RESULTS Weekly Update January 31, 2023

Quote of the Week

“Now we have a new year and a new Congress. I urge Sen. Hawley, Sen. Schmitt, Rep. Bush and Rep. Wagner to support a child tax credit to reduce child poverty and help American families.”

– RESULTS St. Louis volunteer Cynthia Levin in a January 23 letter to the editor in the Webster-Kirkwood Times

Table of Contents

• Tax debate underscores need for meeting with lawmakers now
• The time is now for meetings on global appropriations
• Join National Webinar this Saturday
• Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty
• Announcements
• Upcoming Events
• Grassroots Resources

Tax debate underscores need for meeting with lawmakers now

There’s been a lot of press recently about tax policy. Some House Republicans would like to replace the federal income tax code with a 30 percent national sales tax called the Fair Tax. The plan has many flaws, including exploding the deficit, dramatically cutting taxes for the wealthy, and raising taxes on the middle class and low-income Americans. It would also eliminate the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC).

The EITC and CTC combined are the largest poverty-reduction program in the U.S., outside Social Security. They lift between 6 and 8 million people above the poverty line each year, half of them children. And lest we forget, the expanded CTC cut child poverty by 46 percent in 2021. These provisions would disappear under a sales tax plan, throwing millions into and deeper into poverty.

In reality, the Fair Tax has virtually no chance of passing in this Congress. It would not pass the Senate and if it did, President Biden has already said he would veto it. But the idea also cannot be left alone to germinate. Members of Congress must hear from you on the tax policies that impact the lives of everyday Americans. Our Set the Agenda campaign is the perfect opportunity to do that.

TAKE ACTION: Set up lobby meetings with your members of Congress to talk about the importance of the Child Tax Credit. Remind them that the CTC supports families, promotes work, and lifts children out of poverty. Also, introduce members to the idea of a Renter Tax Credit. This credit would operate as monthly tax refund to help low-income renters better afford the high cost of rent. We have resources to help you including a sample meeting request, backgrounders on the CTC and RTC, laser talks, and congressional requests. You can these and other resources on our Set the Agenda page and Lobbying page.

Also, be sure to contact Katie Fleischer to schedule a lobby prep call with RESULTS staff to help you prepare for your lobby meetings.

The time is now for meetings on global appropriations

It’s the start of appropriations season in Congress when lawmakers start to think about spending priorities for the next fiscal year (FY24). For RESULTS, appropriations are how we get funding for most of our global poverty work. Will they fund programs that help the tens of millions of children suffering from malnutrition around the world? Will lawmakers fund efforts to reduce rising global tuberculosis (TB) cases and prevent future pandemics? Will they prioritize basic education for all the world’s children? The difference between yes and no on these questions could be you.

Your meetings with lawmakers as part of our Set the Agenda campaign are critical to our work. With House leadership pushing for new spending cuts, representatives and senators need to hear from constituents that cutting global poverty programs is unacceptable. On the contrary, additional, high-impact spending is needed for TB, global nutrition, and education. We know that smart, targeted investments in these programs, which are only a small percentage of the overall budget, can save millions of lives around the world. Will you carry that message to them?

TAKE ACTION: Set up lobby meetings now with your members of Congress to talk about appropriations for our global poverty priorities. To help you, review our new appropriations memo, sample meeting request, backgrounders on our global poverty and global TB campaigns, laser talks, and congressional requests. You can these and other resources on our Set the Agenda page and Lobbying page.

Also, be sure to contact Katie Fleischer to schedule a lobby prep call with RESULTS staff to help you prepare for your lobby meetings.

Join National Webinar this Saturday

Join us for the RESULTS National Webinar this Saturday, February 4 at 1:00 pm ET. With our Set the Agenda campaign in full swing and lobby meetings already starting, we will focus on creating effective relationships with members of Congress. In particular, we will look at how you can work with fellow advocates for inclusive, powerful lobby meetings. RESULTS staff will also review our current policy requests so you are clear on what to ask for in your meetings.

TAKE ACTION: Please join us at the National Webinar this weekend! If you have not registered for a 2023 national webinar, register for the webinar today (you only need register once per year). Once registered, you will receive login information later this week via e-mail (please check your junk or spam folders if you have not received anything by Friday afternoon). The webinar slides and recording will be available on our National Webinars page.

Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty

RESULTS Blog: Investing in global education. Education offers children a ladder out of poverty and a path to a promising future. But about 244 million children and adolescents around the world are out of school, and 617 million children and adolescents have not had the educational access to learn to read and do basic math. Read more about our global education priorities from RESULTS staff member Meg Gardinier on the RESULTS Blog.

