RESULTS Campaigns Weekly Update February 25, 2020
Quote of the Week
“Rather than accept these cuts, we should call on our members of Congress to continue U.S. support for programs that promote maternal/child health and immunizations against deadly diseases.”
– RESULTS St. Louis volunteer Greg Campbell in a February 16 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 Ask your members of Congress to invest in global health and education
Got Five Minutes? Request a face-to-face meeting with you representative or senator
Call the scheduler for your representative or senators today and ask for a face-to-face meeting to discuss our appropriations requests for FY21. Use our February laser talk on asking for meetings. Send an email and make a call. Once you secure a meeting, use our appropriations memos/backgrounders and the January action sheet as the basis for your meeting.
TAKE ACTION: Request a face-to-face meeting with your member(s) of Congress by emailing and calling your legislators’ schedulers. Be bold in asking that these meetings be with the legislators themselves. Use our new meeting request letter or our laser talk to make the process easier.
Got Fifteen Minutes? Make your FY21 appropriations requests
Haven’t gotten a face-to-face meeting yet? Don’t worry, but don’t wait to submit appropriations requests. We are on a tight deadline. All House members must have their appropriations requests to the State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee by March 13 and all Senate members must have their requests in by April 24. This means they need to hear from you now. Use our January Action Sheet to ask your members of Congress to protect and expand global health and education programs through the appropriations process. Include one or more of our appropriations memos/backgrounders with your request to provide additional detail.
TAKE ACTION: Take fifteen minutes to acquaint yourself with our FY21 appropriations requests and submit them. The January Action Sheet has the guidance you need.
QUICK NEWS ON GLOBAL POVERTY
Two House appropriations sign-on letters now available. Include the FY21 House Maternal and Child Health, Gavi, Nutrition sign-on letter and the FY21 Global Education sign-on letter with your appropriations requests. A sign-on letter (also called a “Dear Colleague” letter) is like a petition in Congress. These letters provide additional support for our appropriations requests. Review our latest information on the sign-on letters and our instructions for getting your representative signed onto both.
Learn about appropriations and help others engage. To have even greater influence on appropriations, engage your fellow advocates in writing letters to your members of Congress. Even a few letters to your members of Congress will have influence. Use our February Action Sheet to inspire others to write.
U.S. Poverty Campaigns Update
QUICK ACTION Tell Congress to help low-income renters
Got Five Minutes? Use March and April recesses to talk renters’ credit (February Action)
A tax credit for low-income renters is taking a conspicuous role in the presidential race this year. Former Vice President Joe Biden released his housing plan yesterday, which includes a tax credit for renters, albeit much smaller than the plan RESULTS is advocating for. Former candidates Kamala Harris and Cory Booker also put forth renters’ credit proposals. Why are candidates including a renters’ credit in their plans? Because they know as more and more people are priced out of housing, we must do something. But any president will need backing from members of Congress if a renters’ credit is to become law. This is where you come in.
TAKE ACTION: Take five minutes to build support for a renters’ credit by setting up lobby meetings during the next congressional recesses (March 16-20 and April 6-17). If you met with a congressional aide last week, now ask for a face-to-face meeting with your member of Congress. If you had the face-to-face, meet with another congressional office. Use the February Action to plan your meetings and to write letters on the renters’ credit while you wait for your meeting date. We have updated housing laser talks and an updated affordable housing policy request sheet to take to your meetings. Once you get a meeting or town hall scheduled, please contact Meredith Dodson for coaching.
Got Fifteen Minutes? Follow up for lobby meetings/town halls last week
Thank you to everyone who did lobby meetings and attended town halls last week during the February congressional recess. Many of you spoke with members of Congress or their aides about a renters’ tax credit. These meetings are essential if we are to make a renters’ credit a reality. But don’t rest on that one lobby meeting. Repeated contact with all your congressional offices is the key to creating the political will needed to succeed. So, follow up. If you had a meeting last week, did you send a thank you? Have they taken action on your request? Do they have additional questions or need more information? Use this week to follow up from your meetings.
TAKE ACTION: Take fifteen minutes to follow-up from your recent lobby meetings and town halls. Send an e-mail to the persons you met with thanking them for their time, reiterating your request, and checking on the status of that request. If they had questions you need help answering, please contact Jos Linn or Meredith Dodson for assistance.
QUICK NEWS ON U.S. POVERTY
Public charge rule goes into effect. Yesterday, the Trump Administration’s new “public charge” rule, which puts documented immigrants in jeopardy of deportation for using public benefits, went into effect (the rule is being challenged in court). Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA-27) has introduced H.R. 3222, which would prohibit federal funds from being used to implement the new rule. If your member of Congress is not yet a co-sponsor of the bill, urge them to sign on in meetings, calls, and e-mails. Interested offices should contact Rricha deCant in Congresswoman Chu’s office.
