RESULTS Campaigns Weekly Update July 28, 2020
Quote of the Week
“Thousands of Michiganders face the threat of eviction and homelessness unless the Senate acts soon.”
– RESULTS Detroit volunteer Yvonne Wyborny in a July 26 letter to the editor in the Detroit Free Press
Table of Contents
- Global Poverty Campaigns Update
- U.S. Poverty Campaigns Update
- RESULTS Announcements
- Upcoming Events
- Grassroots Resources
Global Poverty Campaigns Update
QUICK ACTION Write a letter to the editor on prioritizing global health and education during the COVID-19 crisis
Got Fifteen Minutes? Contact your senators and representatives about the global pandemic
Decisions on the final COVID-19 emergency spending bill will be made in the next couple of weeks before Congress checks out for the August recess and the elections. If Congress does not include a right-sized global response to the global pandemic in this final bill, the consequences for people living in low-resources settings will be dire.
Our window of opportunity for taking action on the next COVID-19 supplemental is closing. The next two weeks are critical. If you haven’t already, reach out to your senators and representatives today. If you have reached out, be sure to follow up. Then get the latest on the supplemental in the days ahead via our blog.
We are asking for the following:
A global response of at least $20 billion for development assistance in the next COVID-19 supplemental spending bill, and a designation of $10 billion of that to be used as follows:
- $4 billion over two years for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria
- $4 billion for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance
- $2 billion for anti-hunger programs, with at least $500 million for nutrition
If your representative or senator signed the House Frankel-Rooney letter or the Senate Cardin-Rubio letter in favor of action in the face this global situation, thank them and ask them to also speak directly to leadership about a global response. Send them our detailed requests. Ask them to let you know if they will take this action.
If your representative or senator did not sign a letter, send them a copy of the final letter for their chamber (see letters above), and ask that they write their own similar letter and speak directly to leadership.
TAKE ACTION: Contact your senators and representatives about a global response to this global pandemic. Use our Global Poverty July Action Sheet, laser talk, and online alert to take action and to engage others in calling and writing. Then get ready for the national webinar on August 1 at 1:00 pm ET when we’ll get the latest update on our work and what we can do next to make sure this COVID-19 emergency spending bill contains the right funding.
Got Another Fifteen Minutes? Get Ready for the National Webinar
With Congress making critical decisions on COVID-19 relief over the next couple of weeks, we are shortening the national webinar on August 1 to about one hour so that you and your groups can get together and plan your next action steps. We will hear from Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), celebrate our Bob Dickerson Leadership Award winners, and congratulate our newest Grassroots Board Members. Join us at 1:00 pm ET on August 1 for a powerful and informational webinar, and plan how you’re going to meet with your group immediately following. And if you have questions for either senator, please submit them to [email protected].
TAKE ACTION: Make a plan with your group to gather virtually for the shortened national webinar on Saturday, August 1 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. Extend your plan to include how you’ll join together virtually when the shortened webinar finishes after about an hour. Use that gathering to decide how you’ll make best use of the time we have left to affect the COVID-19 supplemental spending bill. We can do it!
QUICK NEWS ON GLOBAL POVERTY
Get a letter to the editor published. The recent COVID-19 bill in the House of Representatives failed to include any international funding to fight coronavirus and its fall out. As we’ve said all along, it’s clear that a global pandemic requires a global response. So, it now falls to the Senate to make sure that happens. The U.S. can and must play a role in slowing COVID-19’s spread globally and protecting access to other health services and education. Make sure your senators get that message loud and clear in their local paper.
New piece on global health. Take a look at this new article in the Council on Foreign Relation’s ThinkGlobalHealth newsletter titled “Mothers, Children, and the Terrible Choice Between COVID-19 and Other Infections”. It speaks directly to our work in shoring up global health funding in this time of COVID-19 crisis.
