RESULTS Weekly Update April 30, 2024

Quote of the Week

“Poverty puts [people][ in impossible situations. They must choose between food or shelter, medical care or poor health, running water or electricity. It’s a vicious cycle of suffering.”

– RESULTS Oklahoma volunteer and Expert on Poverty Tiffany Tagbo in an April 17 op-ed in Other Words

Table of Contents

• Register for the May National Webinar with Dr. Theopista Masenge
• Keep pushing for lobby meetings through May
• Tell Congress to move on or U.S. and global poverty priorities
• Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty
• Announcements
• Upcoming Events
• Grassroots Resources

Register for the May National Webinar with Dr. Theopista Masenge

Join us on Saturday, May 4 at 1:00 p.m. ET for the RESULTS National Webinar. Our special guest this month 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. Dr. Theo will be on the tail end of a speaker tour organized by RESULTS and speaking not from Tanzania, but from Austin, Texas with RESULTS volunteers there. On the webinar, we’ll also provide a detailed overview of our “Getting Communities on the Record” campaign in June. Plan to join us.

TAKE ACTION: Register for the May National Webinar at www.tinyurl.com/RESULTS2024. The webinar is this Saturday, May 4 at 1:00 p.m. ET. Once registered, registrants will receive their confirmation and Zoom link a day or two before the webinar (be sure to check your junk mail if you don’t see it). If you have questions, please contact RESULTS staff.

Keep pushing for lobby meetings through May

We are now at the end of month three of our Community of Change campaign. In that time, you’ve held 122 lobby meetings with 100 different congressional offices. Thank you! In an election year that is as much about strengthening democracy as it is about policy positions, your efforts at lobbying are a welcomed sign of hope. Democracy thrives when we actively participate; it dies when we don’t. And if we want the change we seek in the world, meeting with decision-makers is a necessity. Your meetings inform them about what’s important, inspire them to act, and ensure they keep their promises. Let’s keep going and reclaim our democracy!

TAKE ACTION: To help us get to meetings with all 350 congressional offices that we cover, we are extending our Community of Change lobby campaign through May 31. Please contact schedulers now to schedule your next lobby meeting. If you have a RESULTS Fellow in your group attending the Fellowship Conference this weekend, please ask if they need help with scheduling lobby meetings for May 7. Use our 2024 lobby meeting request letter to request meetings and find the lobby materials on our Community of Change campaign page. Please contact RESULTS staff if you need any help.

Tell Congress to move on our U.S. and global poverty priorities

Congress returns to Washington this week and, as usual, they have many things to get done. If you don’t have a lobby meeting scheduled for this week, please contact offices directly urging lawmakers to move our anti-poverty agenda forward.

TAKE ACTION: Reach out to foreign policy aides and tax aides on these time-sensitive issues.

Global Appropriations. The House State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee of Appropriations (SFOPS) has set a deadline of tomorrow, May 1, to hear from representatives on our fiscal year 2025 global poverty spending priorities. Senate SFOPS has set a deadline of May 13 for spending requests from senators. Act today. Ask your representative(s) and senators 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. While the House “Dear Colleague” letters have closed, you can still ask your senators 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. We know it’s repetitive but our message on the CTC is the same – the Senate must pass H.R. 7024, the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act. We are getting down to crunch time on this. If the bill does not pass in May, it is highly unlikely Congress will expand the CTC this year. That means 16 million children and their families who will benefit will get no help while wealthy lawmakers argue amongst themselves. Senate Majority Leader Schumer needs to schedule a vote on H.R. 7024. Letting this bill linger in limbo demoralizes families and accomplishes nothing. Announcing a vote will energize advocates and increase pressure on senators to pass the bill. This week, please tell tax aides for your senators to speak up in favor of H.R. 7024 and to tell Sen. Schumer and Republican leaders to bring the bill to a vote in May. Use our e-mail and call-in alert to contact offices directly and submit a letter to the editor telling senators to expand the CTC now!

Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty

Invite aides to House briefing on immunization. Invite your representatives and their staff to RSVP today for an exciting lunchtime briefing on Capitol Hill. The briefing is Tuesday, May 7 from 12:00-1:30 p.m. ET. Along with our May National Webinar guest Dr. Theopista Masenge, speakers will share how immunization has saved millions of lives over the past 50 years. However, even more lives could be saved. Last year malaria killed over 600,000 people, mainly children. Two new vaccines against malaria may change things. Ask your House offices to RSVP today for this important conversation!

Read new blog post on housing. Where should federal policy go to remedy the growing housing problem in the U.S. Read the excellent new RESULTS blog post from RESULTS’ Michael Santos explaining the three “buckets” of housing policy that are needed to reduce homelessness and poverty.

IRS Direct File pilot a big success. Last week, the U.S. Treasury Department announced that the IRS’ Direct File pilot program, which enabled taxpayers in 12 states to file their tax returns directly with the IRS for free, exceeded expectations. The IRS had hoped for 100,000 users; they got over 140,000. A large majority of users liked the program and estimates are that it saved them $5.6 million in tax preparation fees. RESULTS worked close with allies and officials to help design, implement and promote the program. Hopefully, this success will prompt the IRS to expand Direct File to more states and include more filing situations next year.

Announcements

Ask local journalists to join May 7 call with Dr. Theo. Invite your local editors and health writers to join a virtual press call with Dr. Theopista Masenge on Tuesday, May 7 at 3:00 pm ET. This call will give local editors and journalists insights on global child survival, including vaccinations and malnutrition, and encourage them to write on this topic. This is an important time to build broader awareness, especially if your community has had vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks or other vaccine issues. Contact Joanna DiStefano ([email protected]) for more information about the call.

Join partnership training on May 7. 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.

Meet the Grassroots Director candidates next week! 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 to be announced). 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 in session.

Find these and other events on our website Events Calendar.

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: 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.

Thursday, May 16 (adjusted date): 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.

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.