RESULTS Weekly Update March 19, 2024
Quote of the Week
“Tax credits are there to elevate our friends and neighbors out of poverty so they can focus on getting an education instead of worrying about where their next meal is coming from.”
– RESULTS Oklahoma volunteer Jacoby Gonzalez in a March 9 letter to the editor in the Tulsa World
Table of Contents
- The Senate needs to stop stalling and bring the CTC bill to the floor
- Make global poverty appropriations requests now!
- Keep requesting those important lobby meetings
- Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty
- Announcements
- Upcoming Events
- Grassroots Resources
The Senate needs to stop stalling and bring the CTC bill to the floor
It seems as if the debate to expand the Child Tax Credit will go on forever. We know it, you know, all of Congress knows it. And what makes it so frustrating is that we are closer to getting a meaningful expansion than we have been in three years. An expansion that would benefit 6 million young children. If we can overcome the obstacles in the Senate, this bill could become law quickly. Right now, the bill’s fate rests in the hands of two people: Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
For Sen. Crapo, the issue is the bill itself. One of his main objection to the bill has been the “lookback” provision of the CTC expansion. He has complained about it for weeks. In an effort to break the stalemate, Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR) offered to take that provision out of the bill. Stunningly, Sen. Crapo rejected the offer. Although Sen. Crapo has said he wants to find a compromise on the bill, his actions tell a different story.
For Sen. Schumer, the issue is not the bill but scheduling a vote on it. As Majority Leader, Sen. Schumer has the power to bring the bill to a vote at any point. But many commentators think Sen. Schumer is waiting to see if enough Republicans will commit to voting yes on a cloture motion.* More than enough Republican senators privately support passage of the bill, but are unwilling to say so publicly in deference to Sen. Crapo. That is unlikely to change. But speaking out publicly and casting a vote for cloture are two different things. After Sen. Crapo’s rejection of the compromise offer, it is time for Sen. Schumer to call the bluff. If cloture succeeds, the bill will pass easily. If cloture fails, at the very least senators will be on the record as voters go to the polls in November. Either way, this bill deserves a vote.
This is not over but time is running out. The Senate will go on a two-week recess at the end of this week. Make sure they hear from you loudly and often that it is time to put families first and pass the CTC expansion now.
TAKE ACTION: Use every advocacy means at your disposal to push senators to pass the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act. Schedule lobby meetings, make phone calls to aides, send e-mails, and submit letters to the editor telling them to get this done. For Democratic senators, tell them to urge Sen. Schumer to schedule a vote on the bill for the week of April 8 and to vote YES on the bill when it comes to a vote. For Republican senators, urge them to speak out publicly in favor of the bill and privately push Sen. Crapo to stop blocking efforts to pass the bill (Note: Sen. Crapo does not need to vote yes on the bill; he just needs to tell leadership to move forward on it). If you have questions or need assistance, please contact RESULTS staff.
*A cloture motion is a procedural motion in the Senate used to end a filibuster. You need 60 votes to “invoke” cloture. Once cloture is invoked, debate on the bill takes place and then a final vote is taken. For the final vote, only a simple majority is needed to pass the bill.
Make global poverty appropriations requests now!
Reporting today indicates that Congress and the White House have reached a spending deal on the final six appropriations bills for FY2024. The House and Senate will vote on the “minibus” of bills this week in the hopes of avoiding a partial government shutdown on Saturday. While anything can happen between now and then, the long, arduous process of passing the FY2024 spending bills is coming to a close.
But there is no rest for the weary. Because Congress has delayed this process for almost six months, we are now well into the FY2025 budget process. The President released his FY2025 budget proposal last week and already members of Congress are asking for appropriations requests and circulating Dear Colleague letters.
Now is the time to make your FY2025 appropriations requests. For our global poverty priorities, please fill out each congressional member’s appropriations form. Ask your representative(s) and senators to include our global poverty funding requests in their submissions to the State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee of Appropriations.
Additionally, “Dear Colleague” letters are being released for representatives and senators to sign. Two letters are now available in the House. One letter focuses on global tuberculosis and one letter supports the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The more signatures we can muster on these letters, the more political will we build for Congress to adopt our funding requests.
TAKE ACTION: The FY2025 appropriations process is now underway. Ask your representative(s) and senators to reach out to the State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee of Appropriations with our global poverty funding requests. Please don’t wait; deadlines to submit are coming up fast. Find detailed memos on our appropriations requests, help with filling out congressional appropriations forms and details on current and future “Dear Colleague” letters on the RESULTS Blog.
Keep requesting those important lobby meetings
As noted above, this is a crucial time for you to meet with members of Congress. With FY2025 appropriations already being discussed, the Child Tax Credit expansion sitting in the Senate, and vaccines, nutrition, and education priorities in view, talking with members of Congress right now could not be timelier and more important. Thanks to everyone who has participated in the 40 lobby meetings (with 32 separate offices) RESULTS volunteers have done so far. This is an excellent start but we certainly have to pick up the pace if we are to reach our goal of 350 meetings by the end of April.
