RESULTS Campaigns Weekly Update March 23, 2021
Quote of the Week
“We live in a democracy. We need to be empowered, as people and as Americans, to push for change here as well as change around the world.”
– RESULTS Fellow Hwa Young Lee, on the RESULTS blog.
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 to your members of Congress on FY22 funding for nutrition, TB, education.
Got Twenty Minutes? Submit our appropriations requests to your representative’s foreign policy aide.
The time is now! The House State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee of Appropriations (SFOPS) leadership (Reps. Lee and Rogers) has set a new deadline of April 28 to hear from other representatives about their development assistance spending priorities for fiscal year 2022. This means that your representative has likely set a March deadline to gather input from constituents like you. Now is the time to take action on our FY22 appropriations requests with your representative. Here’s what to do:
- Go to your representative’s website and search for “appropriations.” Many offices have forms and deadlines on their websites. If you find forms, send them to Dorothy Monza ([email protected]) and Crickett Nicovich ([email protected]) along with the deadline for having them filled out. They will fill them out and return them to you to send to the foreign policy aide along with our appropriations request sheets.
- If you don’t find forms on the website, call the foreign policy aide for your representative and ask what the deadline is for submitting SFOPS appropriations requests to their office. Also, ask if they have forms to fill out or if you can just submit our request sheets. If you don’t know who the foreign policy aide is, call the office and ask, or contact the Grassroots Impact staff.
- Follow your call with an e–mail to the foreign policy aide, including any unanswered questions about deadlines and forms, along with our appropriations requests. Explain why these funding levels are important, drawing on the request sheets or laser talks for your explanation).
- Alternate calling and e–mailing until you get a clear response on the procedure for submitting the appropriations requests and find out whether or not your representative will include our requests in their submission. Remember, if they have forms to fill out, we can help. Send them to Dorothy Monza ([email protected]) and Crickett Nicovich ([email protected]) along with the deadline for having them filled out.
- Please let Lisa Marchal ([email protected]) or Ken Patterson ([email protected]) know if you have questions.
Got Another Fifteen Minutes? Get meetings with your members of Congress
We have about six more weeks left of the First 100 Days Campaign. Book meetings with your representatives and senators now so that we can reinforce our appropriations requests. We’ve got appropriations memos and companion laser talks on global nutrition, tuberculosis, and education to assist you. To help you get your meetings scheduled and to help you make your requests, use our draft meeting request letter, meeting request laser talk, and campaign request sheets available on our Lobbying support page. You can also engage your action network to support your requests by having them write to your members of Congress using our our online action. Our goal is to meet with 100 percent of the Senate and 75 percent of the House. So far, we’ve reached 55 percent of the Senate and 23 percent of the House. Let’s keep going!
TAKE ACTION: Use the appropriations memos and laser talks to make appropriations requests of your members of Congress. Then book meetings with your legislators as soon as possible so you can reinforce those requests. You can ask your Action Network to reach out with appropriations requests as well.
QUICK NEWS ON GLOBAL POVERTY
Global TB Forum Recording. We had a terrific turnout for last Thursday’s forum on global tuberculosis. Review the playback and slides online.
WHO World TB Day Talk Show. At 8 am ET on World TB Day (March 24) there will be an online talk show titled “The Clock is Ticking,” hosted by the WHO and featuring, among others, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Check it out via Zoom at https://who.zoom.us/j/91895978510, passcode: Day2021#
U.S. Poverty Campaigns Update
QUICK ACTION Use media to push for a strong recovery bill
Got Fifteen Minutes? Tell lawmakers to prioritize housing and tax policies in recovery legislation
The Biden Administration and Congress are looking toward their next big priority – economic recovery legislation – we need to focus on ensuring that policymakers address our underlying housing crisis and dramatically reduce child poverty beyond 2021. We must keep up the momentum we’ve achieved and use it to continue to advocate for policies that will contribute to the end of childhood poverty. Right now, only one in four eligible renters receive federal housing assistance. By expanding housing assistance along with making the new EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit) and CTC (Child Tax Credit) provisions from the COVID bill permanent, we can reduce child poverty in America by two thirds. For more background, see the resources from Thursday’s Monthly Policy Forum on our child poverty and housing push. With the Administration discussing what to include in their proposals now, we must push Congress to focus on key anti-poverty policies that can start to address racial equity.
TAKE ACTION: We have about six weeks left in our First 100 Days campaign, so now is the time to contact your members of Congress if you haven’t yet. Keep up your First 100 Days momentum (180 meetings and counting!) by taking fifteen minutes to set up meetings with members of Congress and their staff about economic recovery priorities (even if you met with them earlier this year to discuss COVID relief). Urge them to talk to both congressional leadership and the Biden Administration about including expansions of federal housing assistance and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) in any upcoming economic recovery bills. Get to those members you have yet to meet with, and circle back to offices you met with earlier this year to urge action on these new requests. We have many resources to help you, including an updated March U.S. Poverty Action, an updated lobby meeting request, new laser talks, and updated housing and tax lobby leave behinds. Once you get a meeting set, please contact Jos Linn or Meredith Dodson for help getting ready.
In addition, Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Congressman Ritchie Torres (D-NY) are circulating a Dear Colleague sign on letter to the Administration urging them to prioritize housing assistance policies for low-income renters. Please reach out to your Congressional offices urging them to sign on – they sign on by contacting Matt Traylor at [email protected] or Christopher Jerrolds at [email protected]. The deadline is next Tuesday, March 30.
