RESULTS Weekly Update October 19, 2021

Quote of the Week

“If we say that we care about the future of our country, then we should invest in this [Build Back Better] bill.”

– RESULTS St. Louis volunteer Sarah Miller in an October 11 letter to the editor in the Columbia Missourian

Table of Contents

• Use media to protect anti-poverty policies in economic recovery legislation
• Generate media on the need to support global vaccine manufacturing
• Join Monthly Policy Forums this Thursday
• Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty
• Announcements
• Upcoming Events
• Grassroots Resources

Use media to protect anti-poverty policies in economic recovery legislation

Congress returns to Washington this week with still no agreement on an economic recovery package. White House and congressional negotiators are still trying to secure the support of Sens. Manchin (D-WV) and Sinema (D-AZ), who are still not on board with the proposal. From RESULTS’ perspective, Sen. Sinema’s concerns seem to focus more on the size of the bill and how it will be paid for, but to date she seems OK on the housing and tax credit proposals we support. Sen. Manchin, on the other hand, is taking aim at a specific proposal we are pushing, namely the full refundability of the Child Tax Credit (CTC). He wants to eliminate full refundability by imposing a new work requirement for CTC recipients.

Before March, the CTC did have a work requirement – parents had to earn at least $2,500 per year to get a partial CTC. That cost of that threshold was that 27 million of the lowest income children and their families got only a partial CTC or none at all. The American Rescue Plan, passed in March, eliminated that work requirement. Recognizing that the cost of raising children is incurred whether you work or not, ARP allowed children whose parents earn little or no income get the full CTC. Parents at home caring for a sick child or an ailing grandparent, cannot not work due to a disability, or cannot afford childcare are now able to get financial help with the CTC. But Sen. Manchin wants to take it away.

The new CTC is already having the intended effect on families. After just a few of the new CTC monthly payments, 3.5 million children have been lifted above the federal poverty line. Imposing a work requirement could force many of these children back into poverty. Sen. Manchin is just wrong on this issue.

It is time for Congress to get this done and make sure it prioritizes provisions in the bill that will help low-income Americans. Right now, media is one of your best tools to urge Congress to get this done and push back at efforts to scale back critical anti-poverty provisions.

TAKE ACTION: Submit letters to the editor (LTE) this week urging Congress to pass an economic recovery bill that extends the current CTC and EITC provisions and includes guaranteed, multi-year funding for Housing Choice Vouchers. Use our online LTE to get started; send the letter on your own or through the RESULTS website. Be sure to mention call on your members of Congress by name to take action and when published, immediately share it with your House and Senate housing and tax aides. Here are some resources to help you personalize your letters:

• State data on benefits of the new CTC and EITC (CBPP)
• State data on benefits of Housing Choice Vouchers expansion (CBPP)
• Anti-poverty impact of CTC monthly payments through August 2021 (Columbia)
• Impact of the CTC on employment (Columbia)
• 5 reasons the CTC should not have a work requirement (Niskanen Center)

If you need help, please contact Jos Linn.

Generate media on the need to support global vaccine manufacturing

As you follow the news, you know debate is on-going regarding the economic recovery/reconciliation package being considered in Congress. (You can read about the latest developments in our blog). Priorities like increasing global vaccine manufacturing are not secured, and your advocacy can make a difference as the debate continues.

Did you know that countries in Africa have, on average, a vaccination rate of 3-4% because vaccines are not available to them? Many low-income countries hoped to receive COVID-19 vaccine doses through COVAX, a global collaboration to accelerate the development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. However, many rich countries jumped the queue by creating separate deals with vaccine manufacturers and paying a higher price per immunization dose than COVAX. Meanwhile, COVAX had to slash its already moderate goals, reducing its 2021 vaccine supply forecast by 25 percent. Read more in our new backgrounder.

In the package currently being debated, the House has included $2 billion to expand manufacturing capacity of COVID-19 vaccines. When combined with funding previously provided by Congress, the Biden Administration has significant resources to expand access to vaccines in low-income countries. We are calling on the Senate to at least match the House proposal and ensure these funds are directed toward expanding manufacturing capacity.

To find our way out of the pandemic and provide equitable access to the vaccines, Congress needs to hear from you. Media is a key way to accomplish this.

TAKE ACTION: We must speak up – in the media and directly with the Senate – on prioritizing global vaccine manufacturing as the recovery/reconciliation package is taking shape. We must call attention to the need for leadership and action.

1. Submit a letter to the editor on vaccine access using our online media action. Personalize the text provided with your personal reason for caring about vaccine access. When you get published, send your media to your members of Congress.
2. Use our current Global Poverty Action Sheet to encourage and enroll others in submitting letters to the editor. Again, be sure to send your published media to your members of Congress. If you have questions or need support, please contact RESULTS staff for assistance.
3. If you are a Senate point person, call and e-mail the aide responsible for health (as well as the Legislative Director) and ask the senator to speak and/or write to Senate leadership (Schumer) and Senate HELP Committee leadership (Murray, Burr), calling on them to include $2 billion to increase vaccine manufacturing in the reconciliation bill.
4. If you are not a Senate point person, use this online action alert with the same request and share this action with others so your senators hear from lots of constituents.

