RESULTS Weekly Update April 23, 2024

Quote of the Week

“The CTC has already proven its worth.”

– RESULTS DC/MD volunteer Jan Kleinman in an April 21 letter to the editor in The Baltimore Sun

Table of Contents

• Congress is on recess – let’s make the most of it
• Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty
• Announcements
• Upcoming Events
• Grassroots Resources

Congress is on recess – let’s make the most of it

Members of Congress are on recess this week. When that happens, most Americans assume they are taking a week off. But you know better. You know that congressional recesses are unique opportunities to engage with officials. Face-to-face meetings with members of Congress are more likely to happen during a recess. Aides are better able to respond to e-mails and phone calls during a recess. And local media can better catch lawmaker’s attention during a recess.

We want to use this week’s recess to build on the successes you’ve already had as part of our Community of Change campaign. So far in 2024, you’ve had 113 lobby meetings and gotten 122 media pieces publish calling for urgent action on poverty. Thank you! Now, let’s add to those numbers during this week’s recess. Let’s send lawmakers back to Washington with no doubt on what they should do.

TAKE ACTION: Make the most of this week’s recess by taking the actions below:

Continue to conduct lobby meetings. Lobby meetings are the most effective way to influence members of Congress. Because of the importance of these meetings, we are extending our Community of Change lobby campaign through May 31. That gives us just over 5 weeks to meet with all 350 offices we cover. If you don’t have a meeting scheduled this week, contact schedulers now about getting a last-minute meeting (this will be the last recess until the end of May). If you can’t get a meeting this week, ask for a lobby meeting as soon as possible. Use our 2024 lobby meeting request letter to contact your House and Senate offices today. Find the lobby materials you need to discuss the following issues on our Community of Change campaign page:

• House and Senate (Global poverty): Urge members of Congress to submit their global foreign aid appropriations requests at the levels RESULTS supports and to sign the “Dear Colleague” letters asking robust support for our priorities.
• Senate (U.S. poverty): Continue to push senators to support H.R. 7024, which expands the Child Tax Credit for 16 million children. Urge senators to demand a vote on the bill when they return to Washington, DC.
• House (U.S. poverty): Urge representatives to urge House leaders to protect and strengthen SNAP in a new Farm bill.

Contact aides on urgent issues. Reach out to foreign policy aides and tax aides on these time-sensitive issues.

• Global Appropriations. The Senate State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee of Appropriations (SFOPS) has set a deadline of May 13 to receive spending requests from senators. (The House deadline is forthcoming.) Accordingly, we must get our requests into our senators well ahead of that date. Don’t wait – ask your representative(s) and senators today to include our global poverty funding requests in their submissions to SFOPS. We have requests for maternal and child health, vaccines, nutrition, tuberculosis, the Global Fund, and education. (Please fill out each appropriations form if asked; contact RESULTS staff for help.) To see what your members of Congress have done on our issues in the past, see the congressional scoresheet.
• Global Dear Colleague letters. You can also ask your members of Congress to sign “Dear Colleague” letters in support of our funding requests. More signatures mean more influence. Find the letters and other resources, including who has signed so far, on the RESULTS blog.
• Child Tax Credit. May is the month for the Child Tax Credit. If H.R. 7024 does not pass by Memorial Day, the chances of it passing in 2024 drop considerably. Families working themselves ragged need help. The Senate must vote. Reach out to tax aides for Democratic and Independent senators urging them to contact Sen. Schumer and schedule a vote when they return to Washington next week. For tax aides for Republican senators, urge them to speak out publicly in support H.R. 7024 and call for a vote on the bill.

Generate media while members are home. When you get media published, you magnify your community voice and move us closer toward the end of poverty. We have sample letters to the editor on the CTC, child health, and vaccines in our Action Center. Use them to send your letter today!

Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty

House passes humanitarian aid, Senate to follow this week. As part of the $95 billion foreign aid package passed by the House last weekend, $9 billion of it will go toward critical humanitarian aid. The resources will support the food insecurity in Gaza and Ukraine and can be used in any other crisis/disaster zones, including Sudan and Haiti. This long-overdue funding is vital to address the catastrophic humanitarian crisis resulting from the conflicts in these areas. The Senate is expected to pass the aid package and send it to President Biden’s desk this week.

Supreme Court hears Grants Pass case. Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court hear oral arguments Grants Pass v. Johnson. A few years ago, in an effort to combat homelessness, Grants Pass, OR passed an ordinance making it illegal for persons to sleep outside. The ordinance was challenged and the Court yesterday heard arguments about whether it violates the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. Based on how the oral argument went, many observers believe a majority of justices will side with the city, but perhaps in a way that will not permit criminalizing homelessness itself. A ruling is expected in late June. On a happier note, RESULTS’ Michael Santos was sworn into the U.S. Supreme Court bar yesterday. Congratulations, Michael!

Learn more about the “epidemic of eviction.” With high housing costs and rent affordability still out of reach for many low-income households, evictions across the country are rising. Please join RESULTS, the ABA Commission on Homelessness & Poverty, and National Coalition for Civil Right to Counsel for the webinar, “Addressing the Epidemic of Evictions.” Panelists will provide an overview of the current state of eviction in the United States, discuss why this continues to be a problem, and what is being done to address it, and what you can do to help. The webinar is tomorrow, April 24, at 2:00 p.m. ET Register today.

Announcements

RESULTS and allies call for action on malnutrition crisis in Gaza. The Nutrition CEO Council, of which RESULTS is a member, issued a statement last week calling for immediate action to disrupt the escalating malnutrition catastrophe that particularly harms Palestinian children in Gaza. The statement reads in part: “The Nutrition CEO Council calls on all parties for an immediate and lasting ceasefire, no further expansion of military operations into Rafah, and for all to work together to scale up and guarantee urgently needed food, nutrition, and medical assistance reaches the millions of people in need and ensure the safety of aid workers.”