Got Fifteen Minutes? Use media to push for strong recovery
The last few weeks have been a victory for low-income families and Americans across the nation. As advocates, you should give each other a pat on the back for all your hard work. However, our work is not done yet! With this momentum, we must continue to address remaining hardships for Americans nationwide. These provisions for the EITC and CTC are not permanent, yet. And we need additional federal housing assistance when it comes to our low–income families. With the passion you as advocates bring, we must work to protect renters, workers, and children before they are forced back into poverty. Use the media to bolster your message in First 100 Days lobby meetings – call on lawmakers to enact strong recovery legislation that addresses housing and poverty.
TAKE ACTION: Take fifteen minutes to draft and submit a letter to the editor urging your member of Congress to prioritize key anti-poverty housing and tax policies. Use our updated online media alert to thank members of Congress who voted for COVID relief and urge Congress to expand housing assistance, a child allowance, and an expanded EITC in recovery legislation.
QUICK NEWS ON U.S. POVERTY
CHCI housing briefing featuring RESULTS Fellowship Alum. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute held a briefing today Tuesday, March 23. One of the moderators was CHCI Graduate Fellow and former RESULTS REAL Change Fellow (now the RESULTS Fellowship) Sidney Betancourt. Her session focused on homelessness in the urban areas of Nevada. You can view the event online.
Join racial wealth divide webinar on March 24. Join the Aspen Institute for a webinar book discussion with Emory Law School professor Dorothy A. Brown about her new book, The Whiteness of Wealth: How the Tax System Impoverishes Black Americans – and How We can Fix It. The event is Wednesday, March 24 at 12:00 pm ET. Learn more and register here.
Bipartisan WIC Act reintroduced: Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Susan Collins (R-ME) and Representatives Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Jennifer Gonzalez-Colon (R-PR), Linda Sanchez (D-CA), Kim Schrier (D-WA), and Don Young (R-AK) have reintroduced the Wise Investment in our Children Act (WIC Act). The current Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) offers food assistance, nutrition education, and healthcare referrals to low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding post-partum individuals as well as to children up to the age of five. The WIC Act provides key expansions to WIC programming that will reduce bureaucratic barriers to program participation for infants as well as extend post-partum adult and child eligibility to increase nutrition access during crucial, health periods. For more information, see the National WIC Association’s summary and fact sheets.
RESULTS Announcements
Register for the RESULTS 2021 International Conference! The 2021 RESULTS International Conference will be held June 12-13, 2021. Come learn from expert presenters, staff trainers, and each other as we prepare for a powerful Advocacy Week with congressional offices the following week. Don’t miss our biggest event of the year. Register today! You must register by May 1 to participate in Advocacy Week.
Need help building your Action Network? Are you wanting to understand what an Action Network is? Are you interested is building an Action Network? If so, this is the training for you. On Wednesday, March 31, we’ll hold How to Build Your Action Network 101, 8:30 pm ET. Register today.
How to Develop and Deepen Relationships with Congress. Join us on Tuesday, April 6 at 8:30 pm ET. The First 100 Days Campaign has empowered us to meet with our members of Congress and their staff, perhaps for the first time. We’ll look at all the key relationships one can make with offices and techniques for relationship building, including engaging others in our community. Register today.
Writing a Powerful Letter to the Editor. Join in April 13 at 8:30 pm ET. Get the tools to write a letter to the editor on the issues you care about and get it published. Bring your pad and paper and let’s write! Register today. Registration ends one hour prior to webinar.
The RESULTS Champion Scale: Creating Congressional Leadership. Wednesday, April 21 at 8:30 pm ET. Register today. Registration ends one hour prior to the webinar. RESULTS founder Sam Daley-Harris will energize us with his interactive workshop on moving our members of Congress up the Champion Scale from opposed, to neutral, to supporter, to advocate, to leader and eventually to champion.
Becoming empowered to push for change. “I’m new to advocacy, but I’ve already been able to use my skills effectively during our First 100 Days Campaign. We’re working hard to meet with ¾ of the House offices and all of the Senate offices. We believe it’s important to get in there with our message to members of Congress early in the year.” Read a brand new blog post by a new Dallas advocate and Fellow Hwa Young Lee describing her advocacy path and all the possibility found there.
RESULTS is hiring. RESULTS is seeking highly motivated individuals to fill various positions on our team. If you are interested, please check out the job postings online.
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.
The RESULTS tried-and-true model. Take a deeper dive into what the data bears out: our approach to advocacy works!
Upcoming Events
Congressional schedule. The Senate is in session this week. Submit your remote meeting requests today.
Wednesday, March 24: World TB Day
Wednesday, March 31: How to Build Your Action Network 101, 8:30 pm ET. Register today. Registration ends an hour prior to the webinar.
April Monthly Policy Forums: TBD. Watch this space!
Saturday, April 3: National Grassroots Webinar, 1:00 pm ET. Register today. Registrations will be checked up to an hour prior to the webinar.
Monday, April 5: 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, April 6: How to Develop and Deepen Relationships with Congress, 8:30 pm ET. Register today. Registration ends one hour prior to the webinar.
Tuesday, April 13: Writing a Powerful Letter to the Editor, 8:30 pm ET. Register today. Registration ends one hour prior to webinar.
Wednesday, April 21: The RESULTS Champion Scale: Creating Congressional Leadership, 8:30 pm ET. Led by RESULTS founder Sam Daley Harris. Register today. Registration ends one hour prior to the webinar.
Saturday June 12 and Sunday, June 13: 2021 RESULTS International Conference. Registration is open. Please register by May 1 to participate in Advocacy Week following the conference.
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.