NETWORK releases report on rural challenges. Our friends at NETWORK, a Catholic Social Justice Lobby, today released “Raising Rural Voices” highlighting the findings from 17 roundtables in 16 states discussing the challenges faced by rural Americans. Read the report here.
RESULTS Announcements
Join tomorrow’s New Advocate Orientation. If you or someone you know are new to RESULTS, join us for our next New Advocate Orientation tomorrow, February 26 at 8:30 pm ET. Interact with RESULTS staff and other new volunteers, learn more about our advocacy model and issues, and get information on getting involved. Sign up here.
Nicholas Kristof on April webinar – take advantage. On our April 4 national webinar, RESULTS is honored to have New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof. Mr. Kristof, who has written extensively about poverty around the world, has a new book co-written with his wife Sheryl WuDunn, Tightrope, highlighting the struggles of working-class Americans. This event is a great opportunity to engage advocates on a deeper level. On Tuesday, March 10 at 8:30 pm ET, join RESULTS for a training on how to use the April webinar to gather people and to move them into more engaged forms of advocacy. To join the training, login at: https://results.zoom.us/j/201739470 or dial (929) 436-2866 or (669) 900-6833, meeting ID: 201 739 470.
Need help getting to the RESULTS Conference? in June, RESULTS advocates from around the world will gather in Washington, DC, for the RESULTS International Conference (June 20-23). At this year’s Conference, we will be celebrating RESULTS 40th year. Come hear great speakers, see old friends, and make your voice heard. Early bird rates still apply, so register today. If you are an active RESULT volunteer based in the U.S. and need financial help to attend the Conference, apply for assistance from our Gap Fund. Gap funding is limited, so please apply early.
Please fill out lobby reports. If you had a lobby meeting or asked a question at a town hall last week, please let us know the details by completing a lobby report for each meeting. Whether you spoke directly with a member of Congress or a congressional aide, please fill out the form at: www.tinyurl.com/RESLRF.
Upcoming Events
Congressional recesses. Both the House and Senate are on recess March 16-20 and April 6-17. Submit your meeting requests today.
Wednesday, February 26: New Advocate Orientation, 8:30 pm. ET. Sign up here.
Wednesday, March 4: RESULTS Action Network Community of Practice Webinar, 8:30pm ET. To join, log in to https://results.zoom.us/j/427674133 or dial in to 669-900-6833, meeting ID: 427 674 133. You can also join our Facebook and e-mail groups.
Saturday, March 7: RESULTS United 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.
Tuesday, March 10: Take Advocates to the Next Level training webinar, 8:30 pm ET. To join the training, login at: https://results.zoom.us/j/201739470 or dial (929) 436-2866 or (669) 900-6833, meeting ID: 201 739 470.
Tuesday, March 10: Book Discussion: The Righteous Mind, 9:00 pm ET. Join vi Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/655036085?pwd=RVdzbTdQSDVnWlJzTTVsMVo5dXFtQT09, or dial (669) 900-6833 US or (646) 876-9923, Meeting ID: 655 036, Password: 641539.
Monday, March 16: Global Free Agents Webinars, 1:00 pm ET and 8:00 pm ET. Join a great conversation via https://results.zoom.us/j/285681999 or, by phone, dial (669) 900-6833 or (929) 436-2866, meeting ID: 285 681 999.
Tuesday, March 17: U.S. Poverty Free Agents Webinars, 1:00 pm and 8:00 pm ET. Join at: https://results.zoom.us/j/324294681 or dial by phone at (929) 436-2866 or (669) 900-6833, meeting ID: 324 294 681.
Wednesday, March 18: Continued book discussion on White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo, 9 pm ET. To join, log in at: https://results.zoom.us/j/807783478 or dial (669) 900-6833 or (929) 436-2866, meeting ID 807 783 478.
Saturday, April 4: RESULTS Unified Webinar, 1:00 pm ET. Guest speaker: Nicholas Kristof. 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.
June 20-23, 2020: RESULTS International Conference. Capital Hilton, Washington, DC. Register today! The Early Bird registration deadline is April 20.
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.
Please let us know about your recent grassroots successes for lobby meetings, media, and outreach.
If you have a question, comment, or suggestion for the RESULTS/REF Board, please e-mail Steven McGee at [email protected]. View Board minutes and Annual Reports.
RESULTS Staff directory.