U.S. Poverty Campaigns Update
QUICK ACTION Tell Congress to fund emergency rental assistance
Senate proposal falls far short; help shape the final outcome
Senate Republicans have finally released their draft proposal, called the HEALS Act, for the next COVID-19 bill. Sadly, it does not come close to meeting the needs of those struggling through the pandemic. On housing, it includes only $3.3 billion in funding, far below the $100 billion needed to meet the needs of America’s low-income renters. Also, that funding would only go to those who already receive federal housing assistance, only one-fourth of all low-income renter households. In addition, the plan includes no expansion of the EITC/CTC nor any new money for SNAP. The plan does double the tax deduction for business lunches, so corporate executives will get more food assistance from this bill than hungry families.
This is unacceptable. With tens of millions of people facing possible eviction in the coming months, Congress needs to act now. It is absolutely critical for you to be talking to Senate and House housing aides as policymakers meet to negotiate the contours of a final bill. This is our last shot. Right here, right now is likely your last chance to shape any kind of significant anti-poverty legislation before the 2020 election. Let’s make it count.
TAKE ACTION: Contact Senate and House housing aides to express your disappointment with the Senate proposal and remind them that they must do the right thing – the health and well-being of millions of Americans are at stake. Urge them to again tell Sens. Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer, and Reps. Nancy Pelosi and Kevin McCarthy, to include $100 billion in emergency rental assistance and a national moratorium on evictions in the final COVID bill. See the July U.S. Poverty Action for details. Remember, any new information you come across is reason enough to contact aides, such as: the release of the Senate proposal, updated state poverty data, Out of Reach 2020 report on housing costs, recent media you’ve had published, relevant housing stories in local media, etc. (if you need help, contact Jos Linn). This is not the time to be shy – it is the time to act.
Also, please join the RESULTS National Webinar with Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) this Saturday, August 1 at 1:00 pm ET for the latest updates on what’s happening in Congress and what you can do about it. See more about the webinar in the next section.
Got Sixty Minutes? Join this Saturday’s National Webinar with Sen. Ben Cardin and Sen. Chris Van Hollen
Please join us for the RESULTS National Webinar this Saturday, August 1 at 1:00 pm ET. We are thrilled to welcome both Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) as our guest speakers this month. They will provide the latest information on COVID-19 negotiations in Congress and what we need to do to ensure the final bill includes our U.S. poverty and global poverty priorities. If you have questions for either senator, please submit them ahead of time to [email protected]. On the webinar, we’ll also update you what’s happening on our specific requests, congratulate the winners of the recent Board election, and announce the 2020 Bob Dickerson Leadership Award recipients.
Finally, we are keeping the webinar this month to around one hour to give you additional time to meet with your local group right after the webinar to plan and coordinate your actions on the new COVID-19 bill. Please contact your fellow group members this week to make those arrangements.
TAKE ACTION: Take sixty minutes to join the RESULTS this Saturday, August 1 at 1:00 pm ET. To join the webinar, login at: https://results.zoom.us/j/994444828 or dial by phone at (669) 900-6833 or (929) 436-2866, meeting ID 994 444 828. The slides for the webinar will be available on our National Webinars page on Friday afternoon. After the webinar is done, please meet virtually with your local group to plan your actions to help ensure a fair and just COVID-19 bill from Congress.
QUICK NEWS ON U.S. POVERTY
Use media to influence COVID bill. Keep the pressure on Congress to prioritize housing assistance the current COVID-19 bill by getting letters to the editor published in your local paper. The July U.S. Poverty Action has a sample letter you can personalize or you can use our online media alert to send your letter today. If you get published, please send a copy to you House and Senate housing aides ASAP and let us know at www.tinyurl.com/RESULTSMedia.
Trump Administration rolls back fair housing rule. The Trump administration has rolled back federal protections established under the Fair Housing Act. Under the Trump administration, HUD has suspended the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule finalizing in 2015, providing guidelines against discriminatory practices in housing. Circumventing the traditional rule-making process, the rule has already gone into effect. Congressional leaders and housing advocates, including RESULTS, have condemned this action. Read more about RESULTS’ response to this and other administrative rules changes in this RESULTS blog post.
