RESULTS Weekly Update April 11, 2023

Quote of the Week

“My story shows what many Americans already know: It is possible to “do everything right” and still end up in a place of financial uncertainty.”

– RESULTS Expert on Poverty Chaila Scott in an April 5 op-ed in Other Words

Table of Contents

• One more day on appropriations! Next, the End TB Now Act.
• April is the perfect time to talk to Congress about taxes
• Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty
• Announcements
• Upcoming Events
• Grassroots Resources

One more day on appropriations! Next, the End TB Now Act.

We are so close! For months, you have utilized two key tools of influence – funding requests and Dear Colleague letters – to positively affect the FY24 global poverty appropriations process in both chambers of Congress. After blanketing Congress with our appropriations requests, you did marvelous, quick work on the corresponding Dear Colleague letters. Just a day left to make calls to the Senate about the still-open Dear Colleague letters on global TB, the Global Fund, and global education! (The maternal/child health and nutrition letter has closed.) Soon, you’ll find a round-up of your accomplishments on these letters on our blog. Currently, you can take a look at our website to see all the meetings you have completed and reported during our Set the Agenda campaign on our website. Set the Agenda campaign. (There’s still time in April for a few more meetings!)  

TAKE ACTION: Check for Senate Dear Colleague letter signatures on our blog and then make your final calls today for signatures on our global tuberculosis, Global Fund, and global education sign-on letters. Then look ahead as we pivot to a focus on our important global tuberculosis campaign, including co-sponsorship of the End TB Now Act in both the House and Senate. Congratulations on your hard work. You have made a difference. 

April is the perfect time to talk to Congress about taxes

Over the next week, millions of Americans will be finalizing their 2022 tax returns the April 18 deadline. For many of them, it’ll be a case of sticker shock because their Child Tax Credit (CTC) will be smaller or gone.

When the expanded CTC expired at the end of 2021, families still got part of their credit in 2022. The CTC monthly payments that we so instrumental in reducing child poverty the latter half of 2021 amounted to only half of the total CTC. The other half came as a lump sum refund when parents filed their taxes in early 2022. That’s why poverty rates increased when the CTC payments ended in January 2021 but dropped temporarily in March and April when people filed their taxes.

No such luck this year. For tax year 2022, the CTC has returned to its previous iteration with a lower credit ($2,000 per child), no monthly payments, and most importantly, a work requirement. Parents earning below $2,500 per year will get no CTC this year and those just above that threshold will get a much smaller credit. For example, a single parent with two children will need to earn at least $29,500 per year to qualify for the full CTC.

Imagine parents completing their taxes this month finding out that the CTC they were counting on to catch up on bills has dropped significantly or disappeared altogether. This is not a fluke. It is not a mistake. It is not an accident. This was intentional on the part of Congress in 2017 when it enacted the current version of the CTC. The tax code is not a monolith; it is a set of choices made by people. New choices can be made at any time. And there’s no time like the present.

TAKE ACTION: April is a great time to talk about taxes with your members of Congress. Use these excellent opportunities to push them to take action on the CTC and RTC this month:

• Get lobby meetings. Use the last week of the April congressional recess (ends April 16) to meet with lawmakers as part of our Set the Agenda Request meetings with members of Congress this week to urge them to expand the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and to help renters with a Renter Tax Credit (RTC). Use our Set the Agenda and Lobbying materials to prepare and please contact RESULTS staff if you have any questions.
• Generate media. Tax Day is April 18, which is a perfect hook for letters to the editor about the CTC and RTC. Explain how expanding the CTC and enacting an RTC would make the tax code fairer while lifting millions of Americans above the poverty line. Help us reach a goal of 150 RESULTS media pieces by the end of June by submitting your own letter

Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty

IRS details plan for new funds. The IRS has outlined its plan to spend the $80 Billion dollars it received in the Inflation Reduction Act. The funds will go to improve access to filing services and provide better customer service. Additionally, the IRS will increase its ability to audit high-income earners (those making $400,000/year) and corporations to ensure they are paying their fair share. These investments will help to make our tax code more equitable as well as raise revenues for important anti-poverty programs. 

April outreach action sheets available. If you are doing outreach and want an action to take, see our April U.S. and Global Poverty Outreach Action Sheets. They include background and talking points for letters to Congress. Help new volunteers take action with these helpful tools.

Media hooks for the week. Use the hook ideas below to submit a letter to the editor this week. If you need a template, use our online media actions to edit and submit your letter today.

• U.S. Poverty: Federal taxes are due next week. Use the April 18 deadline a hook to urge Congress to bring equity to the tax code by expanding the Child Tax Credit and enacting a Renter Tax Credit.
• Global Poverty: World Health Day was April 7, and we are ramping up our 2023 balance-of-the-year focus on global tuberculosis. Use the hook of World Health Day for just a couple more days, and pair it with the informative TB campaign overview/call to action blog RESULTS recently published to craft a compelling letter to the editor.

