RESULTS Campaigns Weekly Update August 18, 2020
Quote of the Week
“As a teacher, I want the number of coronavirus cases to decrease so that schools can reopen. However, if something isn’t done about our eviction crisis, those numbers will only continue to get worse.”
– RESULTS St. Louis volunteer Sarah Miller in an August 14 letter to the editor in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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? Write about a necessary emergency response package and get published
Unfortunately, congressional and White House negotiators failed to reach an agreement on the next COVID-19 relief package. However, you should know that your advocacy was working. Your meetings, calls, e-mails, and media were pushing negotiations in the right direction. Before things broke down, reports were that the two sides had made some progress. There was a rumored agreement between the House Democrats and Senate Republicans to support an increased global response to COVID-19. However, negotiators could not overcome other issues, particularly the size of the bill. And we are not expecting movement on a package for quite some time.
This is why we are pushing media as the best action to take now. You can send letters to the editor expressing how you feel about this disappointing and dangerous failure by Congress and the President. We must build on the success you were having in your advocacy and maintain positive pressure for a deal to get done. We have an updated media alert for you to use to call on members of Congress and President Trump to enact a fair and just deal.
We are asking for a global response of no less than $20 billion for development assistance in the next emergency response package, 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, Tuberculosis, and Malaria
- $4 billion for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance
- $2 billion for anti-hunger programs, with at least $500 million for nutrition
TAKE ACTION: Sharpen those pencils – or take hold of our online action alert – and write your letter to the editor on how Congress and the Administration must act now to mitigate the global health impacts of COVID-19. Development assistance of at least $20 billion must be part of a response to the global pandemic. Your letters do make a difference, so don’t hesitate to write. Then report it to us when you get published.
Got Another Fifteen Minutes? Make sure you have followed up with your members of Congress on the emergency response package.
COVID-19 is having a devastating impact in low-income nations, and current projections put 80 million children at risk from missing vaccinations. There could be a spike in tuberculosis cases and deaths, and global hunger and malnutrition could double. Have you told your members of Congress that you feel a $20 billion response to the global pandemic is imperative and that they should speak to leadership about this? Use our August Action Sheet to make your case.
TAKE ACTION: Utilize our August Action Sheet to make a call to your representative and senators if you haven’t done follow-up with them, letting them know that a $20 billion emergency response package is what’s needed – and what leadership must work for – to face the COVID-19 crisis globally.
QUICK NEWS ON GLOBAL POVERTY
Grassroots spotlight. Our power comes from our volunteers, and we love to feature our advocates on our blog from time to time. Have you seen the recent grassroots spotlight on the group in Pittsburgh? Check out the online piece and be inspired by this collection of advocates.
Don’t forget to report. Make sure all your hard work gets logged in our lobby, media, and outreach report forms. Having a record of your work is incredibly helpful to us as we track our progress forward. You can find all the report forms online.
U.S. Poverty Campaigns Update
QUICK ACTION Tell Congress to fund emergency rental assistance
Got Fifteen Minutes? We can’t let up now – keep pushing Congress to help renters
It’s been over a week since negotiations over a new COVID-19 bill fell apart. While House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) have publicly urged the White House and Senate Republicans to return to the bargaining table, that request has fallen mostly on deaf ears. Remember, the House passed the $100 billion in rental assistance and a national moratorium on evictions back in May. It’s now up to Senate Republicans and President Trump to do their part.
It seems that for now President Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are content to rest on the President’s August 8 executive actions as a solution. This despite the fact that these actions do little to help renters and the unemployed, put additional burdens on states they are likely to reject, and still lead to millions of evictions in the coming months.
Sadly, few expect any action on a new COVID-19 bill before September. This despite the fact that renters already owe $25 billion in back rent (which could grow to $70 billion in four months) and 30-40 million people are at risk of eviction by the end of the year.
We cannot make congressional leaders and the White House negotiate, but we can make it uncomfortable for them not to. With an election three months away, members of Congress and the President are vying for positive media coverage. Seeing letters to the editor in local papers demanding action will make it harder for them to continue to do nothing.
TAKE ACTION: Take fifteen minutes to use local media to keep the pressure on Congress and the President to act. Use our updated media alert to call on members of Congress and President Trump by name to put people over politics and enact a fair and just COVID-19 deal NOW. For those who support rental assistance and a moratorium on evictions, encourage them to stand firm. For those who don’t, remind them of the cost of inaction. Use data from your state on housing instability, hunger, and unemployment from CBPP’s new Hardship Tracker to hit your message home. When you get published, please send a copy of your letter to your congressional housing aides and share on social media (and let RESULTS know too).
