RESULTS Weekly Update November 30, 2021
Quote of the Week
“[The Build Back Better] plan is historic. It lays the foundation for building an economy where no one gets left behind. It must be passed.”
– RESULTS Arizona advocate Nathan Young in a November 20 letter to the editor in The Miner
Table of Content
- Tell the Senate to pass Build Back Better now
- Ask Congress to co-sponsor global malnutrition legislation
- Join National Webinar this Saturday with Liz McKenna
- Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty
- Announcements
- Upcoming Events
- Grassroots Resources
Tell the Senate to pass Build Back Better now
Congress is back in DC this week from the holiday break, with some looming deadlines ahead. The current continuing resolution (CR) keeping the government running ends on Friday and the Treasury Department estimates the U.S. will hit the federal debt ceiling on December 15. At this point, most experts expect Congress to pass another short-term CR to avert a government shutdown and to reach an agreement on the debt ceiling to avoid a catastrophic default. However, when and how these issues get resolved is unknown.
Because these other priorities require more immediate time and attention, it means Senate consideration of the House-passed Build Back Better Act (BBB) is getting pushed back. We expect no Senate legislative action on BBB this week. However, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has said he wants to pass BBB by Christmas. To succeed, he must not only navigate the busy calendar, he must also secure the support of holdouts Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ). This is where you come in.
The key to getting BBB passed is relentless public pressure. Pressure pushing Senate leaders to bring the bill up for a vote as soon as possible and pressure pushing senators to support its passage (and to reject harmful amendments during the floor debate).
Remember, the Build Back Better Act is as much your success as any member of Congress. It is you who pushed Congress to extend the Child Tax Credit monthly payments another year, and to make full refundability of CTC for 27 million low-income children permanent. It is you who pushed Congress to extend the expanded Earned Income Tax Credit for 17 million low-wage workers. It is you who pushed Congress to add 300,000 new Housing Choice Vouchers for low-income renters. And it is you who pushed Congress to include funding to manufacture more COVID-19 vaccine to share with low-income countries, an imperative made even more urgent with the emergence of the omicron variant. And it is your pressure that will help get this bill over the finish line and signed into law.
TAKE ACTION: Use Congress’ return to Washington as a hook for media telling your senators to pass the Build Back Better Act now. Time is of the essence. The next CTC monthly payment goes out December 15 and if BBB does not pass, it will be the last one. Use our online letter to the editor action to draft and submit your letter today. Be sure to share local CTC and housing data in your letter to highlight how BBB helps people in your state. When you get published, please forward your letter to the appropriate aides in your Senate offices (and please let us know too). You and others can also e-mail or call Congress directly telling them to pass the bill!
We’ll have more on BBB on this weekend’s December National Webinar (see below).
Ask Congress to co-sponsor global malnutrition legislation
The bipartisan Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act (S.2956/H.R.4693) is open for co-sponsorship, and we need your help in building strong support for this crucial legislation.
All children deserve a strong start in life, regardless of where they are born. But tragically, in 2020, nearly 150 million children under 5 were stunted (too short for their age) and over 45 million were affected by wasting (too thin for their height), both reflecting severe malnutrition. Experts predict that pandemic-related disruptions to food and health systems could cause up to a 50 percent rise in global malnutrition—and wasting is expected to be the single biggest driver of increased child deaths. Failure to act now will have devastating future consequences.
The Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act, focused on USAID, embraces the “Power 4”: prenatal vitamins, support for breastfeeding, vitamin A supplementation, and ready-to-use therapeutic food. Read more about the potential of this legislation on our blog. Utilize our online action alert to ask your members of Congress to co-sponsor. Note that we have a new fact sheet on global nutrition and that you can also use our nutrition laser talk to help shape a written or phone message. We also have a nutrition Action Sheet you can use to call your local group into action. Finally, learn more about global malnutrition by reviewing our recent policy forum.
Join National Webinar this Saturday with Liz McKenna
Join us for the final RESULTS National Webinar of 2021 this Saturday, December 4 at 1:00 pm ET. Our guest speaker this month is scholar and author Liz McKenna, who will talk with us about how best to maximize the impact of grassroots organizing and collective action as documented in her book (co-authored with Hahrie Han and Michelle Oyakawa), Prisms of the People. We’ll also update you on the latest from DC, outline the 2022 group planning process RESULTS groups will doing in December, make an exciting announcement about our 2022 calendar, and celebrate your amazing work this year. Please join us! This will be a fully joint webinar so plan to join at 1:00 pm ET and stay on for the duration. Register for the webinar today!
Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty
Important nutrition event on International Human Rights Day. Join the ACTION Global Health Advocacy Partnership for a key Nutrition for Growth side event on Friday, December 10 at 8:00 am ET titled “Rights-based policies for tackling malnutrition and advancing Universal Health Coverage (UHC): Aligning N4G commitments with progress.” Take a look at the ACTION website for more information on this important conversation that they are co-organizing with other partners.
Global Fund Replenishment Conference news. It was recently announced that the next Global Fund Replenishment Conference will be hosted by the United States in the latter half of 2022. You can read the announcement and details directly on the website of The Global Fund.
