address these issues in early December), progress on the recovery package is moving slow. The main issue seems still to be resolving how big the package will be (as a reminder, the package will be offset by increased taxes on the wealthy and corporations). While House leaders have been pushing for a package that uses the full $3.5 trillion authorized in the budget resolution (passed over the summer), Sens. Manchin (D-WV) and Sinema (D-AZ) are pushing for something much smaller. Recognizing that the final bill (also known as Build Back Better) will be smaller, leaders are deciding now which items to cut.
This means that our priorities – $90 billion for rental assistance with most going to Housing Choice Vouchers, making the new CTC and EITC changes permanent, and $2 billion to increase global vaccine manufacturing – are on the chopping block. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has set a deadline of October 31 to pass a recovery package along with infrastructure legislation, which means we could see an agreement in the coming days. That’s why your advocacy right now is so important. If lawmakers do not hear from you now, they will not make your concerns their priority.
TAKE ACTION: Congress is on recess this week (although House committees are meeting) but negotiations will continue. Here are the top things you can do to ensure that a final recovery package includes provisions for housing and the EITC/CTC:
- Get representatives and senators to sign “Dear Colleague” letter on housing by tomorrow. Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY-15) is circulating House Dear Colleague letter and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) is leading a Senate Dear Colleague letter that call for preserving the current funding levels for the housing investments in the House recovery package. If your representative or senator is not yet signed on, please contact their housing aide today. The deadline to sign on for the Senate letter is October 14 and the House letter is October 15.
- Continue to follow up with key aides. In addition to #1, if you have not recently heard back from housing, tax, or global health aides for your senators and representatives, please contact them this week urging them to contact Senate and House leaders about our priorities for the recovery bill.
- Generate media during this week’s recess. Most members will be in their home states this week, which makes it an ideal time to get local media pushing Congress to reduce housing insecurity and poverty in the recovery bill. Use our online letter to the editor action to submit your letter today.
4:45pm, Tuesday October 5, 2021
Negotiations continue in Washington over the scope of a recovery package (also known as “Build Back Better”), which means we can continue to push for a large-scale anti-poverty legislative package.
Last week, progressives and moderate members of the Democratic caucus could not resolve their disagreements on advancing both the recovery package (that carries our main policy priorities and asks) and the bipartisan infrastructure package (that includes funding for roads, bridges, and highways). The frenetic pace of negotiations last week reached a turning point after President Biden visited Capitol Hill on October 1 to meet with key committee chairs and leadership to try to resolve the impasse that threatened to derail his domestic policy agenda embodied by these two important bills. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ultimately decided to delay the House vote on both of these bills (remember that the Senate has already passed the bipartisan infrastructure package), with the goal of passing both by October 31.
Even though the votes on both bills have been postponed until October 31, negotiations regarding the size and scope of the recovery package are ongoing – and lawmakers may decide what the price tag (topline number) of the package would be as early as this week. Currently, the size of the package remains at $3.5 trillion. Advocates expect this size to shrink in the coming weeks. The ultimate question is how much will Congress scale back? A smaller package (which could be between $1.9 and $2.2 trillion – with corresponding increases in revenues via increased taxes on corporations and the wealthy to offset the package) would require lawmakers to make tradeoffs and difficult choices as to which policies will be on the chopping block. A Washington Post article explores this further and cautions how the housing investments “may prove among the first to hit the cutting-room floor.”
Now is not the time to relent on pressuring lawmakers – Congress urgently needs to hear why it is important to keep the anti-poverty investments we’ve been fighting for these past few months. Continue to make your voice heard as Congress decides the size and scope of the package! Follow up yet again with housing, tax, and foreign affairs/health aides and urge them to pass a bold recovery package that:
- Makes the 2021 EITC/CTC provisions permanent (particularly full-refundability for very low- or no-income families)
- Includes at least $90 billion for rental assistance, with highest possible investments in Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs) targeting the lowest-income households.
- Includes at least $2 billion to scale up global vaccine manufacturing
After you’ve followed up with staff (or if you already have) you can still have an impact on this recovery pOn housing, you can also take action by urging your Democratic members of Congress in the House to sign on a Dear Colleague letter that calls for preserving the House Financial Services Committee’s proposed funding levels for the housing investments in the recovery package. Lawmakers can sign on until 12pm ET on Friday, October 8, 2021. This is a short turnaround time, but we will try to track the list of signers here.
This recovery legislation is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to drastically reduce poverty in the U.S. and for the U.S. to invest in global vaccine manufacturing capacity. After you’ve followed up with staff (or if you already have) you can still have an impact on this recovery package by:
- Sharing our online alerts with others to keep up the pressure on Capitol Hill
- Submitting media pieces to your local papers — this gets the attention of members of Congress (especially when you call on them by name!), keeps these issues front and center in our communities, and sending published media to offices is a great reason to get back in touch.
3:15pm, Monday September 27, 2021
This could be the week where Congress makes final decisions over a recovery package – with policies that are key for long-term reductions in child poverty, increased housing stability for low-income renters, and vaccine equity in the balance. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) scheduled a House Democratic caucus meeting Monday evening to work though rifts within the party, while Senate Majority Leader Schumer (D-NY) navigates differences amongst Senate Democrats.
