RESULTS Weekly Update May 21, 2024

Quote of the Week

“We can think of few more sensible — and, frankly, more noble — government expenditures than providing kids with much-needed vaccinations.”

– RESULTS-inspired May 17 editorial in the Baltimore Sun

Table of Contents

• With ten days left, who in Congress still needs to hear from you?
• What you can do this week before Congress leaves town
• Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty
• Announcements
• Upcoming Events
• Grassroots Resources

With ten days left, who in Congress still needs to hear from you?

As of this morning, RESULTS volunteers have held 173 lobby meetings with 126 difference congressional offices in 36 states. Impressive! There are not many grassroots groups who have had close to 200 lobby meetings this year on complicated issues like eradicating tuberculosis, funding vaccines, using the tax code to reduce poverty, and protecting food assistance for millions. You all should be proud.

But we are not done. We have ten days left in our Community of Change lobbying campaign. RESULTS cover 350 congressional offices. How many more can we meet with to talk about these important issues? And remember, Congress is on recess all next week. That is the perfect time to snag a face-to-face meeting while they are home. So, who will you meet with next?

TAKE ACTION: Make the most of these last few weeks of May to set up lobby meetings you have yet to do this year. Please contact schedulers now to schedule your next lobby meeting. Ask for a face-to-face meeting during next week’s recess. Find lobby request and prep materials on our Community of Change campaign page. Also, many members of Congress and candidates participate in Memorial Day events. Ask offices and check member websites to check for appearances in your area where you can catch them for a few minutes. Please contact RESULTS staff for coaching and support.

What you can do this week before Congress leaves town

Congress is in session through Thursday, and then will be on recess until June 3. After making your lobby meeting requests, here are key actions you can take before lawmakers leave town.

Tell members of Congress to protect SNAP. On Thursday, the House Agriculture Committee will mark up its draft Farm Bill. This includes reauthorizing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), America’s largest food assistance program. Sadly, House Agriculture Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA-15) wants to cut $30 billion from SNAP benefits over the next decade by changing how SNAP benefits are calculated. Please call or e-mail your House members urging them to protect and strengthen SNAP in the Farm Bill. For additional SNAP resources, see our Community of Change page.

Ask for co-sponsorship for Gavi resolutions. In the Senate, S. Res. 684 is available for co-sponsorships. A companion House resolution will be available soon. These resolutions support Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Gavi is a powerful global partnership. It promotes access to vaccines in lower-income countries. Gavi has supported countries to vaccinate more than 1 billion children. This has saved over 17 million lives. Urge your senators and representatives to co-sponsor these resolutions!

Use media to call for a CTC vote. On the Child Tax Credit (CTC), once again we wait to see if and when the Senate will vote on H.R. 7024, the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act. RESULTS has worked to pass this bipartisan bill, which expands CTC for 16 million children, since it passed the House on January 31. We are hopeful Senate Majority Leader Schumer will announce a vote for early June. Please submit a CTC letter to the editor published urging senators to demand a vote and pass the bill.

Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty

READ Act moves forward! After more than a year of advocacy, H.R.681, the READ Reauthorization Act of 2023, is finally moving forward in the House. The bill allows the U.S. to continue the success of the READ Act by improving literacy and numeracy in basic education, demanding better monitoring and evaluation efforts, and improving the U.S.’s ability to achieve key global education goals. The Senate passed the bill last year. If the House passes it this year, it will become law (President Biden is expected to sign it). The bill is now on the House suspension calendar, which means it can come up at any time. In the meantime, continue to build support for the bill by asking your representative to co-sponsor H.R. 681 today (see the current list of cosponsors, column AH)

Global poverty appropriations round-up. Congratulations and thank you! You called, sent emails, and met with members of Congress during our FY25 global poverty appropriations campaign this spring. And it paid off! Despite tight deadlines and a challenging political landscape, your advocacy led to strong outcomes. You gathered an incredible number of signers for our “Dear Colleague” letters. We even set a record high on signatures for the House Tuberculosis letter! You can find the final letters and signer counts on our blog.

Rent crisis. Read this fantastic and moving blog post on rent and housing by our very own Hunger Fellow John Hoang.

Announcements

Join the RESULTS summer of action; coaching starts this week. When was the last time you called on your wider community circle to take action? This summer is your chance. We are urging all RESULTS to get together in person for action meetings starting in June. These meetings are designed to harness the power of being together to tell Congress to prioritize child health and nutrition this year. Groups will gather together, socialize, and write postcards (provided by RESULTS). Check out our how-to guide, creative ideas, invitation toolkit, and more to help you organize a fun, impactful community action meeting this summer! We will also be holding numerous community action coaching calls starting this week. Let’s get together and make a difference!