TAKE ACTION: Let’s ramp up the activity for our Community of Change campaign by requesting lobby meetings with your members of Congress today. Our goal is to meet with every office RESULTS covers (350 in all) by the end of April. Use our 2024 lobby meeting request letter to contact your House and Senate offices to request your meetings (and take look at this short video on top tips for booking a meeting). Ask for face-to-face meetings with legislators first, and then meet with staff if members are not available. Once you book a lobby meeting, please book a lobby prep meeting via RESULTS staff member Katie Fleischer. Finally, you can find lobby request sheets and background info on our issues on the Community of Change campaign page.
Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty
Remind tax filers to use IRS Direct File. The new IRS Direct File tool launched last week in AZ, CA, FL, MA, NV, NH, NY, SD, TN, TX, WA, and WY. This allows people to file their taxes online directly with the IRS for free. This is a valuable tool for tax filers with low incomes, who may have to pay hundreds of dollars to have someone else file their taxes. If the pilot program is popular, it may expand to other states. Please share the IRS Direct File link (https://directfile.irs.gov/) and urge people you know in these 12 states to use it.
Announcements
Register for the April National Webinar with Sam Daley-Harris. Join us on Saturday, April 6 at 1:00 p.m. ET to hear RESULTS founder Sam Daley-Harris as he discusses the 2024 edition of his book Reclaiming Our Democracy and its blueprint for creating transformational advocacy. As Sam has written, this is a proven way to make a difference and heal our democracy in the process by helping citizens awaken to their power. This webinar is a terrific opportunity to hear from our founder and why his motivation for starting RESULTS back in 1980 is still relevant today. It’s also a great way to introduce new people to Sam and the work of RESULTS, so invite others you know to join you for the webinar. Register today!
Join Quiet Leadership coaching training. Regional Coordinator Misty Novitch will be taking us through a two-part series on David Rock’s book Quiet Leadership, a potent and compelling coaching tool that provides you with resources to support others in their clarity of thinking. All advocates welcome. Join us for the Quiet Leadership training! The series are March 20 and March 27 at 9:00 p.m. ET, and you’ll get a reminder for each session.
Join media office hour tomorrow. If you need help drafting, editing, or submitting a letter to the editor or op-ed, please join our Media Office Hour tomorrow, March 20, 2:00-3:00 pm ET. Come any time that hour with your questions. Join via Zoom at: https://results.zoom.us/j/93668005494 or (312) 626-6799, meeting ID: 936 6800 5494.
Interested in being a Regional Coordinator? The Regional Coordinator (RC) is a key player in the RESULTS community. RCs are the brilliant network of people who provide training, cheerleading, and support for our network of groups. RCs work directly with RESULTS staff members, receive leadership coaching, coaching on powerful speaking, legislative updates and attend a yearly retreat for skills development. Ideal candidates for this volunteer role have experience in a RESULTS Group Leader role, but we welcome all inquiries. Want to learn more about this unique volunteer opportunity? Contact Lisa Marchal. Let’s chat!
Upcoming Events
Congressional schedule: This week, the House and the Senate are in session.
Typically, registration ends one hour prior to the start of all webinars and trainings.
Tuesday, March 19: U.S. Poverty Free Agents, 1 p.m. ET and 8 p.m. ET. Contact Jos Linn for more information.
Tuesday, March 19: Together Women Rise advocacy chapter webinar, 8:30 p.m. ET. Learn more about this opportunity.
Wednesday, March 20: Action Network Manager Calls, 12:30 p.m. ET and 8 p.m. ET. Join at https://results.zoom.us/j/95416781155 or dial (301) 715-8592, meeting ID: 954 1678 1155. No registration required.
Wednesday, March 20: Media Office Hour, 2 p.m. ET. Drop in at https://results.zoom.us/j/93668005494 or (312) 626-6799, meeting ID 936 6800 5494.
Wednesday, March 20: Quiet Leadership Training (session 1 of 2), 9 p.m. ET. Register to learn about this unique coaching tool.
Thursday, March 21: New Advocate Orientation, 1 p.m. ET. Register today!
Monday, March 25: Global Poverty Free Agents, 7 p.m. ET. Contact Lisa Marchal if you are interested in joining.
Saturday, April 6: National Webinar, 1 p.m. ET. Guest speaker: RESULTS founder Sam Daley-Harris. Register for the webinar today!
Thursday, April 11: Outreach and Event Office Hour, 2 p.m. ET. Drop in via https://results.zoom.us/j/94004748060 or dial (312) 626-6799, meeting ID 940 0474 8060.
Thursday, April 11: Global Allies Program (Returned Peace Corps Volunteers), 8:30 pm ET. Learn more.
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 story about advocacy you feel could inspire others, use our new online form to tell us your story. Also, if you want to celebrate the actions of a new volunteer, sharing about the experience today.
If you have a question, comment, or suggestion for the RESULTS/REF Board, please e-mail [email protected]. View Board minutes and Annual Reports.
RESULTS Staff directory and job postings.