We know how to end child poverty. According to 2018 census data, nearly 12 million children in the United States live below the federal poverty line, including 2 out of 3 children of color. If we adopted all the policy proposals set forth by the Children’s Defense Fund and immediately invested an additional 1.4 percent of our federal budget into existing programs and policies, we could lift 5.5 million children out of poverty and improve the economic circumstances for 95 percent of all poor children in the United States. Read about how three specific proposals – housing assistance, improved EITC, and increased SNAP benefits – could impact the lives of millions of kids in our latest blogpost on child poverty.
RESULTS Announcements
Join National Webinar this Saturday. With Congress making critical decisions on COVID-19 relief both domestically and globally over the next few weeks, we are shortening this Saturday’s national webinar to around one hour so that you and your groups can meet to plan your action steps for these last critical weeks of COVID-19 negotiations. Join us this Saturday, August 1 at 1:00pm ET to hear from Maryland Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen (if you have questions for either senator, please submit them to [email protected]), get updated on actions to take, and then meet with your local RESULTS group right after to plan.
Putting The Righteous Mind into practice. The recent book club for The Righteous Mind will meet on Tuesday, August 11 at 9:00 pm ET. They will practice applying ideas from the book to RESULTS’ laser talks, rewriting them to appeal to different audiences. If you’ve read the book and are interested in putting your knowledge into practice, join the meeting here, meeting ID: 655 036 085, passcode: 641539. If you’d like to suggest other actions for the book club, e-mail Jim Driggers.
Visit coronavirus blog for updates. Things will move fast over the next few weeks as Congress finalizes its next COVID-19 relief package. Read the RESULTS coronavirus blog for the latest updates and actions you can take.
Fill out the lobby report form. Please take time to let us know what happened in each of your recent lobby meetings at: www.tinyurl.com/RESLRF. Please be as detailed as possible when completing the form.
Watch International Conference recordings. If you were unable to participate fully in the International Conference – or if you’d simply like to revisit something you heard – take a look at the International Conference agenda for individual playback links for select sessions.
Receive action alerts via text. We are setting up a system to send some of our action alerts via text. If you’d like to receive text action alerts, please text RESULTS to 50457 to sign up for text action alerts.
Upcoming Events
Congressional schedule. The House and Senate are back in session. Submit your remote meeting requests today.
Saturday, August 1: RESULTS National Webinar, 1:00 pm ET. Join at https://results.zoom.us/j/994444828. You can also join by phone at (669) 900-6833 or (929) 436-2866, meeting ID 994 444 828.
Tuesday, August 11: New Advocate Orientation, 12:00 pm ET. Sign up online.
Tuesday, August 11: Putting The Righteous Mind Into Practice webinar, 9:00 pm ET. Join the meeting using this link, meeting ID: 655 036 085, passcode: 641539.
Monday, August 17: Global Poverty Free Agents Webinars, 1:00 pm and 8:00 pm ET. Join at https://results.zoom.us/j/464361707 or, by phone, (669) 900-6833 or (929) 436-2866, meeting ID 464361707.
Tuesday, August 18: 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, August 26: New Advocate Orientation, 8:30 pm ET. Sign up online.
Grassroots Resources
Learn about the RESULTS Experts on Poverty.
Do you have a new person in your RESULTS group or info to update? Use our Volunteer Information Form to add them.
Find actions and volunteer resources on our Current Volunteers page, including our anti-oppression resources.
Remember to please report your recent grassroots successes in lobby meetings, media pieces, and outreach activities.
If you have a question, comment, or suggestion for the RESULTS/REF Board, please e-mail Steven McGee at [email protected]. View Board minutes and Annual Reports.
RESULTS Staff directory.