Vote in the Grassroots Board election! The polls are open and your participation matters. We are fortunate to have direct representation on the RESULTS/RESULTS Educational Fund Boards and we have two great candidates for the open seat. Meet the candidates. Elizabeth Brown and Kasapo Chibwe have provided statements and answered questions during our Candidates’ Forum on May 10. You will also hear from them again on the June 1 RESULTS National Webinar. After considering your choice, cast your ballot at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GRD2024. Voting remains open until June 22 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

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, May 22, 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.

Join the June National Webinar. Join us on Saturday, June 1 at 1:00 p.m. ET for an exciting monthly National Webinar. We are pleased to welcome Salaam Bhatti, SNAP Director at the Food Research and Action Center, who will talk with us about reauthorization of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP. We’ll also update you on our current U.S. and global poverty priorities, officially kick off our “Getting Your Community on the Record” campaign, and meet the candidates for election to represent our volunteers on the RESULTS Board. Register today!

Please complete your lobby reports. At RESULTS, we talk about lobby meetings and follow-up a lot. They are the primary ingredients in building political will. But reporting what happens in these meetings is also vital to our work (the secret sauce, perhaps). The information you learn from your lobby meetings is integral in how we strategize our work. It helps us leverage influence with lawmakers and coordinate with allies on advocacy. Not to mention, these reports help us (and our funders) acknowledge and celebrate the wonderful things you do. If you have had a recent lobby meeting with a congressional office, please complete the RESULTS Lobby Report Form to let us know what happened. Thank you for your help.

Triple your impact with a gift to RESULTS this spring! RESULTS is urgently working to raise $350,000. Why? We want to amplify our work on behalf of the estimated 350 million children worldwide who face undernutrition. Thanks to a generous challenge match, your donation to RESULTS will be TRIPLED until we reach our goal! This includes all donations to Friends & Family fundraisers. If you or your group has been thinking about doing a fundraiser, this is a great time to do it! If you have questions or need support, contact Director of Development Melissa Strobel. Make your special tax-deductible gift to RESULTS today!

Upcoming Events

Congressional schedule: This week, the House and the Senate are in session.

Find these and other events on our website Events Calendar.

Tuesday, May 21: U.S. Poverty Free Agents, 1:00 p.m. ET and 8:00 p.m. ET. Contact Jos Linn for more information.

Tuesday, May 21: New Advocate Orientation, 1:00 p.m. ET. Register today!

Tuesday, May 21: Community Action Coaching, 1:00 p.m. ET. Register here. (You can also use the registration page to choose a coaching time later in May or in early June.)

Tuesday, May 21: Together Women Rise advocacy chapter webinar, 8:30 p.m. ET. Learn more about this opportunity.

Wednesday, May 22: Media Office Hour, 2:00 p.m. ET. Join via Zoom at https://results.zoom.us/j/93668005494 or call 312-626-6799 (Meeting ID: 936 6800 5494). No registration required.

Monday, May 27: Memorial Day holiday. RESULTS offices closed.

Saturday, June 1: National Webinar, 1:00 p.m. ET. Register for the webinar.

Thursday, June 6: Global Allies Program with RESULTS, 8:30 p.m. ET. Learn more.

Friday, June 7: Disrupting Biases on Poverty and Classism facilitated by RESULTS Experts on Poverty, 12:00 p.m. ET. Register today for this 90-minute webinar.

Wednesday, June 12: Motivational Interviewing 101, 8:00 p.m. ET. Register today.

Thursday, June 13: Outreach and Event Planning Office Hour, 2:00 p.m. ET. Drop in at https://results.zoom.us/j/94004748060, meeting ID 940 0474 8060.

Monday, June 17: Restorative Justice and Global Conflict facilitated by DC Peace Team, 8:00 p.m. ET. Register for this powerful two-hour session.

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

Grassroots Resources

• EOPs: Learn about the RESULTS Experts on Poverty.
• Actions and volunteer resources: Visit our Volunteers Hub, including our anti-oppression resources. To join the RESULTS listserv for more RESULTS conversation, send an email to [email protected].
• Please report your actions. Remember to please report your recent advocacy successes in lobby meetings, media, and outreach activities. Also, use our form to add to/edit your info and to sign up for updates and alerts.
• Share your story. If you have an inspiring story about advocacy, please tell us about it. Also, if you want to celebrate the actions of a new volunteer, sharing about the experience.
• Questions for the Board? If you have a question, comment, or suggestion for the RESULTS/REF Board, please e-mail [email protected]. View Board minutes and Annual Reports.
• Staff and jobs: RESULTS Staff directory and job postings.