There is disagreement between moderate and liberal-leaning members of Congress, which will determine the fate of both the recovery package and a planned vote later this week on a bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure package. Moderates want the House to vote on the infrastructure package this week, while some also push for changes to the recovery package. Meanwhile, progressives have threatened to oppose the infrastructure package until Democrats have finalized a large-scale recovery package.
President Biden and Congressional leaders hope that this deal will be done as soon as possible to move both infrastructure and recovery legislation, including as early as the end of the week. That means the next few days on Capitol Hill will be intense, busy, and crucial for our advocacy — particularly with Moderate Democrats.
This legislation is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to drastically reduce poverty in the U.S. and for the U.S. to invest in global vaccine manufacturing capacity. Make your voice heard as Congress finalizes negotiations! Follow up yet again with housing, tax, and foreign affairs/health aides and urge them to pass a bold recovery package that:
- Makes the 2021 EITC/CTC provisions permanent (particularly full-refundability for very low- or no-income families)
- Includes at least $90 billion for rental assistance, with highest possible investments in Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs) targeting the lowest-income households.
- Includes at least $2 billion to scale up global vaccine manufacturing
After you’ve followed up with staff (or if you already have) you can still have an impact on this recovery package by:
- Sharing our online alerts with others to keep up the pressure on Capitol Hill
- Submitting media pieces to your local papers — this gets the attention of members of Congress (especially when you call on them by name!), keeps these issues front and center in our communities, and sending published media to offices is a great reason to get back in touch.
1:30pm, Friday September 24, 2021
Congress needs to hear from you this weekend
Congressional leadership is pushing to finalize the recovery package in the next few days and bring the bill to the floor for a vote next week. The House Budget committee will consider the combined version of the committee-passed recovery bills (more on those below) Saturday, but Congressional leaders are in the midst of negotiations on ultimate scope and provisions in the bill – with the goal of an agreement early next week! Speaker Pelosi has told House Democrats this final recovery package, along with the bipartisan infrastructure legislation passed by the Senate, could be on the House floor later next week.
U.S. poverty advocates
For U.S. poverty advocates, our key ask is to coordinate with fellow RESULTS advocates to follow up with housing and tax aides in the next 2-3 days. Urge their bosses to tell key committees and leadership to pass a bold recovery package that:
- Makes the 2021 EITC/CTC provisions permanent
- Particularly key to make sure full refundability for the Child Tax Credit for very low- or no-income families is made permanent.
- Includes at least $90 billion in rental assistance, with highest possible investments in Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs) targeting the lowest-income households
The September 2021 U.S. Poverty Action includes sample letters to aides as well as a general e-mail you can use for action networks and other contacts. And, share our online alert with your broader Action Network to keep up the pressure.
For more:
- Listen to the recording of last night’s U.S. poverty policy forum. Ellen Nisenbaum of the Center on Budget and Policy priorities provided an update on negotiations in Congress and why RESULTS advocacy is crucial right now.
- The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released a new report on how an earnings requirement would undermine the child tax credit’s poverty-reducing impact while doing virtually nothing to boost parents’ employment.
- The Center for Law and Social Policy article on how CTC work requirements would reduce access for many families
Global poverty advocates
For global poverty advocates, our key ask is to coordinate with fellow RESULTS advocates to follow up with foreign affairs aides in the next 2-3 days. Urge their bosses to tell leadership and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee to pass a bold recovery package that includes at least $2 billion to scale up vaccine manufacturing. And share our online alert with others to keep up the drum beat of this issue on the Hill.
For more:
- COVID-19 vaccine lobby leave behind is available in the lobbying section of the RESULTS site to share with your congressional contacts.
- Four quick takeaways from the White House COVID-19 summit are outlined on the RESULTS blog.
- Watch the recording from last night’s global poverty policy forum. Chris Collins, CEO of Friends of the Global Fight, joined RESULTS for a timely conversation on the COVID-19 pandemic, pandemic preparedness, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria, and how they intersect.
Make sure your members of Congress hear from you before this once-in-a-generation legislation is finalized!
2:00pm, Thursday September 23, 2021
Yesterday, the White House held a global COVID-19 vaccine summit with high-level political figures, private sector leaders, and civil society. There were important takeaways from the Summit—including the U.S. commitment to reaching the goal of 70 percent vaccination in every country by this time next year. However, most of the four-hour event was not broadcast and closed to the press. Your advocacy is needed to make sure we get life-saving vaccine supply provisions across the finish line.
And today, the White House, House and Senate leadership along with tax committee chairs reached an agreement on a framework that will pay for any final negotiated recovery package, which is the next step to passing this massive legislation. The deal does not include a top-line spending number, but Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) told reporters that the “menu” of tax proposals can be dialed up or down to raise any amount of money needed to cover the full cost of the package—which is unlikely to go above offsetting the $3.5 trillion in recovery policies currently on the table.
