RESULTS Campaigns Weekly Update February 9, 2021

Quote of the Week

“The economic crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic is a monster of a problem that requires bold action.”

– RESULTS Houston volunteer Becky Hopson in a February 4 letter to the editor in the Houston Chronicle

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 Congress on prioritizing global health and nutrition during the COVID-19 crisis

Got Fifteen Minutes? Schedule your First 100 Days Campaign lobby meetings

We have officially kicked off our First 100 Days Campaign to effect real change in the first 100 days of the new Congress and Administration. At least 300 of our advocates from around the country came together the afternoon of February 6 for campaigns briefings, networking, and preparation for what promises to be a fantastic effort. We heard that what we are doing is incredibly necessary. (Did you miss the event? Enjoy the recordings and slides online.) At the core of the campaign is the goal of getting meetings with 100 percent of the Senate and 75 percent of the House. The current state of COVID-19 relief demands action, and we’re indeed ready.

Congress is working on budget reconciliation to support a COVID-19 recovery plan. It looks like the process is pushing for a total of $10 billion for global COVID-19 relief, so we are still pushing for $4 billion for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and $2 billion for anti-hunger and malnutrition efforts within that. This request needs to be heard by House and Senate leadership as well as leadership of the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations Committees. This money would go toward mitigating the secondary impacts of COVID-19, including hunger and malnutrition, in low-income communities.

Did you know that the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has awarded over $1 billion to 106 countries to address COVID-19 but has deployed all funding for this purpose? It needs more funds to continue a lifesaving COVID-19 response and keep regular programs in partner countries going. In terms of nutrition, COVID-19, without urgent action, by 2022 COVID-19 could result in an additional 9.3 million severely malnourished and 2.6 million stunted children, and 168,000 additional child deaths. The need is urgent.

Make these requests of your members of Congress now. Ask them to speak to leadership about global COVID-19 relief. To help you get your meetings scheduled, you can use our draft meeting request letter and the request laser talk, available on our Lobbying support page under “I want to request a lobby meeting.” You can also get support via our current Action Sheet. Want information you can use for follow-up after your virtual meeting? Take hold of our First 100 Days global campaigns “leave behind” sheet.

TAKE ACTION: Utilize our lobbying support materials to make your virtual lobby meeting requests. Coordinate with your group members on House meetings and with advocates across the state on Senate meetings. Start right away so you can get your meetings booked sooner rather than later. Get things moving for the beginning of the 2021 First 100 Days Campaign. Join your fellow advocates in getting our online meeting map filled.

Got Another Fifteen Minutes? Write a letter to the editor on an emergency COVID-19 response

You can let your voice be heard in the media even as you have your lobby meetings, and you can enroll others in taking action as well. We’ve created an action alert you can use (and share) to reach out to the media. We need House and Senate leadership as well as leadership of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Senate Foreign Relations Committee to hear the message. We need $4 billion for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to strengthen health systems and the fight against infectious diseases and no less than $2 billion for anti-hunger and malnutrition efforts.

TAKE ACTION: Half to two thirds of AIDS, TB, and malaria programs report service disruptions. If we do not mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on these programs, the world could lose years of progress combatting these diseases. You and others in your groups and action networks can get published in the media, raising your voice and sounding the alarm on this, using our online action alert. Ask your legislators to speak to House and Senate leadership as well as House Foreign Affairs Committee and Senate Foreign Relations Committee leadership about COVID-19 relief that includes $4 billion for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and no less than $2 billion for anti-hunger and malnutrition efforts.

QUICK NEWS ON GLOBAL POVERTY

Don’t miss the First 100 Days Global plenary recording. Get a powerful update on the context for and impact of our global poverty campaigns. Hear a briefing from Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria as well as a view from the field from Dr. Namala Mkopi, pediatrician at Muhimbili National Hospital in Tanzania.

The Impact of COVID-19 in Africa and Priorities for the Response. Watch the playback of this recent webinar, hosted by Friends of the Global Fight, to learn more about how the pandemic is affecting programs designed to combat AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria as well as provide immunizations.

Our COVID-19 relief work: a blog update. Check out our blog for the latest information on budget reconciliation, COVID-19 relief, our advocacy, and how they all fit together.