Last two days to submit Grassroots Board nominations. If you’ve thought of serving on the RESULTS Board, you only have until tomorrow, April 24, to submit your name or the name of someone you believe would make a good Board member. Submit your nominee before tomorrow’s deadline!

Register for the May National Webinar with Dr. Theo! Join us on Saturday, May 4 at 1:00 p.m. ET for an inspiring and informative gathering with advocates from around the country. Our special guest will be Dr. Theopista Jacob Masenge, Vice President of the Pediatric Association of Tanzania. She will talk with us about the importance of vaccines and nutrition in child health. We are privileged and excited to have her. We’ll also provide you a detailed overview of our “Getting Communities on the Record” campaign in June. Register today for this exciting webinar!

Join book talk featuring RESULTS founder Sam Daley-Harris. Join in on Wednesday, April 24 at 1:00 p.m. ET for an inspiring book talk featuring a panel of social entrepreneurs (Sam Daley-Harris, Alex Counts, Debbie Frisch). The authors will be talking about their recent publications and innovative ideas for real, positive change in the world. Read about and register for “Championing Change in Troubled Times.”

Get support for supporting new advocates. Join us for our quarterly webinar where we dive into how to support new advocates and grow the RESULTS movement! During this specific call, you’ll learn all the best practices for online outreach, the differences between your warm leads and an Action Network, and the June Community Convening moment! Registration closes one hour before each webinar, so register early. If your registration is approved, you will receive a confirmation email a day or two before the next webinar. The webinar is tomorrow, April 24 at 8:00 p.m. ET. Register today.

Learn how to build partnerships in action. Want to learn how to start engaging your community in advocacy through partnership? On Tuesday, May 7 at 8:00 pm ET join the “Building Community Partnerships to End Poverty” webinar. We will map out community connections, create an action plan, and practice how to initiate a one-on-one conversation with a potential partner. All are essential and valuable skills to growing the movement for the end of poverty. To join, please register at: https://tinyurl.com/RESULTSPartnerships.

Mark your calendar for the Grassroots Director Candidates’ Forum. Come meet your nominees for the Grassroots Board! Thanks to those of you who submitted nominations to fill open Grassroots Director seat on the RESULTS Board (candidates will be announced in the coming weeks). On Thursday, May 9 at 9:00 pm ET, the current Grassroots Directors will host a town hall meeting to introduce you to the candidates and provide information on when voting will begin. Please join to learn about the choices for the next grassroots voice on the Board. Join at: https://results.zoom.us/j/9909684715 (no registration required).

Upcoming Events

Congressional schedule: This week, the House and the Senate are on recess.

Find these and other events on our website Events Calendar.

Wednesday, April 24: New Advocate Mentor Community Webinar, 8:00 p.m. ET. Register today!

Wednesday, May 1: New Advocate Orientation, 8:30 p.m. ET. Register today!

Saturday, May 4: National Webinar, 1:00 p.m. ET. Register for the webinar.

Tuesday, May 7: Building Community Partnerships to End Poverty, 8:00-9:15 p.m. ET. Register and join us!

Wednesday, May 8: Special Global Allies Program (Returned Peace Corps Volunteers) with Sam Daley-Harris, 8:00 pm ET. Learn more.

Thursday, May 9: Outreach and Event Office Hour, 2:00 p.m. ET. Drop in via https://results.zoom.us/j/94004748060 or dial (312) 626-6799, meeting ID 940 0474 8060.

Thursday, May 9: Grassroots Director Candidates’ Forum, 9:00 p.m. ET. Join at: https://results.zoom.us/j/9909684715 (no registration required).

Monday, May 13 (special date): Global Poverty Free Agents, 7:00 p.m. ET. Contact Lisa Marchal for more information.

Wednesday, May 15: Action Network Manager Calls, 12:30 p.m. ET and 8:00 p.m. ET. Join at https://results.zoom.us/j/95416781155 or dial (301) 715-8592, meeting ID: 954 1678 1155. No registration required.

Friday, May 17: Anti-oppression Applied Learning Simulation, 12:00 p.m. ET. Register for this important 90-minute session.

Tuesday, May 21: U.S. Poverty Free Agents, 1:00 p.m. ET and 8:00 p.m. ET. Contact Jos Linn for more information.

Tuesday, May 21: Together Women Rise advocacy chapter webinar, 8:30 p.m. ET. Learn more about this opportunity.

Wednesday, May 22: Media Office Hour, 2:00 p.m. ET. Join via Zoom at https://results.zoom.us/j/93668005494 or call 312-626-6799 (Meeting ID: 936 6800 5494). No registration required.

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

Grassroots Resources

• EOPs: Learn about the RESULTS Experts on Poverty.
• Actions and volunteer resources: Visit our Volunteers Hub, including our anti-oppression resources. To join the RESULTS listserv for more RESULTS conversation, send an email to [email protected].
• Please report your actions. Remember to please report your recent advocacy successes in lobby meetings, media, and outreach activities. Also, use our Form to add/edit your info and to sign up for updates and alerts.
• Share your story. If you have an inspiring story about advocacy, please tell us about it. Also, if you want to celebrate the actions of a new volunteer, sharing about the experience.
• Questions for the Board? If you have a question, comment, or suggestion for the RESULTS/REF Board, please e-mail [email protected]. View Board minutes and Annual Reports.
• Staff and jobs: RESULTS Staff directory and job postings.