RESULTS Weekly Update December 13, 2022

Quote of the Week

“I again live in fear of any emergency. I’m stressed out and my child feels so much guilt that he won’t ask for basic things he needs.”

– RESULTS Expert on Poverty Sarah Izabel in a December 7 Other Words op-ed about the Child Tax Credit

Table of Contents

• The Child Tax Credit – will they or won’t they?
• Ask Congress to pass the End TB Now and READ Acts!
• Join the U.S. Policy Forum this Thursday (Global Forum Canceled)
• Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty
• Announcements
• Upcoming Events
• Grassroots Resources

The Child Tax Credit – will they or won’t they?

As the month winds down, Congress’ need for action is winding up. Pressure to finalize the FY2023 budget is at a fever-pitch. Will Congress do an “omnibus” bill, i.e., one bill that passes all the year’s appropriations bills in one fell swoop? Or will they do year-long continuing resolution (CR) that freezes FY2022 funding levels for another year (which essentially amounts to a funding cut for many programs because program costs increase from year-to-year). If Congress does a CR, the likelihood of a tax bill this year is almost zero.

Congress is likely to decide whether to do an omnibus bill this week. At that point, negotiations over whether to include a tax package, and if that tax package will include a temporary expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC), will intensify. Your 241 lobby meetings, 302 media pieces this year, and your countless e-mails and phone calls about the CTC this year have made a strong case for expanding the CTC for the lowest-income families. You’ve told lawmakers “no tax breaks for corporations without the CTC” and they have heard you.

But will they get it done? We can’t wait around and hope for the best. If Congress fails to pass a CTC extension this year, it won’t be because RESULTS volunteers and other pro-child, pro-family, anti-poverty advocates held back. Keep your foot on the gas and see what happens.

TAKE ACTION: Keep the Child Tax Credit front and center with lawmakers this week. Here’s how:

1. Now is the time to talk to Senate tax aides. If your group has not spoken to your Senate tax aides in the last 1-2 weeks, the point person for each senator should contact the tax aide THIS WEEK. Tell them to urge Congressional leaders and tax negotiators on the Senate Finance Committee to come to agreement on a budget that includes an expansion of the CTC. Reach out to RESULTS staff for any support or targeted coaching for meetings, and be sure to share any published media from your state.
2. Keep up the media barrage. RESULTS volunteers have gotten over 106 media pieces on the CTC since September 1. And almost half of them have come in the last 42 days! Keep it up. Submit letters to the editor as soon as possible urging your senators by name to expand the CTC in any tax legislation this year. Use the December U.S. Poverty Action to write your own letter or use the editable template on the RESULTS website.
3. Urge action networks to call or e-mail about the CTC. Amplify our CTC message by urging your local Action Networks and other you know to call or e-mail your Senate and House offices this week. Their five minutes of advocacy could make a huge difference.

Ask Congress to pass the End TB Now and READ Acts!

We are so close to passing the End TB Now Act and the READ Act Reauthorization, the global TB and education bills we’ve been working on this year. Your work to secure cosponsors has yielded dividends! The READ Act has passed the full House and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The End TB Now Act has passed through the key committees in each chamber and now both bills need legislative action at the end of the year to secure them into law.

It’s unclear whether Congress will have time to pass the bills as stand-alone measures or if they need to be attached to another end-of-year bill, like the FY23 omnibus spending bill that we also need for our CTC work. But our message to Congress is clear: “Pass those bills!” by whatever means necessary.

TAKE ACTION: Make a call and/or send an email to your members of Congress TODAY! Ask your members of Congress to urge leadership (Senators Schumer and McConnell, Speaker Pelosi and Minority Leader McCarthy) to pass these two pieces of crucial global anti-poverty legislation before the end of session. Point people in your group should reach out directly to offices while everyone else can use our End TB Now Act action and the READ Act Reauthorization action to urge leadership to pass these bills this year.

Join the U.S. Policy Forum this Thursday (Global Forum Canceled)

Join us this Thursday to learn the latest from Washington, DC. RESULTS staff will provide you updates on Congress finalizing the FY2023 budget and passing a tax bill that includes a CTC expansion. For efficiency of time, the U.S. Policy Forum will also include a brief update on what is happening with the End TB Now Act and the READ Act Reauthorization. As such, Thursday’s Global Policy Forum has been cancelled. Join us for the last Policy Forum of the year to help finish your advocacy year strong.

TAKE ACTION: Join us for the December U.S. Policy Forum this Thursday, December 15 at 8:00 pm ET. Register for this webinar today.

Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty

EOP to speak at the Capitol about the CTC. Expert on Poverty James Lee will join a press conference hosted by the faith community at 12:00 pm ET this Thursday, December 15 on the Child Tax Credit.  December 15, 2021 was the day the last CTC check went out and advocates are calling on Congress to bring back the expanded CTC. The event will be held at the U.S. Capitol, Senate East Front, and will have faith leaders, impacted families like James, and members of Congress. The event will be livestreamed here.

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: The holidays are a time of giving. But far too many children and families are struggling just to meet basic needs. Congress can ensure that families have a better 2023 by expanding the CTC this holiday season.
• Global Poverty: The U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit is happening this week and may be covered by news outlets, providing possible hooks for our global health issues. If we are interconnected economically, are we not also in terms of the common goals of good health and well-being?

Announcements

Need media coaching? Join media office hour tomorrow. With media still a big focus this month, if you need help finding hooks, need data, or need editing help for your latest media piece, join RESULTS staff for our media office hour tomorrow, December 14 at 2:00pm ET. Join via Zoom at: https://results.zoom.us/j/93668005494 or (312) 626-6799, meeting ID: 936 6800 5494.

New 2023 National Webinar registration link. We’re already looking forward to our next National Webinar on Saturday, January 7 at 1:00 pm ET. We will use a new Zoom link for the webinars in 2023, so everyone must register to join the January webinar. Use this registration page to register for the webinar today.

Thank you, Regional Coordinators! This past weekend, RESULTS Regional Coordinators – those amazing volunteers who provide weekly support for your local RESULTS group – met in Washington, DC to reflect on our 2022 work and plan for 2023. It was the first such in-person gathering in four years. It was an inspiring, productive and fun weekend with lots of great ideas on how to better support you in your efforts to build the political will to end poverty. We are indebted and grateful for the time, ideas, and passion our RCs give to this work. Thank you!

Upcoming Events

Congressional schedule. The House and Senate are in session this week.

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

Tuesday, December 13: U.S. Poverty Free Agents, 1:00 pm and 9:00 pm ET. Contact Jos Linn for more information.

Tuesday, December 13: Together Women Rise Advocacy Chapter with RESULTS, 8:30 pm ET. Learn more.

Wednesday, December 14: 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.

Wednesday, December 14: Action Network Manager Celebration, 12:30 pm ET and 8:00 pm ET (your choice; 30 min each). Join at: https://results.zoom.us/my/sarahleone.

Thursday, December 15: U.S. Poverty Policy Forum, 8:00 pm ET. Register here. (Global Poverty Policy Forum cancelled for this month.)

Friday, December 23-Monday, January 2: RESULTS Holiday Break. All RESULTS offices closed.

Saturday, January 7: 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.