U.S. Poverty Campaigns Update

QUICK ACTION Tell Congress to pass more COVID relief

Got Twenty Minutes? Follow up First 100 Days Kick-Off with powerful lobby meetings

Thank you to everyone who attend our First 100 Days Kick-off Event last weekend. Over 300 advocates from around the country joined to talk about how we can move a bold anti-poverty agenda forward in the next few months. It was informative, inspiring, and fun, and it got all of us fired up to act. And now is the time to do it. Congress is moving fast on the next COVID relief bill.

Last week, both the House and Senate passed their respective budget resolutions, outlining a $1.9 trillion blueprint for a new COVID relief bill using budget reconciliation. The various House and Senate committees of jurisdiction will now write their portions of the bill (i.e. House Financial Services and Senate Banking will write the housing provisions; House Ways and Means and Senate Finance will write the tax provisions), combine them all into one large package, and then vote.

Yesterday, the House Financial Services released its proposal for housing in the COVID bill. It includes $25 billion in emergency rental assistance, which includes money for rental assistance similar to the $25 billion passed in December, money to address Native American tribal housing needs, rental assistance for rural areas, and funds to help homeless Americans find housing. This, added with the $4.5 billion from the House Education and Labor Committee to help people pay utilities, gets us the $30 billion in rental and utility assistance RESULTS is requesting.

We have to act fast. The House could finish its committee work this week (the Senate may take longer due to the impeachment trial). If you have not requested lobby meetings with your representatives and senators yet, please do ASAP. If you can get a meeting this week, please do, especially with House members. If you cannot get a meeting this week, please reach out to the housing and tax aides this week urging them to support our housing request for COVID relief and beyond and our EITC/CTC expansion request.

TAKE ACTION: Take twenty minutes to request virtual lobby meeting with your Senate and House offices and contact housing and tax aides about our requests. Use the current Action Sheet and new sample meeting request to contact schedulers now (you can find scheduler names on our Legislator Lookup page). Once you get a meeting or if you need help with contacting aides, please contact RESULTS staff to help you prepare. Read our First 100 Days request sheet and share our updated housing and tax lobby “leave behinds” with congressional offices. Here are other resources to help you:

• NLIHC’s housing needs by state and evictions update by state
• New housing and hunger data from the Household Pulse Survey
• Columbia University data on expanding the EITC and CTC

Finally, join our friends at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities for a webinar today, February 9 at 4:00 pm ET on the latest around COVID relief. Register here.

Got Fifteen Minutes? Building political will requires all the tools at our disposal

As Congress moves forward on COVID relief, it’s important to remember that you possess many tools to influence the outcome. Setting up meetings with congressional offices is the first priority (see above), as it is the most influential. But there are actions you can also take to magnify your voice both inside and outside lobby meetings. Use all the tools at your disposal to make ending poverty a priority in this Congress.

TAKE ACTION: Take fifteen minutes to amplify your message to Congress on passing a strong COVID relief bill that helps low-income Americans.

1. Send an e-mail to your members of Congress urging them to support rental assistance, SNAP, and the EITC/CTC in a new COVID deal.
2. Submit a letter to the editor to your local paper telling your members of Congress by name to support COVID relief. Once published, leverage your media by sharing it in your lobby meetings, with congressional staff, and on social media.
3. Share #1 and #2 with your local action networks and others you know, urging them to take action. The more e-mails and letters you generate, the louder your voice will be.

QUICK NEWS ON U.S. POVERTY

Sen. Romney unveils CTC expansion proposal. Last week, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) released his proposal to expand the Child Tax Credit for low-income families. He would raise the credit to $3,000 per year for children 6-17 years old and $4,200 for children under 6. The credit would also be distributed monthly. RESULTS applauds Sen. Romney’s highlighting the importance of the CTC, as it could help build bipartisan support for a strong CTC expansion. However, we have serious concerns that his plan also cuts the EITC and SNAP to pay for the expansion.

Join 2/11 webinar on expanding CTC. As RESULTS works to expand the Child Tax Credit in new COVID relief, join the Urban Institute this Thursday, February 11 at 12:30 pm ET for a webinar on the benefits of expanding CTC during the pandemic. Register here.

Join 2/17 webinar on racial wealth divide. The Federal Reserve of St. Louis is hosting a webinar on “Bold Responses to the Racial Wealth Gap” next Wednesday, February 17 at 2:00 pm ET. They will overview the current racial wealth divide in America and discuss proposals to address it including reparations and “baby bonds”. Register here.

