RESULTS Campaigns Weekly Update October 6, 2020

Quote of the Week 

“Off the top of my head, here are some things that U.S. Sens. Roy Blunt and Josh Hawley could be doing instead of rushing through Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court nomination. They could use their influence to push for resumed negotiations over a COVID-19 deal.” 

– RESULTS St. Louis volunteer Yara Changyit-Levin in a September 28 letter to the editor in the Joplin Globe 

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? Take to the media on a COVID-19 emergency response 

According to a new ONE Campaign poll, “[n]early all voters (87%) say working to stop the global spread of COVID-19 should be a priority for the U.S. And, nearly all voters say it is important for the U.S. to lead the world in responding (85%), preventing (86%), and detecting (85%) global infectious diseases.” It’s clear that voters care about a global response to the COVID-19 crisis. This is why we are frustrated that, as legislators begin to leave DC for a recess, Congress has yet to pass a COVID-19 emergency response bill. So far, your work has helped create pressure for a bill to happen. In fact, the House passed a revised HEROES Act that included $10 billion for global health and development assistance funding. But we can’t let up, as the job is not finished. The Senate has yet to take up a relief bill and has actually walked away from the table, allowing the White House to negotiate with Speaker Pelosi directly. The Senate must come back to the table, the White House must support global funding, and we must get a deal that focuses on poverty experienced in the U.S. and around the world. We need to continue to voice our frustration, and that of other Americans, at Congress’ inaction as people suffer. Will you write and submit a letter to the editor this week to keep the pressure on? 

TAKE ACTION: Write a letter to the editor. Let your members of Congress know that Congress must pass a COVID-19 relief bill that prioritizes development assistance. Use our online action alert to write your letter. Once it’s published be sure to do the following: 

• Send the letter to the legislative director and foreign policy aide, along with our global media compilation of over 124 pieces of related media from around the country and a request for action.  
• Send your letter to your group members and your network. Ask them to amplify it by sending it to your representative and senators with a call to action. 
• Report your letter so we have a record of your great work 

Got Another Five Minutes? Register for a candidate engagement training 

Join a candidate engagement webinar this week! If you have a competitive congressional election coming up in your area, now is a great time to build relationships with people running for office. Candidates need to hear about our foreign assistance global poverty platform now so that, if elected, they can start getting to know RESULTS and start paying attention to the issues we care about. (Looking ahead to 2021, we’ll likely still be dealing with the impacts of COVID-19 but will also likely work on appropriations, nutrition, and global education as priorities.) Join our Engaging Election Candidates training, led by RESULTS Director of Grassroots Impact Ken Patterson, to learn how to connect with candidates and build memorable relationships that will give you a head start with your advocacy after the election. The webinar is Thursday, October 8 at 8:30 pm ET.  

TAKE ACTION: Register for the Engaging Election Candidates training webinar today. Get great tips on getting our issues in front of candidates so that global poverty is part of the platform conversations.  

QUICK NEWS ON GLOBAL POVERTY 

Honoring Rep. Nita Lowey. RSVP to a virtual celebration of Rep. Nita Lowey (D-17-NY) on Friday, October 9, 2:00-3:15 p.m. This celebration will especially focus on Rep. Lowey’s work in international education. Join in this coalition event which will also feature several members of Congress. RSVP at https://tinyurl.com/HonoringRepLowey.

Please log your actions! Remarkably, we’re now into the last quarter of the year. Have you and your group caught up on your advocacy action reporting? You can do so now very easily by using our online forms.  

U.S. Poverty Campaigns Update 

QUICK ACTION Use media to push Congress to pass emergency rental assistance 

Got Five Minutes? Keep using media to make a difference  

Sadly, again this week the prospects of a desperately needed, new COVID-19 bill are overshadowed by the drama happening in Washington, DC. Last week, the House passed its $2.2 trillion, updated version of the HEROES Act. This bill includes money for rental assistance, SNAP, the EITC and CTC, and funding for the global response to the pandemic. It passed mostly along party lines, 214-207 on October 1.  

Running parallel with that activity, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin continue to negotiate for a deal that both sides could live with. After President Trump was determined to have contracted COVID-19 diagnosis, he called for “more stimulus” but no deal has been reached yet. Further complicating matters is Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s decision to postpone any Senate votes for at least two weeks in the wake of three Republican senators also testing positive. With that abbreviated schedule and Sen. McConnell’s insistence on moving forward on the President’s Supreme Court nominee, it’s unknown if the he would even bring a COVID bill to the floor before the election even if a deal is reached between the House and White House. 