Join webinar on the racial wealth divide tomorrow. Please join the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the Thurgood Marshall Institute on Wednesday, December 1 at 7:00 pm ET for a conversation with LDF President Sherrilyn Ifill and Emory University law professor Dr. Dorothy Brown as they discuss Professor Brown’s new book, The Whiteness of Wealth. Register for the event here.
Join webinar on racism in the tax code next week. The Take on Wall Street campaign of Americans for Financial Reform will host a fireside chat again with Dr. Dorothy Brown and Dr. Darrick Hamilton to discuss the white supremacy inherent in our tax code and how American tax policies impoverish Black Americans while enriching white Americans. The webinar is Thursday, December 9 at 11:00 am ET. Register for the event here.
Announcements
Today is GivingTuesday, the perfect day to give to RESULTS! Today marks an important tradition of supporting the causes that matter the most to you. The COVID-19 pandemic presented a historic challenge and RESULTS advocates responded with a bold agenda and bold action. We pushed members of Congress to pass ground-breaking legislation that provided needed relief to people across the United States and around the world. As hardship intensified, we achieved historic breakthroughs. We proved it’s possible to cut child poverty in half with support for the expanded Child Tax Credit in the United States. And we achieved record-breaking investments in global health that are saving lives. But our work is far from done. What more is possible? Your donation to RESULTS today – on GivingTuesday – will help RESULTS maintain the enormous momentum of the past year and propel our efforts to eliminate poverty. Are you ready to make your gift today?
Register for Thursday’s “Cultivating New Relationships through Action” webinar. Learn more about creating a culture of “welcome” in your group & fostering healthy relationships through advocacy action with new advocates! Additionally, you’ll learn best practices for welcoming new advocates. This is great training for ALL advocates, especially New Advocate Mentors, Group Leaders, and Regional Coordinators. The webinar is this Thursday, December 2 at 8:00 pm ET. Register to attend today.
Schedule your Group Roadmap meeting for December. In December, RESULTS groups around the country will make their exciting 2022 advocacy plans by completing their 2022 Group Roadmaps. Your 2022 Roadmaps will build on your 2021 plans and successes. The 2022 Group Roadmap Guide will be available later this week on our Working with Your Group page (under “Make your group plans”). In the meantime, please schedule time with your group in December to discuss and complete your 2022 Roadmap.
Register for “Your Strengths in Action” webinar. This webinar, to be held on Tuesday, December 7 at 8:30 pm ET, is the next step after the “Discovering Yourself as a Leader Using the GALLUP CliftonStrengths Tool” sessions held this fall. By joining this webinar, you’ll have the opportunity to dig deeper into your top five strengths as a RESULTS group in a way that focuses on team-building and creating space for volunteers to step into leadership roles. Become more agile and more resilient changemakers! For more information on how to get started with this leadership tool so you (and your group) are prepared for this next-step session on December 7, please contact Karyne Bury a few days in advance. Then register today for the “Your Strengths in Action” webinar.
Read the RESULTS anti-oppression audit findings. As part of our continued effort to address issues of oppression, RESULTS has been conducting an anti-oppression audit of our organization this year. A summary of the findings is now available (see also our overview of the findings on our November National Webinar).
Upcoming Events
Congressional schedule. The House and Senate are in session this week. Submit your remote meeting requests today.
Tuesday, November 30: GivingTuesday. Give to RESULTS today!
Thursday, December 2: Cultivating New Relationships Through Action, 8:00 pm ET. Register here. Registration ends one hour prior to the webinar.
Saturday, December 4: RESULTS National Webinar, 1:00 pm ET. Register today. Registration ends one hour prior to the webinar.
Sunday, December 5: International Volunteer Day
Tuesday, December 7: Your Strengths in Action, 8:30 pm ET. Register today. Registration ends one hour prior to the webinar.
Thursday, December 9: Global Allies Program – Ending Poverty With RESULTS, 8:30 pm ET. Register today. Registration ends one hour prior to the webinar.
Monday, December 13: Global Poverty Free Agents, 7:00 pm ET. If you are interested in joining, contact Lisa Marchal for more information.
Tuesday, December 14: U.S. Poverty Free Agents, 1:00 pm and 8:00 pm ET. If you are interested in joining, contact Jos Linn for more information.
Tuesday, December 14: Motivational Interviewing Techniques, 9:00 pm ET. Register today. Registration ends one hour prior to the webinar.
Wednesday, December 15: Action Network Webinars, 12:30 pm ET and 8:00 pm ET. Register for the afternoon session or evening session. Registration ends one hour prior to each webinar.
Friday, December 24-Sunday, January 2: Winter holiday break. All RESULTS offices closed.
Note: there are no Monthly Policy Forums in December.
Grassroots Resources
Learn about the RESULTS Experts on Poverty.
To update volunteer info (e.g., subscribe to the Weekly Update or action alerts, add new advocate information, update an existing advocate’s information or preferences), use our Volunteer Information Form.
Find actions and volunteer resources on our Volunteers Hub, including our anti-oppression resources.
Remember to please report your recent advocacy successes in lobby meetings, media, and outreach activities.
To join the RESULTS listserv for more RESULTS conversation, send an email to [email protected].
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.