RESULTS Campaigns Weekly Update September 1, 2020
Quote of the Week
“In the face of dire need and overwhelming bipartisan voter support, Congress will not move. This is unacceptable. We need a strong response now from our lawmakers in Washington, D.C., to deal with the immediate crisis of COVID-19 and strengthen health care systems worldwide.”
– RESULTS West Virginia University volunteer Joanna DiStefano in an August 24 op-ed in the Charleston Gazette-Mail
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? Get published on a necessary emergency response package
We are still waiting for congressional and White House negotiators to reach an agreement on the next COVID-19 relief package. But we’re not waiting passively. You have been hard at work in your advocacy with meetings, calls, emails, and media. All of your work was pushing negotiations in the right direction earlier. There was a rumored agreement between the House Democrats and Senate Republicans to support an increased global response to COVID-19. However, negotiators could not overcome other issues, particularly the size of the bill. And so we are still waiting.
Our best tactic continues to be media. You have been doing great with this; keep it up! The positive pressure you can build by writing, getting published, leveraging your publications on social media, and sending your published letters to your legislators is invaluable. We must build on the success you are having in your advocacy and maintain this pressure for a deal to get done.
To refresh your memory, we are asking for a global response of no less than $20 billion for development assistance in the next emergency response package, with a designation of $10 billion of that to be used as follows:
- $4 billion over two years for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria
- $4 billion for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance
- $2 billion for anti-hunger programs, with at least $500 million for nutrition
TAKE ACTION: Take hold of our online action alert and write your letter to the editor on how Congress and the Administration must act now to mitigate the global health impacts of COVID-19. Development assistance of at least $20 billion must be part of a response to the global pandemic. Your letters do make a difference, so don’t hesitate to write. Then report it to us when you get published.
Got Another Fifteen Minutes? Make sure you have followed up with your members of Congress on the emergency response package.
COVID-19 is having a devastating impact in low-income nations, and current projections put 80 million children at risk from missing vaccinations. There could be a spike in tuberculosis cases and deaths, and global hunger and malnutrition could double. Have you told your members of Congress that you feel a $20 billion response to the global pandemic is imperative and that they should speak to leadership about this? Use our August Action Sheet to make your case.
TAKE ACTION: Utilize our August Action Sheet to make a call to your representative and senators if you haven’t done follow-up with them, letting them know that a $20 billion emergency response package is what’s needed – and what leadership must work for – to face the COVID-19 crisis globally.
QUICK NEWS ON GLOBAL POVERTY
Please report. Make sure all your hard work gets logged in our lobby, media, and outreach report forms. Having a record of your work is incredibly helpful to us as we track our progress forward. Reporting when you get published will also help us compile and leverage your COVID-19-related media. You can find all the report forms online. Catch up through August.
U.S. Poverty Campaigns Update
QUICK ACTION Tell Congress to fund emergency rental assistance
Got Ten Minutes? We can’t let up now – keep pushing Congress to help renters
It’s the first of a month, and millions of our neighbors are uncertain how they’ll make rent payments today. Unfortunately, Congress continues to be on recess (returning September 8) while the White House is slow to return to the bargaining table. As a reminder, President Trump’s August 8 executive do little to help renters and the unemployed while renters already owe $25 billion in back rent (which could grow to $70 billion in four months) and 30-40 million people are at risk of eviction (this report includes state numbers) by the end of the year. Seeing letters to the editor in local papers demanding action will make it harder for policymakers to continue to do nothing.
TAKE ACTION: Take ten minutes to use local media to keep the pressure on Congress and the President to act. Use our updated media alert to call on members of Congress and President Trump by name to remind them families cannot wait – we need another relief package NOW and for emergency rental assistance to be a priority. When you get published, please send a copy of your letter to your congressional housing aides and share on social media (and let RESULTS know too).
Got Ten More Minutes? Urge Congress to help hungry families with SNAP media too
With Congress letting the $600 unemployment benefit boost and the HUD moratorium on evictions expire, families are now in greater need of help to meet their basic needs. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the answer. SNAP was designed to help when it’s needed most – in times of economic crisis. In addition to helping Americans pay the rent (see above), Congress must include a 15 percent increase in the maximum SNAP benefit the next COVID-19 bill so families can continue to put food on the table.
TAKE ACTION: Take fifteen minutes to submit another letter to the editor urging Congress to include a 15 percent boost to the maximum SNAP benefit until the economic crisis passes. Use our online SNAP media alert to send your letter today.
QUICK NEWS ON U.S. POVERTY
Join Census poverty data webinar. The U.S. Census will release its national poverty data for 2019 on Tuesday, September 15 (local data will come out a few days later). To understand what the data says and how it impacts our work, join RESULTS Director of U.S. Poverty Campaigns Meredith Dodson for a Census data overview webinar on September 15 at 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.
RESULTS Announcements
Register for the September National Webinar. We will focus on housing and global education in September. Also, starting in September, you will need a password to access our monthly national webinars. Please fill out our new webinar registration form to get on the list to receive the password two days before the webinar. Also, please note that due to the Labor Day holiday, our next national webinar will be Saturday, September 12 at 1:00 pm ET.
Media help. Senators and representatives are seeing our media calling for a COVID-19 bill that address the rent, food, and global health crises. Let’s all work on getting published. Congress needs to feel more pressure to come together and make a deal that will serve Americans and our global partners. People can’t wait while they fight with each other. If you are a bit stuck and would like some support and partnership in writing and submitting your media piece, join us on Wednesday, September 2 at 8:30 pm ET to get the basics on writing a letter to the editor, get a first draft of your letter or op-ed, make a plan to submit, and get tips on engaging others. To join, log into https://results.zoom.us/j/427674133 or dial in by phone to (929) 436-2866 or (669) 900-6833, meeting ID: 427 674 133
Putting The Righteous Mind into practice. The Righteous Mind discussion group will meet on Tuesday, September 8 at 9:00 pm ET to continue applying ideas from the book to their RESULTS work. If you 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. 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 currently in their home states and districts. Submit your remote meeting requests today.
Wednesday, September 2: Action Network Community of Practice and letter-writing training, 8:30 pm ET. Join at https://results.zoom.us/j/427674133 or by phone at (929) 436-2866 or (669) 900-6833, meeting ID: 427 674 133
Monday, September 7: Labor Day. All RESULTS offices closed.
Tuesday, September 8: New Advocate Orientation, 12:00 pm ET. Sign up online.
Tuesday, September 8: Putting The Righteous Mind into Practice webinar, 9:00 pm ET. Join the meeting using this link, meeting ID: 655 036 085, passcode: 641539.
Saturday, September 12: 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. Please register for the webinar to receive the password to login.
Tuesday, September 15: U.S. Poverty Free Agents Webinars, 1:00 pm 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.
Tuesday, September 15: 2019 U.S. Census Poverty Data Overview, 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.
Monday, September 21: 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.
Grassroots Resources
Learn about the RESULTS Experts on Poverty.
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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.