RESULTS Weekly Update April 4, 2023

Quote of the Week

“Stopping TB should be a centerpiece of U.S. global health leadership and pandemic response.”

– RESULTS Austin volunteers Mark Coats, Claudia Morgan, and Eloise Sutherland in a March 24 op-ed the Austin American-Statesman

Table of Contents

• Senate Dear Colleague letter deadlines approaching!
• Use tax time to talk about tax fairness with lawmakers
• Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty
• Announcements
• Upcoming Events
• Grassroots Resources

Senate Dear Colleague letter deadlines approaching!

Members of Congress can make global poverty alleviation a priority during the fiscal year 2024 (FY24) appropriations process. We can be part of this process, too! Two key tools of influence are funding requests and Dear Colleague letters. Congress can champion the funding requests we bring them and sign on to corresponding Dear Colleague letters which underscore these requests.

You did outstanding work on the Dear Colleague letters in the House. (Did you know that we reached a high water mark of signatures on the House global tuberculosis letter?) Now many of you are hard at work, in the time we still have, getting Dear Colleague letter signatures in the Senate. We have Senate Dear Colleague letters on maternal/child health and nutrition (deadline April 7), Global Fund/PEPFAR (deadline April 10), and global tuberculosis (deadline April 11) available. And for just a few more days, you can submit appropriations requests to senators. So, time is of the essence.

Don’t stop now! Take action this week if you haven’t already. Regardless of when your Set the Agenda campaign lobby meetings are in April, submit your Senate appropriations Dear Colleague letter and funding requests now. Then follow up during your meetings.

TAKE ACTION: Check out our blog for lots of information on this Senate appropriations advocacy opportunity. You will find the text of the available Dear Colleague letters, when the signing deadlines are, how to sign, and who has signed so far. Review the information and then work with your group to request letter signatures as well as submit global poverty appropriations requests to the Senate. (After you have made your signature requests and asked your senators to share these funding requests with the State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee on Appropriations, follow up.)

Use tax time to talk about tax fairness with lawmakers

Tax Day is two weeks from today – April 18. In general, Americans don’t like paying taxes but tolerate them if they seem fair. But decades of Congress enacting tax breaks that primarily benefit the wealthy has everyday Americans clamoring for change.

In 2021, we had a brief glimpse of what a fairer tax code could look like. When Congress expanded the Child Tax Credit (CTC) with monthly payments, millions of families with low- and middle-incomes benefitted. Child poverty plummeted and parents were better able to pay rent, buy food, and support their children. But just as quickly as lives improved, hardship returned when the CTC payments stopped. Giving families a brief glimpse of relief and then taking it away, while preserving tax breaks for the wealthy, is peak unfairness.

Congress is on recess through April 16. While you continue your Set the Agenda meetings, remind lawmakers that tax code can be used to improve lives. Remember, the 2021 CTC was not a boondoggle; parents didn’t quit their jobs for a few hundred dollars more per month. It was not enough to live on, but it was enough to make a difference. It was fair. And that’s all people want – a fair shake when times are tough. Remind your members of Congress that they can provide it.

TAKE ACTION: Use the April recess (April 1-16) to continue your Set the Agenda lobby meetings. Request meetings with members of Congress you have yet to meet with this year. Ask if you can meet face-to-face with your representative and/or senators during the recess. Tell them you want to discuss tax fairness, specifically expanding the CTC and enacting a Renter Tax Credit (RTC). Use our Set the Agenda and Lobbying materials to prepare and reach out to Katie Fleischer to schedule a lobby prep call . Finally, after each meeting, please share the details of what happened in our Lobby Report Form.

And if you are done with your lobby meetings or want to magnify your voice while waiting for the next one, submit a letter to the editor on the CTC and RTC today.

Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty

End Tuberculosis Now Act launches in the House! The End Tuberculosis Now Act reintroduction in the Senate (S.288) has been joined by the reintroduction of companion legislation in the House! On World TB Day, H.R.1776 debuted. Ask your legislators to co-sponsor these bills today, read up on the legislation, and learn more about this year’s TB advocacy campaign.

A decade after the Child Survival Call to Action. In 2013, “Committing to Child Survival: A Promise Renewed” was launched, and this vital international focus on child mortality has made a difference. YOU have made a difference. How? Read more on our blog.

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: Continue to use tax time as a hook to urge Congress to make the tax code fair for everyone by expanding the Child Tax Credit and enacting a Renter Tax Credit.
• Global Poverty: Save the Children has released a compelling report about centering the plight of children in our quest to alleviate hunger and malnutrition. Utilize this report, “’We are the most affected’: Why children’s voices must be at the heart of the hunger crisis response,” as fuel for a letter to the editor.

Announcements

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!

RESULTS Grassroots Board Member Nominations are open! Ever thought of serving on the RESULTS board? Now is the time to submit your name or the name of someone you believe would make an impact. Find out more about nominations and what’s involved in serving on the Board on our blog announcement. Please email name(s) to Jesse Marsden at [email protected] and the current Grassroots Board at [email protected]. Questions about this process? Contact a current Board individually or collectively via that same email. Nominations close 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.

Did you miss the April National Webinar? At RESULTS, we value the voices of those with lived experience of poverty and seek to center those leading voices in everything we do. What does this look like in the work of a local RESULTS group as well as organizationally? Explore how we can work better together via the expertise and insights of our Experts on Poverty cohort. Watch the recording of the April National Webinar.

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.

Wednesday, April 5: New Advocate Mentor Community of Practice, 8:00 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, 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: 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.

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.