Got Another Fifteen Minutes? Urge Congress to help hungry families with SNAP media too
Food insecurity in America has been a consistent problem for years, and the pandemic has made it much worse. In 2018, the number of parents who reported that their children hadn’t eaten enough in the last 30 days was consistently at around three percent. In July 2020, that number had jumped to between 11 and 20 percent. That equates to 9-17 million children who are not getting enough to eat.
With Congress letting the $600 unemployment benefit boost and the HUD moratorium on evictions expire, families are now in greater need of help to meet their basic needs. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the answer. SNAP was designed to help when it’s needed most – in times of economic crisis. In 2009, SNAP was expanded in response to the Great Recession. As a result, food insecurity went down, something almost unheard of when unemployment increases. If not for SNAP, millions of families across the U.S. would have felt even greater hardship.
SNAP is needed again. In March 2020, SNAP was feeding just over 37 million people per month. A month later, that number had jumped to nearly 43 million, and is likely higher now (April is the latest data available). In addition to helping Americans pay the rent (see above), Congress must include a 15 percent increase in the maximum SNAP benefit the next COVID-19 bill so families can continue to put food on the table.
TAKE ACTION: Take fifteen minutes to submit another letter to the editor urging Congress to include a 15 percent boost to the maximum SNAP benefit until the economic crisis passes. Use our online SNAP media alert to send your letter today.
QUICK NEWS ON U.S. POVERTY
Urge others to join the push for action on housing. Ask people you know to help keep the onus on Congress to pass rental assistance in the next COVID-19 bill and to support a renters’ tax credit as a longer-term solution to the housing crisis. E-mail, post, tweet our housing action urging people to call, e-mail, and tweet them members of Congress about fixing America’s housing crisis.
RESULTS St. Louis hosting housing event. On September 29, the RESULTS St. Louis U.S. Poverty group is hosting The Future of St. Louis Starts at Home. This webinar will feature prominent local speakers talking about the impact of housing instability on children. Attend to get a better understanding of this important issue and to learn from fellow volunteers how to raise awareness of our issues in your community. RSVP for the event here and please share the event with others you know in the St. Louis area.
RESULTS Announcements
Join So You Want to Talk about Race discussion tonight. The RESULTS Anti-Oppression Grassroots Group will host the next book discussion on So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo on Tuesday, August 18. In this discussion, we’ll briefly review what was covered on the last call, talk about the remaining chapters (chapters 6-end), and brainstorm ways to take action. The webinar is August 18 at 9:00 pm ET. 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. Also, if you are interested in joining the Anti-Oppression Grassroots Group, please contact Jos Linn for more information.
Register for the September National Webinar. Beginning in September, you will need a password to access our monthly national webinars. Please fill out our new webinar registration form to get on the list to receive the password two days before the webinar. Also, please note that due to the Labor Day holiday, our next national webinar will be Saturday, September 12 at 1:00 pm ET.
BIPOC Caucus. Join us August 26 at 9:00 pm ET for “Generational Trauma: Health Disparities with COVID-19” featuring Dr. Jesslyn Anderson, DNP, FNP-C, MBA/HCM. This caucus meeting is reserved only for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. For more information, please contact Yolanda Gordon.
Request Zoom Pro account for your group. We want to empower your group to meet during this social distancing season! If your local RESULTS group does not currently have a Zoom Pro account (paid for by RESULTS) but would now like one, please fill out this form ASAP. Our hope is to extend the Zoom Pro accounts for groups who want them through the end of 2020, and perhaps beyond. Please complete the form if you now want an account (only one per group, please).
Visit coronavirus blog for updates. Read the RESULTS coronavirus blog for the latest updates and actions you can take.
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. Members of Congress are currently in their home states and districts. Submit your remote meeting requests today.
Tuesday, August 18: U.S. Poverty Free Agents Webinars, 1:00 pm and 8:30 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, August 18: 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, August 26: New Advocate Orientation, 8:30 pm ET. Sign up online.
Wednesday, August 26: BIPOC Caucus, 9:00 pm ET. For more information, contact Yolanda Gordon.
Monday, September 7: Labor Day. All RESULTS offices closed.
Saturday, September 12: 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. Please register for the webinar to receive the password to login.
Monday, September 21: 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 Lindsay Saunders at [email protected]. View Board minutes and Annual Reports.
RESULTS Staff directory.