RESULTS Weekly Update April 19, 2022

Quote of the Week

“I’m 85 years old, and I became an advocate for the first time last year.”

– RESULTS Wisconsin volunteer Mary Domingo in an April 15 post on the RESULTS Blog

Table of Contents

• FY23 appropriations letter deadlines this week!
• New study shows how helpful the CTC payments were for families
• Join April Policy Forums this Thursday
• Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty
• Announcements
• Upcoming Events
• Grassroots Resources

FY23 appropriations letter deadlines this week!

Three House “Dear Colleague” FY23 appropriations letters supporting global health priorities need signatures this week! The maternal/child health and nutrition letter’s deadline has been extended to April 22, the same deadline as the letters supporting the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and global tuberculosis. These letters are key influencers in the appropriations process, and signatures make the difference. Don’t delay in reaching out to your representatives and following up on any previous signature requests you’ve made.

Additionally, please submit our appropriations memos (outlining our global health funding priorities) today. The House’s State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee of Appropriations (SFOPS) has an April 27 deadline for receiving requests from member offices, and Senate SFOPS has a deadline of May 19. Share our memos with congressional offices now and ask them to weigh in with SFOPS with those funding numbers.

Track updates on various deadlines, growing letter signature lists, and sign-on letters emerging in the Senate on the RESULTS blog. On the blog you’ll even find answers to frequently asked questions and sample templates if offices ask you to fill out forms as part of making your appropriations funding requests. Then share this online action alert with others so they can take action as well.

TAKE ACTION: Read more about our funding asks and the three House letters (on global nutrition; the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; and global tuberculosis) on the RESULTS blog and make your requests today using the support of our new laser talk. Follow up with offices you’ve already reached out to. Send a thank-you for funding requests forwarded to SFOPS and letters signed. Questions on this process? Contact Crickett at [email protected] or other RESULTS staff.

New study shows how helpful the CTC payments were for families

Yesterday, millions of Americans filed their 2021 federal tax returns. For millions of families, Tax Day was a bitter reminder that without the expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC), life is getting harder to afford.

The impact of the 2021 CTC expansion, and monthly payments cannot be overstated. A new study from the Brookings Institution shows that the CTC monthly payments dramatically reduced child poverty, fostered healthier eating, and allowed parents to invest in their children’s education. Also, a steady supplement to their monthly income helped families avoid high-interest payday loans for financial help. As the study confirms, families spent their CTC payments on rent, food, and clothes for their kids.

But some members of Congress refused to extend the expanded CTC and monthly payments. As a result, over 3 million children fell below the poverty line in January and February. 1.4 million CTC households have left their jobs since the payments stopped, primarily because they can no longer afford childcare. Now, as inflation climes to 8.5 percent, families are facing greater obstacles to making ends meet.

Members of Congress are on recess again this week. While they are home, let them know that the evidence is clear. If they want to help families with rising prices, keep children out of poverty, and promote work (at the job or home with the kids), they must extend the CTC with monthly payments now.

TAKE ACTION: Congress has one more week for the April recess (April 11-22). Use this time when they are home to push them to extend the CTC. Here’s what you can do.

1. Generate letters. Use the April U.S. Poverty Action to write letters to members of Congress about the CTC. To magnify the message, invite others you know to write letters with you. Use our Action Workshop Agenda to host a letter-writing meeting. Plan to deliver letters in upcoming lobby meetings or send to tax aides when Congress returns next week.
2. Get more CTC letters to the editor. Continue to call out members of Congress by name urging them to extend the CTC as soon as possible. Use our online media alert to submit your letter today.
3. Attend last-minute town hall events. Contact local congressional offices and visit https://townhallproject.com to see if there are any public events this week. If so, plan to attend and use our CTC laser talk to ask a question. Note: RESULTS may contact some of you about targeted lobby meetings during the recess.

If you have question, please contact RESULTS staff for help.

Join April Policy Forums this Thursday

Join us this Thursday, April 21 for our monthly policy forums. Starting at 8:00 pm ET, we are happy to welcome Barbara Duffield, Executive Director of SchoolHouse Connection, to our U.S. Poverty Policy Forum. She will talk with us about how tax credits benefit young people. Then at 9:00 pm ET, we are happy to have David McNair, Executive Director for Global Policy David McNair of the ONE Campaign, join our Global Poverty Policy Forum to discuss how the war in Ukraine is affecting global food supplies and malnutrition.

TAKE ACTION: Please join us for this month’s policy forums. You must register to attend. Register for the U.S. Forum here and the Global Forum here. You will receive confirmation of your registration and the Zoom login info later this week.

Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty

Media hooks of the week. To help you in your media advocacy, here are suggested media “hooks” this week to use in letters to the editor:

• U.S. Poverty: This recent piece in Ms. Magazine highlights a point that doesn’t get enough attention in the debate over the CTC and work requirements – does raising children not involve work? As this piece does, point out to lawmakers that imposing a work requirement for the CTC is not only bad policy, it’s an insult to countless mothers and the work they do raising children.
• Global Poverty: New data from the World Bank shows that “the COVID-19 crisis, growing inflationary pressures, and the Ukraine conflict will lead to an additional 75 million to 95 million people in poverty this year, compared to pre-pandemic projections.” It is as important as ever that the U.S. do its part to combat this new crisis of global poverty.

