RESULTS Weekly Update November 9, 2021

Quote of the Week

“In building a better West Virginia and United States of America, Sen. Joe Manchin should fully support the Build Back Better Act without hesitation.”

– RESULTS West Virginia volunteer Larry Scwab in an October 30 letter to the editor in the Charleston Gazette-Mail

Table of Contents

• House takes step toward passing Build Back Better – use media to push to Congress to get it done
• Ask Congress to cosponsor global nutrition legislation
• Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty
• Announcements
• Upcoming Events
• Grassroots Resources

House takes step toward passing Build Back Better – use media to push to Congress to get it done

On Friday, the House took a big step forward toward passing the Build Back Better Act (BBB). In a deal between moderate and progressive Democrats, the moderates agreed to vote on the rule for debate on BBB, a necessary procedural vote to move forward on a vote on the final bill, and agreed to support BBB if the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) “score” (estimates of the costs and revenues from the bill) reflects estimates calculated by the White House. In exchange, progressives agreed to vote for the bipartisan infrastructure bill the Senate passed over the summer. The BBB rule passed 215-212 on a straight party line vote. Later that evening, the infrastructure bill passed 228-206 on a bipartisan basis and has been sent to President Biden for his signature.

Passing BBB is now the priority. Not only is it a major investment in reducing poverty, it is also a huge step forward in addressing racial discrimination in public policy, which is in line with our anti-oppression work highlighted on last weekend’s National Webinar. According to CBPP, roughly half of all Black children and half of all Latino children live in families overrepresented in low-paid work because of historical and ongoing racism. The Jain Family Institute estimates that by making the full refundability of the CTC permanent, which BBB does, child poverty for African American households by 29 percent per year, compared to 16 percent for white households.

House leadership wants to take up BBB sometime next week (they hope CBO will release enough info by then to satisfy moderates). Once passed, the Senate would take up the bill shortly thereafter. This means we could be just weeks from passing an historic investment that will continue to lift millions of children out of poverty, vaccinate countless people around the world from COVID-19, help low-wage workers make ends meet, and reduce housing instability for 300,000 households.

However, success is not guaranteed. With the infrastructure bill done, there is concern that momentum to pass the Build Back Better Act might fade. The infrastructure bill is a tremendous success, but the work is incomplete without Build Back Better. Families who are healthy, children who are thriving, and workers not living in poverty are no less important than safe bridges, paved roads, and reliable internet. We must get this bill passed!

TAKE ACTION: While the House and Senate are on recess this week, get letters to the editor published urging your members of Congress to pass the Build Back Better Act when they return to Washington. It must be priority number one. Use the letter template in our online letter to the editor action to draft and submit your letter today. When you get published, please forward your letter to the appropriate aides in your House and Senate offices (and please let us know too). And remember, all the media RESULTS volunteers have gotten published since we began work on BBB in March can be found on our website.

Be sure to keep current on the status of Build Back Better on the RESULTS Blog.

Ask Congress to cosponsor global nutrition legislation

All children deserve a strong start in life, regardless of where they are born. Shockingly, even before the COVID-19 crisis, malnutrition underpinned nearly half of all deaths of children under 5 years old. But COVID-19 has made it worse. 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.

The first 1,000 days between pregnancy and age two are a very critical time of cognitive and physical growth. Ensuring children receive proper nutrition during this window is key to preventing death or lifetime impairments.

Fortunately, the Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act has been introduced in the Senate (S.2956), with a companion bill in the House of Representatives (H.R.4693). Read more about the potential of this legislation on our blog. The legislation calls for a coordinated USAID strategy, clear targets, and solid interventions so that assistance reaches the most impoverished children. This legislation will assure U.S. leadership in ending severe child malnutrition. We must rally Congress to cosponsor this pivotal legislation. Will you take action today?

TAKE ACTION: Utilize our online action alert to ask your members of Congress to cosponsor the Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act in the House and Senate. Then share the alert with others, including your Action Networks, to amplify the message. You can also use our nutrition laser talk to help shape your written message – or to help you make a phone call to congressional offices. Later this week there will be a new nutrition Action Sheet you can use with your local group. Finally, learn more about the topic of global malnutrition by reviewing our November National Webinar recording and our recent policy forum on the topic.

Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty

Have you seen the latest on appropriations? Recently the Senate released details of its appropriations bills, which includes specifics on items for which we’ve been advocating for most of the year. The results are mixed, but you can read a thorough analysis of what’s being proposed on our blog.

More data shows what parents are spending their CTC on. New from Tax Policy Center show that “about half of adults (51 percent) reported spending the [new Child Tax] credit on food. The next most common purchases included clothing (30 percent), utilities (29 percent), and schoolbooks and supplies (25 percent).”

Monday is filing deadline for CTC payments. The new Child Tax Credit monthly payments have been a game changer. The latest data from Columbia University shows that in just a few months, these payments have lifted more than 3 million children above the federal poverty line. But time is running out for those not yet signed up. The last chance to sign up for the CTC monthly payment in 2021 is this Monday, November 15. Sign up at www.GetCTC.org. Use the CTC Outreach Social Press Kit to get the word out to those who could still get payments.

Announcements

Anti-oppression audit findings now available. 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). From RESULTS Executive Director Joanne Carter: “This work is central to everything we do, and our mission depends on it. We want to do everything we can to support the leadership of our grassroots on anti-oppression, and I’m committed to making sure this work has clear goals, staffing, and the funding to advance it.”

Join policy forums next week. Be sure to join us for our monthly U.S. and global monthly policy forums next Thursday, November 18 at 8:00 pm ET (U.S.) and 9:00 pm ET (Global). Register for the U.S. forum and the global forum today. Note: there will be no policy forums in December.

RESULTS Fellowship deadline extended. If you are interested in applying for the RESULTS Fellowship, apply soon. The application process for this outstanding leadership training fellowship closes November 20.

Become a RESULTS Regional Coordinator. Regional Coordinators (RCs) are vital volunteer leaders in our network, helping to coach and support RESULTS groups around the country to be the best they can be. If you (or others) are interested in becoming a Regional Coordinator with RESULTS, or are simply interested in learning more about the role, please contact Lisa Marchal.

Upcoming Events

Congressional schedule. The House and Senate are on recess this week. Submit your remote meeting requests today.

Tuesday, November 9: Global Allies Program – Ending Poverty with RESULTS, 8:30 pm ET. Register today. Registration ends one hour prior to the webinar.

Thursday, November 11: Veterans’ Day holiday. All RESULTS offices closed.

Monday, November 15: Global Poverty Free Agents, 7:00 pm ET (rescheduled date). If you are interested in joining, contact Lisa Marchal for more information.

Tuesday, November 16: U.S. Poverty Free Agents, 1:00 pm and 8:00 pm ET. If you are interested in joining, Jos Linn for more information.

Tuesday, November 16, Motivational Interviewing Techniques, 9:00 pm ET. Register today. Registration ends one hour prior to the webinar.

Wednesday, November 17: 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.

Thursday, November 18: U.S. Poverty Monthly Policy Forum, 8:00 pm ET. Register here. Registration ends one hour prior to the webinar.

Thursday, November 18: Global Poverty Monthly Policy Forum, 9:00 pm ET. Register here. Registration ends one hour prior to the webinar.

Thursday, November 25-Friday, November 26: Thanksgiving holiday break. All RESULTS offices closed.

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.

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.