RESULTS Weekly Update March 26, 2024

Quote of the Week

“Protecting the lives of babies, children and mothers through better health care is something we should all support.”

– RESULTS Contra Costa (CA) volunteer Jim Driggers in a March 13 letter to the editor in the East Bay Times

Table of Contents

• Congress is on recess for two weeks – request meetings while lawmakers are home
• It is time for the Senate to vote on the CTC
• Make global poverty appropriations requests today!
• Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty
• Announcements
• Upcoming Events
• Grassroots Resources

Congress is on recess for two weeks – request meetings while lawmakers are home

Congress is on recess for the next two weeks (they return to DC the week of April 8). Do you know what that means? Face-to-face meetings! An old adage we just made up says – don’t waste a good recess! Especially when so much is on the line. Lifting hundreds of thousands of kids from poverty, making progress to improve global health and education, and ensuring access to basic nutrition all hang in the balance. Your next congressional meeting could be the tipping point.

TAKE ACTION: Thanks to everyone who has participated in the 48 lobby meetings so far during our Community of Change campaign. If want to meet with all 350 of the offices we cover, we must redouble our efforts. Start with making requests now for meetings during the current recess. 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). Find the latest lobby materials on our issues on the Community of Change campaign page.

And remember, RESULTS staff are here to help you. If you are not getting responses from offices, please reach out to RESULTS staff for coaching and support. We are here to help you succeed. Also, when you do book a lobby meeting, please contact RESULTS staff member Katie Fleischer to set up a lobby meeting. Our requests may shift over the next few weeks and these prep calls will help you stay ahead of the game.

It is time for the Senate to vote on the CTC

It is time to hold senators accountable. It has been nearly two months since the House passed H.R. 7024, the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act. That’s two months that 16 million children and their families have not benefitted from an increased Child Tax Credit (CTC). That’s two months that 500,000 experiencing poverty have waited for help. That’s two months that senators have put political ambitions ahead of helping constituents.

It is becoming clearer that the Senate debate over this bill is not about policy, it is about politics. Opponents of the CTC expansion are using specious arguments and delay to hasten the bill to a quiet death. Meanwhile, Senate leadership is reluctant to call a vote for fear of losing the vote. Delays and avoidance are unbecoming of the Senate. Sometimes, it’s about fighting the fights that need fighting more than just fighting the fights you can win.

Accountability matters. It is time for the Senate to vote. If H.R. 7024 passes, it is a victory for families. If it does not, then at least constituents know where their senators stand.

TAKE ACTION: The Senate is on recess until April 8. Use these two weeks to be loud about reducing child poverty through the new CTC expansion. Tell senators you want to see a vote on the bill as soon as they return to Washington. Please take all or some of these actions during the recess.

Get lobby meetings. Ask for face-to-face lobby meetings with senators while they are home. Use those meetings to talk about the CTC. If you get a meeting, please let RESULTS staff know so we can provide you the latest news and messaging for your meetings.

Connect with tax aides. Contact Senate tax aides again reminding their bosses to pass H.R. 7024 as soon as they get back. Share new data on the impact of the proposed CTC expansion on young children. 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. Mike Crapo (R-ID) to stop blocking efforts to pass the bill. Use our CTC congressional request for messaging or contact RESULTS staff for assistance.

Submit letters to the editor. Submit letters to the editor to papers in your state calling on your senators by name to pass the CTC expansion when they get back to DC. Use our updated CTC media alert to send your letters to the editor today.

Urge others to e-mail senators. Urge your friends, family, and action networks to e-mail their senators urging them to schedule a vote and pass the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act.

Make global poverty appropriations requests today!

The President released his FY2025 budget proposal two weeks ago. Members of Congress are asking for appropriations requests and circulating “Dear Colleague” letters. The FY2025 budget process is well underway, so there’s no time to waste in making 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 and one is available in the Senate. One House letter focuses on global tuberculosis. The other letter is on the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The Senate letter centers on maternal and child health, vaccines, and nutrition. Signatures build political will – let’s get as many signatures as we can!

TAKE ACTION: Don’t wait. Ask your representative(s) and senators to reach out to the State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee of Appropriations with our global poverty funding requests and to sign “Dear Colleague” letters. 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.

Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty

FY2024 appropriations are finally done! Congress finally passed its remaining spending bills for FY2024 over the weekend. Sadly, our global poverty priorities did see cuts. Global health overall saw a 5 percent cut, global education numbers overall saw 9.5 percent cut, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria was cut to comply with the U.S. statutory one-third cap. Here are the details:

• Maternal and child health received $915 million
  • Of this, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance received $300 million
  • Of this, global nutrition received $165 million
• Global tuberculosis received $394.5 million
• Basic education received $922 million
  • Of this, the Global Partnership for Education received $121.6 million
• The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria funding was reduced to $1.65 billion

You can compare these numbers with previous years funding levels and our current requests in our FY2025 Appropriations summary. Fortunately, the bills also included language requiring USAID to submit reports to Congress on the status of targeting resources to “disadvantaged geographies” as well as progress on preventing childhood deaths. While these cuts were expected, they underscore the importance of meeting with members of Congress now to discuss how to make up lost ground in FY2025.

IRS Direct File lets you file your taxes for free. If you live in AZ, CA, FL, MA, NV, NH, NY, SD, TN, TX, WA, and WY or know people who do, try the new IRS Direct File tool. This pilot program 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 to use it.

Announcements

Register for next week’s 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 the second session in 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 final webinar will be held March 27 at 9:00 p.m. ET.

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 on recess.

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

Wednesday, March 27: Quiet Leadership Training (session 2 of 2), 9:00 p.m. ET. Register to learn about this unique coaching tool.

Tuesday, April 2: New Advocate Orientation, 8:30 p.m. ET. Register today!

Saturday, April 6: National Webinar, 1:00 p.m. ET. Guest speaker: RESULTS founder Sam Daley-Harris. Register for the webinar today!

Thursday, April 11: 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.

Thursday, April 11: Global Allies Program (Returned Peace Corps Volunteers), 8:30 pm ET. Learn more.

Tuesday, April 16: U.S. Poverty Free Agents, 1:00 p.m. ET and 8:00 p.m. ET. Contact Jos Linn for more information.

Tuesday, April 16: Together Women Rise advocacy chapter webinar, 8:30 p.m. ET. Learn more about this opportunity.

Wednesday, April 17: 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.

Wednesday, April 17: Media Office Hour, 2:00 p.m. Join via Zoom at https://results.zoom.us/j/93668005494 or call 312-626-6799 (Meeting ID: 936 6800 5494). No registration required.

Friday, April 19: Anti-Oppression 301 – Oppression: The Missing Perspectives, 12:00 p.m. ET. Register for this special 90-minute workshop.

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.