RESULTS Announcements

Join Zoom training tonight. Join us to learn how to best use Zoom in your advocacy efforts with an encore presentation of our RESULTS Zoom Basics training. The webinar is tonight, February 9 at 8:30 pm ET. Register today. Registration ends an hour prior to the webinar.

Join lobby meeting training on Thursday. RESULTS is also repeating last month’s “How do I meet with my congressional office?” training this Thursday, February 11 at 9:00 pm ET. Join us to learn the basics of how to schedule, plan, and meet with your congressional office on the issues you care about. Register today. Registration ends an hour prior to the webinar.

Join Grassroots Board town hall this week. RESULTS Grassroots Board members are volunteers just like you, representing your interests on the RESULTS Board. If you want to share your ideas or ask them questions, please join their quarterly online town hall this Thursday, February 11 at 9:00 pm ET. Click this Zoom link to join.

Join education issue brief next week. Join our first monthly issue brief on Thursday, February 18 at 8:30 pm ET to get more in-depth information about our upcoming global education campaign. Register today. Registration ends an hour prior to the webinar.

Reflections on Black History Month. For the month of February, we will share a series of reflections from some of our staff and volunteers in the Black community. We are excited for their participation and to hear why advocacy is important to them.

First 100 Days Campaign Kickoff resources and survey. Did you miss the First 100 Days Kickoff? Review the recordings and slides online. Did you attend? Give us your feedback! The survey closes February 20.

RESULTS is hiring. RESULTS is seeking a highly motivated individual to fill various positions on our team. If you are interested, please check out the job postings online.

RESULTS 2021 International Conference registration is live! The 2021 RESULTS International Conference will be held June 12-13, 2021, and like last year, it will be held virtually, followed by a virtual Advocacy Week. Reserve these dates in your calendar and register today (register by May 1 to participate in Advocacy Week).

Please complete your group roadmaps. If you have not completed your 2021 Group Roadmaps, please do so as soon as possible. If you need assistance, contact Jos Linn.

New registration for 2021 National Webinars. Our next regular National Webinar of 2021 will be Saturday, March 6 at 1:00 pm ET. We have a new registration form for 2021 and each person will need to register to get access to the National Webinar. If you registered for the January webinar, you’re all set. Please register today if you haven’t already.

Upcoming Events

Congressional schedule. Both chambers are in session this week. Submit your remote meeting requests today.

Tuesday, February 9: Zoom Basics Training Webinar, 8:30 pm ET. Register today. Registration ends an hour prior to the webinar.

Thursday, February 11: Quarterly call-in with Grassroots Board Members, 9:00 pm ET. Click this Zoom link to join.

Thursday, February 11: How Do I Meet with My Congressional Office? Training webinar, 9:00 pm ET. Register today. Registration ends an hour prior to the webinar.

Monday, February 15: Presidents’ Day. All RESULTS offices closed.

Thursday, February 18: Issue Brief Webinar on Global Education, 8:30 pm ET. Register today. Registration ends an hour prior to the webinar.

Monday, February 22: First 100 Days Office Hour, 4:00 pm ET. Bring your policy questions for your First 100 Days Campaign lobby visits. Join at tinyurl.com/2y6pqtcf, passcode 2030.

Tuesday, March 2: Book Discussion – The Color of Law, 9:00 pm ET. Join an important conversation about the book The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein. Register today. Registration ends an hour prior to the webinar.

Saturday, March 6: National Grassroots Webinar, 1:00 pm ET. Register today (you do not need to register if you registered for the January webinar).

Thursday, March 11: Supporting New Advocates to Grow Webinar, 8:30 pm ET. Want tips on making sure your advocates feel welcome, enrolling them in shared leadership, and mentoring them in their advocacy? Come on along to this webinar! We’ll be talking about best practices and great tips to help newer advocates thrive. Register today. Registration ends an hour prior to the webinar.

Saturday June 12 and Sunday, June 13: 2021 RESULTS International Conference. Reserve these dates in your calendar and register today! (Register by May 1 to participate in Advocacy Week.)

Grassroots Resources

Learn about the RESULTS Experts on Poverty.

To update volunteer info (e.g., subscribe to the Weekly Update or action alerts, add new advocate information, update an existing advocate’s information or preferences), use our Volunteer Information Form.

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

Remember to please report your recent advocacy successes in lobby meetings, media, 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.