Announcements

EOP op-ed focuses on the barriers to the American Dream. Be sure to read the new, powerful op-ed from RESULTS Expert on Poverty Chaila Scott (RESULTS Louisiana) discussing the systemic challenges she and countless others have faced chasing the American Dream. Read then full version on the RESULTS Blog. An abbreviated version was published in Other Words last week.

Become an Investor in Change. Monthly donors, known as Investors in Change, provide RESULTS with a lifeline of support. They ensure we have a predictable and flexible source of funding so we can plan ahead and seize new opportunities when they arise. “Being a monthly donor is a way of showing my complete commitment to RESULTS,” said Seattle volunteer Zelda Foxhall. “It’s selfish: it’s a way for me to help ensure the successes we have! As a donor, I get far more from RESULTS than what I give.” Becoming an Investor in Change is easy, convenient, and spreads your support over the year!

Only two weeks left to nominate a Grassroots Board Member. If you’ve thought of serving on the RESULTS Board, submit your name or the name of someone you believe would make a good Board member today. There are only 15 days left to submit nominations. Read more in our blog announcement. Nominations close Wednesday, April 26.

Register for April policy forums. Join our April Policy Forums on Thursday, April 20. On the U.S. Forum at 8:00 pm ET, we will continue the conversation about the lived experience of poverty with RESULTS Experts on Poverty Clara Moore, James Lee, and Pamela Covington. They’ll be highlighting personal experiences on why the tax code can be an effective way to address and end poverty. On our Global Forum, we will focus on our work to eradicate TB around the world. Join us for these informative webinars. Register for the U.S. Forum and the Global Forum today.

Join media training on April 19. To help you generate media in support of your Set the Agenda lobby meetings, our media office hour this month will include a Media 101 training. Come learn the basics of writing and submitting a letter to the editor. If you are new to media advocacy or want a refresher, this is the training for you. The webinar is Wednesday, April 19 at 2:00 pm ET. Join via Zoom at https://results.zoom.us/j/93668005494 or dial (312) 626-6799, meeting ID 936 6800 5494. No registration required.

Share your story about being an advocate! Everyone remembers stories, and RESULTS advocates are creating stories every day when we move members of Congress to act, support someone to take their first action, build new leaders, or publish a piece of media read by thousands of people. The grassroots team at RESULTS wants to show the world how you do what you do. Use our online form to tell us your advocacy story.

Upcoming Events

Congressional schedule. The House and Senate are on recess through April 16.

Typically, registration ends one hour prior to the start of all webinars and trainings.

Thursday, April 13: New Advocate Orientation, 12:00 pm ET. Register today!

Thursday, April 13: Global Allies Program for Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, 8:30 pm ET. Register today.

Tuesday, April 18: U.S. Poverty Free Agents, 1:00 pm and 9:00 pm ET. Contact Jos Linn for information on how to join.

Tuesday, April 18: Together Women Rise partnership webinar with RESULTS, 8:30 pm ET. Learn more.

Wednesday, April 19: Action Network Managers webinar, 12:30 pm and 8:00 pm ET. (Choose your time.) Join the 12:30 pm ET session at https://results.zoom.us/j/93288388695. Join the 8:00 pm ET session at https://results.zoom.us/j/91531456676. No registration required.

Wednesday, April 19: Media Office Hour – Media 101 training, 2:00 pm ET. Join via Zoom at https://results.zoom.us/j/93668005494 or (312) 626-6799, meeting ID 936 6800 5494. No registration required.

Thursday, April 20: Global Malnutrition – From the Current Crisis to Long-Term Solutions, 12:00 pm ET. Register today.

Thursday, April 20: U.S. Poverty Policy Forum, 8:00 pm ET. Register today.

Thursday, April 20: Global Poverty Policy Forum, 9:00 pm ET. Register today.

Friday, April 21: Anti-oppression Learning Community, 12:00 pm ET. Learn more.

Monday, April 24: Global Poverty Free Agents, 7:00 pm ET. Contact Lisa Marchal for information on how to join.

Wednesday, April 26: Group Leader Office Hour, 1:00 pm ET. Join via Zoom at https://results.zoom.us/j/6602641580. No registration required.

Wednesday, April 26: Deadline to nominate a grassroots volunteer for RESULTS Board.

Friday, April 28: Oppression – The Missing Perspectives, 12:00-1:30 pm ET. Learn more and register today.

Saturday, May 6: Monthly National Webinar, 1:00 pm ET. Register today.

Tuesday, May 9: Disrupting Biases on Poverty and Classism, 8:00 pm ET. This webinar will be facilitated by RESULTS’ Experts on Poverty. Learn more and register today.

Thursday, May 11: Grassroots Board Town Hall meeting, 8:30 pm ET. Come meet the candidates for the upcoming Board election. More details soon.

Grassroots Resources

Learn about the RESULTS Experts on Poverty.

Find actions and volunteer resources on our Volunteers Hub, including our anti-oppression resources. To join the RESULTS listserv for more RESULTS conversation, send an email to [email protected].

Remember to please report your recent advocacy successes in lobby meetings, media, and outreach activities. Also, use our Volunteer Information Form to add or edit volunteer info and to sign up for updates and alerts.

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 and job postings.