RESULTS Blog: Spotlight on Renters. On January 25, the White House unveiled a Blueprint for a Renters Bill of Rights along with new actions the Biden-Harris administration will undertake to protect renters and promote rental affordability. These actions are meant to coordinate efforts to explore and address unfair practices in the rental market. Read more from RESULTS staff member Michael Santos on the RESULTS Blog. 

RESULTS Blog: Learn about the EITC and CTC. As tax season gears up, read the newest blog posts from RESULTS staff member David Plasterer. One focuses on the importance of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) in helping lift families out of poverty and ways to build on its success. The other provides a recap of our 2022 work on the Child Tax Credit (CTC), what the expiration of the expanded CTC meant for families, and how we build support to expand the CTC again.

Media hook 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: Some lawmakers want to replace the tax code with a national sales tax, a boondoggle for the wealthy. Instead, we should bring more equity to the tax code by expanding the Child Tax Credit to cover all low-income children.
• Global Poverty: WHO has announced plans for a new council to accelerate the development of TB vaccine. With global TB cases and deaths on the rise, it is imperative the U.S. provide leadership in the fight against TB.

Announcements

Remember to complete your 2023 Roadmaps. Thank you to all of you who met with your groups to do your 2023 goal planning in January. Your Group Roadmaps will be the keys to the success of our anti-poverty campaigns. We have already started using completed Roadmaps to create a new congressional coverage chart. If you have not completed your Group Roadmap, please meet with your group to get it done as soon as possible. The sooner you are done, the sooner we can help you reach your goals! If you need assistance with your Roadmap, please contact Jos Linn.

Join tomorrow’s New Advocate Mentor community of practice webinar. As you welcome new advocates to your groups, we are offering a space to our New Advocate Mentors, Group Leaders, and Regional Coordinators to keep up the amazing momentum that they have been building. Join us tomorrow, February 1 at 8:00 pm ET for our New Advocate Mentor Community of Practice Webinar. Join RESULTS staff for helpful resources, best practices, and valuable discussions. All are welcome! Register here to attend.

Join Grassroots Town Hall on February 9. Join the next Grassroots Board Town Hall meeting with our Grassroots Board members. The focus will be leadership in RESULTS. Do you want to deepen your involvement with RESULTS? Come to the latest RESULTS Grassroots Board Meeting to understand who the various leaders within the organization are. Special guests: Lakeisha McVey, RESULTS Experts on Poverty, and Yolanda Gordon, RESULTS Fellowship. All volunteers in the RESULTS community are welcome to attend. The online town hall is Thursday, February 9 at 8:30 pm ET. Join the Zoom Meeting online or dial (305) 224-1968 US Meeting ID: 950 0654 6243.

Update on in-person events in 2023. After several years of remote meeting, we want to expand opportunities for RESULTS volunteers to gather together in-person in 2023. This year, we’ll focus on supporting in-person gatherings by city, state, or region. Staff will be available to provide support and join you for these gatherings as we are able. We’ll also look at holding small, strategic, fly-in lobbying events in Washington, DC. Finally, we will hold a virtual gathering for the RESULTS network later this year (similar to our virtual International Conferences but smaller) with the intent of holding a large, in-person International Conference in Washington in 2024.

Upcoming Events

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

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

Wednesday, February 1: New Advocate Mentor Community of Practice, 8:00 pm ET. Register today.

Saturday, February 4: Monthly National Webinar, 1:00 pm ET. Register today.

Thursday, February 9: New Advocate Orientation, 12:00 pm ET. Register today.

Thursday, February 9: Grassroots Town Hall Discussion, 8:30 pm ET. Topic: “What does the RESULTS Board do and how do leaders make change within RESULTS?” Login at https://tinyurl.com/GRBoardFeb, passcode: Grassroots.

Thursday, February 9: Global Allies Program with Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, 8:30 pm ET. Register today.

Wednesday, February 15: Action Network Webinar, 12:30 pm and 8:00 pm ET. Join to learn how better to activate and support your group’s action network (online) members. No registration required. Join the 12:30 webinar at https://results.zoom.us/j/93288388695.  Join the 8:00 webinar at https://results.zoom.us/j/91531456676.

Thursday, February 16: U.S. Poverty Policy Forum, 8:00 pm ET. Register today.

Thursday, February 16: Global Poverty Policy Forum, 9:00 pm ET. Register today.

Tuesday, February 21: U.S. Poverty Free Agents, 1 pm and 9 pm ET (your choice). Contact Jos Linn for information on how to join.

Tuesday, February 21: New Advocate Orientation, 8:30 pm ET. Register today.

Tuesday, February 21: Together Women Rise Advocacy Chapter Webinar with RESULTS, 8:30 pm ET. Read more.

Wednesday, February 22: Media Office Hour, 2:00 pm ET. Bring your media-writing questions. No registration required. Join at https://results.zoom.us/j/93668005494 or (312) 626-6799, meeting ID 936 6800 5494.

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.