There is still time to advocate for our priorities in this recovery package! As final decisions are being made about the size of the package—we must push to make sure that critical housing, tax, and global vaccine supply provisions are not reduced or cut from the final bill.
Go the RESULTS Action Center to contact your members of Congress now on these issues.
- Global Vaccine Access. RESULTS urges the Senate to meet or increase the House proposal of $2 billion to increase global vaccine manufacturing capacity.
- Rental Assistance. RESULTS calls for $90 billion for rental assistance, including $75 billon for Housing Choice Vouchers to fund 750,000 new vouchers for low-income renters. See how many in your state here.
- Child Tax Credit (CTC). RESULTS urges Congress to include the following provisions:
- Permanent expansion of the full Child Tax Credit (CTC) for all low-income families, including those will little or no income
- Restoration of CTC benefits for children in immigrant families with an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN)
- Extension through at least 2025 of the increased CTC amounts ($3,000 per child 6-17 years old; $3,600 per child under 6) — and we ultimately want to see these made permanent. See how many in your children in your state get the larger CTC here.
- Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). RESULTS calls on Congress to make the 2021 expansion of the EITC for younger workers and low-wage workers permanent. See how many workers in your state get the larger EITC here.
2:00pm, Wednesday September 22, 2021
Your advocacy is needed now to get historic anti-poverty bill across the finish line!
Last week, several key committees tasked with allocating reconciliation funds for housing, tax, and global vaccine supply passed their respective bills out of their committee and Congress returns to DC this week with economic recovery on their minds. RESULTS sent a letter to Congressional leadership about our organizational priorities in this recovery package, but it’s vital that members of Congress hear from YOU, their constituents, on what their priorities should be.
It’s particularly important to reach out to moderate Democrats in the House and Senate, whose support for this large-scale recovery bill is not assured. Contact your members of Congress now and urge them to include the following provisions in the final recovery package.
Global Vaccine Access. RESULTS urges the Senate to meet or increase the House proposal of $2 billion to increase global vaccine manufacturing capacity.
Rental Assistance. RESULTS calls for $90 billion for rental assistance, including $75 billon for Housing Choice Vouchers to fund 750,000 new vouchers for low-income renters. See how many in your state here.
Child Tax Credit (CTC). RESULTS urges Congress to include the following provisions:
- Permanent expansion of the full Child Tax Credit (CTC) for all low-income families, including those will little or no income
- Restoration of CTC benefits for children in immigrant families with an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN)
- Extension through 2025 of the increased CTC amounts ($3,000 per child 6-17 years old; $3,600 per child under 6)
Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). RESULTS calls on Congress to make the 2021 expansion of the EITC for younger workers and low-wage workers permanent.
We must work hard over the next few weeks to protect these proposed investments and get this potentially historic anti-poverty legislation across the finish line! Go the RESULTS Action Center to take action now!
5:00pm, Friday September 17, 2021
Short window of opportunity to influence how Congress spends trillions
Advocates have a narrow timeline to influence how their members of Congress spend trillions of dollars in a once-in-a-generation economic recovery package. Key committees in the House are “marking up” (debating and amending) drafts of housing, tax, and global vaccine provisions for the new economic recovery bill, which Congressional leaders hope to finalize in the coming weeks. Policymakers need to hear from you as critical components of this legislation are negotiated.
Here’s where our issues stand in the reconciliaton legislation process and how you can take action now!
Rental Assistance. On Tuesday September 14, the House Financial Services Committee finished marking up its housing proposal for the recovery bill, which includes $90 billion for rental assistance with the majority of that ($75 billion) going to the Housing Choice Voucher program (HCVs). The vouchers are targeted toward those most in need. While this amount falls short of universal assistance for all who are eligible, it is a critical step forward in ending homelessness and providing federal housing assistance to all who need it.
Our goal is to secure at least $90 billion in rental assistance, with the highest possible funding for Housing Choice Vouchers (with a focus on the lowest-income households) in the final recovery bill.
Take action—urge your members of Congress to provide rental assistance via Housing Choice Vouchers.
Tax Credits: EITC & CTC. On Wednesday September 15, the House Ways and Means Committee marked up a strong proposal that includes several provisions for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) that RESULTS supports. But this is only one step. While these developments are promising, they’re far from certain. We must remain vigilant in the coming weeks to ensure these provisions are not watered down or cut from the final bill.
Our goal is still to secure permanent extensions of the 2021 Child Tax Credit (CTC) and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) provisions, including full refundability of the CTC so that children whose families have little or no income can still qualify. We also want Congress to undo changes made in 2017 to prevent immigrant children from receiving the CTC.
Take action—tell Congress to prioritize reducing poverty via the CTC and EITC.
Global COVID-19 Vaccine Access. On Monday September 13, the House Energy and Commerce committee marked up their proposal, which included $2 billion to expand capacity to manufacture more vaccines. When combined with funding previously provided by Congress, this additional $2 billion would give the Biden Administration significant resources to expand access to vaccines.
Our goal is to secure at least $2 billion to expand vaccine manufacturing capacity in the final reconciliation bill.
Take action—ask your senators to lead on global COVID-19 vaccine access.