What we do know is that your pressure is working. While the numbers may be different (the House bill only goes through February), the priorities you have pushed for the last few months are in the House bill, and rumors are that many of them have already been agreed to by Speaker Pelosi and Secretary Mnuchin. It is urgent that Congress and the White House prioritize COVID relief legislation, and prioritize racial equity in the short- and long-term response. For more about the intersection of COVID and racial justice, listen to the October 2020 Webinar Recording with Otis Rolley of the Rockefeller Foundation. 

TAKE ACTION: Take five minutes to keep pushing Congress and the President to get a new COVID-19 relief package done ASAP. RESULTS volunteers got over 100 media pieces published in September. Keep up that pace and pressure this month by submitting your own letter to the editor using our updated media alert. Urge them to pass a bill that includes $100 billion in rental assistance over 12 months. Be sure to mention members of Congress by name and plan to send your published media to House and Senate housing aides.   

Got Sixty Minutes? Join Candidate Engagement Thursday Night 

You might have heard that there is an election going on. And many of you live in states that have competitive House and Senate races (or races where the incumbent is leaving Congress). Meeting with candidates is a great way to get a head start on educating them about our anti-poverty campaigns. Building relationships before and after the election can create champions and allies even before the new Congress takes office on critical issues like long-term solutions to our affordable housing crisis like a renters credit and expanding refundable tax credits for low-income workers and families. To help you, RESULTS is offering a Candidate Engagement training this Thursday to give you training and resources for successful candidate outreach. Join RESULTS Director of Grassroots Impact Ken Patterson for this timely and informative training. 

TAKE ACTION: Join our Candidate Engagement training this Thursday, October 8 at 8:30 pm ET. Register for the webinar today. 

QUICK NEWS ON U.S. POVERTY 

BREATHE Act includes housing provisions. On September 24, the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) released the BREATHE Act, a broad proposal that invests in equitable policy solutions while divesting resources from policing and incarceration. Our partners at the National Low-Income Housing Coalition helped advice M4BL on robust housing provisions – see NLIHC’s summary for more details. 

RESULTS Announcements  

Register for “Racial Equity and Housing Justice During and After COVID-19” with Ta-Nehisi Coates. NYU’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute and NLIHC will host a conversation on housing and racial equity after the pandemic with award winning journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates on October 6, at 1:00 pm ET. Register today for this live-stream event at: https://bit.ly/32yRqi6.   

Join Candidate Engagement webinar this week. If you have a competitive congressional election coming up in your area, now is a great time to build connections with people running for office. Join our Engaging Election Candidates training to learn how to connect with candidates and build memorable relationships that will give you a head start with your advocacy after the election. The webinar is Thursday, October 8 at 8:30 pm ET. Register for the webinar today.  

Join Welcoming New Advocates training on October 13. In September, over 500 people contacted RESULTS about getting involved in our work. After an orientation period, many of these advocates will be introduced to local RESULTS groups. Their first impression of you is important. Join our Welcoming New Advocates training to learn the best practices for welcoming and integrating new advocates into your local groups. The webinar is Tuesday, October 13 at 8:30 pm ET. Register today to attend. 

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 moving toward recess. Submit your remote meeting requests today. 

Wednesday, October 7: Vice Presidential Debate, 9:00 pm ET. 

Thursday, October 8: Candidate Engagement training webinar, 8:30 pm ET. Register today.   

Monday, October 12: Indigenous People’s Day. All RESULTS offices closed. 

Tuesday, October 13: New Advocate Orientation, 12:00 pm ET. Sign up online. 

Tuesday, October 13: Welcoming New Advocates training webinar, 8:30 pm ET. Register today. 

Tuesday, October 13: Putting The Righteous Mind into Practice webinar, 9:00 pm ET. Join the meeting using this link, meeting ID: 655 036 085, passcode: 641539. 

Thursday, October 15: Presidential Debate, 9:00pm ET. 

Friday, October 16: World Food Day. #WFD2020 

Saturday, October 17: International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. 

Monday, October 19: 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, October 20: U.S. Poverty Free Agents Webinars, 1:00 and 8:00pm ET. For information on how to join, please contact Jos Linn.  

Tuesday, October 22: Presidential Debate, 9:00pm ET. 

Saturday, November 7: 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. If you didn’t register for September or October’s webinars, please register for the webinar to receive the login password. 

Tuesday, November 10: Welcoming New Advocates training webinar, 8:30 pm ET. Register today.  

Thursday, November 12: Quarterly Townhall with the Grassroots Board Members, 9:00 pm ET. Join at https://results.zoom.us/j/358807054 or dial (312) 626–6799 or (929) 436–2866.  

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 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.