NY Times column makes powerful case for CTC. Ezra Klein of the New York Times has an excellent new op-ed highlighting the economic or moral case for reviving the CTC expansion and making it permanent. As he notes, “when you’re struggling, there’s no luxury quite like being able to worry a little bit less about money.” Share this piece with tax aides and urge their bosses to extend the CTC now.

Sign public charge petition. Protecting Immigrant Families is circulating an online petition urging the Biden Administration to formally reverse the Trump Administration’s change to the “public charge” rule. For decades, the public charge rule held that use of most public benefits (Medicaid, SNAP, etc.) would not adversely impact a person’s immigration status. The Trump Administration changed the rule to effectively use any use of most public benefits against immigrant families applying for legal status. Courts halted implementation of the rule and the Biden Administration refused to enforce it. Now the Administration is working to formally rescind the rule. RESULTS signed on to a comment urging the Biden Administration to act quickly to finalize responsible reforms that protect immigrant families’ access to the health and social services safety net and we urge your local RESULTS group to do so also. You can also sign your name to the petition urging the Administration to follow through on this promise.

Second Global COVID-19 Summit coming in May. A jointly led Global COVID-19 Summit has been scheduled for next month, according to a White House joint statement with Belize, Germany, Indonesia, and Senegal. Read more about this important event.

Announcements

Register for the RESULTS International Conference. Join us June 4-5 for the 2022 RESULTS International Conference. The agenda features author and professor Jelani Cobb of The New Yorker, informative policy sessions, powerful advocacy trainings, and fun! All this to help you have powerful lobby meetings during our upcoming Advocacy Month (May 30-July 8). Advocacy Month will include local, in-person meetings with lawmakers and staff, virtual lobby meetings, and a limited, in-person lobbying event in Washington, DC. Don’t miss out – register for the 2022 RESULTS International Conference today!

Register for April 26 Diversity and Inclusion 101 training. Join our work to dismantle systems of oppression and help reach the goal of having all RESULTS volunteers attend our “Diversity and Inclusion 101” training this year. The next open session is Tuesday, April 26 at 11:30 am ET, with additional offerings over the next few months. Seating is limited for each session so register for an upcoming session today.

Join “race literacy” webinar on April 30. With far too many state and local officials working to stop any conversations about race, understanding the depths of our racial past and present are more important now than ever. To help, please join the “Race Literacy and Healing 101: A Foundation for Change” webinar with Milagros Phillips on Saturday, April 30 at 2:00 pm ET. Learn the context of racial biases, how racial trauma gets passed on, and how racial conditioning affects all areas of life. This webinar is organized by volunteers in Washington, DC but is open to all RESULTS volunteers. Space is limited, so register today to reserve your spot.

Submit your RESULTS Grassroots Board nominations. Ever thought of serving as a RESULTS Grassroots Board Member? Now is the time to submit your nominations for the open seat this year. Please send nominee’s full name, along with email address and phone number, to Jesse Marsden at [email protected]. Nominations are due no later than Monday, May 2. Also, be sure to join the next Grassroots Board Town Hall on Tuesday, May 12 at 9:00 pm ET. Find the login info below in the Upcoming Events section.

Upcoming Events

Congressional schedule. The House and Senate are on recess this week.

Unless otherwise noted, registration ends one hour prior to the start of all webinars and trainings.

Tuesday, April 19: U.S. Poverty Free Agents, 1:00 pm and 9:00 pm ET. If you are interested in joining, contact Jos Linn for more information.

Tuesday, April 19: Together Women Rise partnership webinar, 8:30 pm ET. Register here.

Thursday, April 21: U.S. Poverty Monthly Policy Forum, 8:00 pm ET. Guest: Barbara Duffield of SchoolHouse Connection. Register here.

Thursday, April 21: Global Poverty Monthly Policy Forum, 9:00 pm ET. Guest: David McNair of the ONE Campaign. Register here.

Monday, April 25: Global Poverty Free Agents, 7:00 pm ET. If you are interested in joining, contact Lisa Marchal for more information.

Tuesday, April 26: Diversity and Inclusion 101 training, 11:00 am ET. Register here.

Saturday, April 30: Race Literacy and Healing 101: A Foundation for Change webinar with Milagros Phillips, 2:00 pm ET. Register today.

Saturday, May 7: National Webinar, 1:00 pm ET. Register here.

Thursday, May 12: Quarterly Call-in with Grassroots Board Members, 9:00 pm ET. Join via Zoom or by phone at (301) 715-8592, Meeting ID 922 0921 5298, passcode 985046.

Saturday, June 4-Sunday, June 5. RESULTS International Conference. Keynote speaker: Jelani Cobb of The New Yorker. Registration is open! Also check out our resources for the companion Advocacy Month.

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.