Join Monthly Policy Forums this Thursday

Join us this Thursday, October 21 for the RESULTS U.S. and Global Monthly Policy Forums.

On the U.S. Poverty Forum at 8:00 pm ET, we welcome Prof. Vincent Reina of the University of Pennsylvania who will explain why we need to keep pushing for universal Housing Choice Vouchers. Please join us on Thursday by registering for the U.S. Poverty Forum today.

Meanwhile, the Global Poverty Forum at 9:00 pm ET will feature a discussion on the intersection between global nutrition and COVID-19. To join, please register for the Global Poverty Forum today.

Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty

You did amazing work on housing “Dear Colleague” letter. Thank you to all of you who reached out to House and Senate members last week urging them to sign the Dear Colleague letter calling on congressional negotiators to preserve housing investments in the recovery package. Once finalized, 125 representatives and 36 senators signed onto the letter. With rumors flying that housing could be cut from the final bill, this is yet another important pressure point on negotiators to preserve these investments. If your member of Congress did sign on, please be sure to thank them.

Watch housing hearings in Congress this week. This Thursday, October 21 at 10:00am ET, the House and Senate housing committees are holding some interesting events. The Senate Banking Committee will be hosting “How Private Equity Landlords are Changing the Housing Market”. Meanwhile, the House Financial Services Committee will host “Strong Foundation: How Housing is Key To Building Back America” (watch the hearing here). If you are available, plan to join one of these informative events.

New HUD report shows dire housing situation. The Housing and Urban Development Worst Case Housing Needs report, based on data from the 2019 American Housing Survey (AHS), shows that even before the pandemic, there were 7.77 million renter households with “worst case needs” in 2019. Read the full report here.

Global nutrition legislation. The bipartisan Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act has been introduced in the Senate (S.2956). The legislation, which has a bipartisan companion bill in the House of Representatives (H.R.4693), is a positive sign of continued U.S. leadership in global food security and nutrition. Read more on our blog.

Announcements

Join next Motivational Interviewing training. Are you wanting new skills on talking to people with whom you disagree? Want strategies for more meaningful lobby meetings? Plan to join the next installment in our Motivational Interviewing series. This training will help you transcend an adversarial mindset and use values-based advocacy to make the case for change. The next session is Wednesday, October 27 at 9:00 pm ET. Register here for the series. If you missed the first session, you can view the recording and slides here.

Grassroots Board Town Hall moved to November 4. To avoid a conflict with our November Global Poverty Monthly Policy Forum, the Grassroots Board Member Town Hall has been rescheduled for Thursday, November 4 at 9:00 pm ET. Grassroots Board Members represent the volunteers’ interests on the RESULTS Board. Join this event to hear their current priorities, to ask questions, and share your ideas. Join online via Zoom or dial (301) 715-8592, Meeting ID: 922 0921 5298, Passcode: 985046.

Only a few more weeks to apply for the RESULTS Fellowship. The RESULTS Fellowship is an 11-month program designed for activists ages 20-35 to harness the power of their voices, sharpen their advocacy and organizing skills, and be in action with dozens of other dynamic young leaders. If you are interested in applying, go to www.results.org/fellowship. The application process closes November 1. (And take a look at an inspiring blogpost featuring one of our RESULTS Fellows, Rayna Castillo, describing the power of advocacy.)

Submit your nomination for the Bob Dickerson Leadership Award. In memory of long-time RESULTS advocate Bob Dickerson, each year we recognize an advocate’s extraordinary leadership and commitment to the mission of RESULTS with the Bob Dickerson Leadership Award. Submit your nomination for the award no later than November 1. Use our online form to submit a nomination.

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 in session this week. Submit your remote meeting requests today.

Tuesday, October 19: U.S. Poverty Free Agents, 1:00 pm and 8:00 pm ET. If you are interested in joining, Jos Linn for more information.

Wednesday, October 20: 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, October 21: U.S. Poverty Monthly Policy Forum, 8:00 pm ET. Register here. Registration ends one hour prior to the webinar.

Thursday, October 21: Global Poverty Monthly Policy Forum, 9:00 pm ET. Register here. Registration ends one hour prior to the webinar.

Monday, October 25: Global Poverty Free Agents, 7:00 pm ET. If you are interested in joining, contact Lisa Marchal for more information.

Wednesday, October 27: Motivational Interviewing training (session 2), 9:00 pm ET. Register here. Registration ends one hour prior to the webinar.

Wednesday, November 3: Cultivating New Relationships Through Action, 8:00 pm ET. Register here. Registration ends one hour prior to the webinar.

Thursday, November 4: Grassroots Board Member Town Hall, 9:00 pm ET. Join online via Zoom or dial (301) 715-8592, Meeting ID: 922 0921 5298 Passcode: 985046.

Saturday, November 6: 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.