RESULTS Weekly Update October 25, 2022

Quote of the Week

“Our members of Congress need to expand the Child Tax Credit to all low-income families, with a monthly payment option, in any tax legislation this year. This isn’t just good for children, it’s good for all of us to live in a society that invests in its own future.”

– RESULTS Salt Lake City volunteer Naresh Kumar in an October 20 letter to the editor in The Salt Lake Tribune

Table of Contents

• Take strategic action on the CTC with your members of Congress
• Ask Congress to co-sponsor the End TB Now Act
• Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty
• Announcements
• Upcoming Events
• Grassroots Resources

Take strategic action on the CTC with your members of Congress

As the election nears, RESULTS continues to focus what happens after it’s over. We have to be ready to move quickly once all the ballots are counted. Congress still has a lot of work left to do before a new Congress even takes office in January. First and foremost on our agenda is making sure any tax legislation they pass in December includes an expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC).

There is pressure on members of Congress to get a tax bill done this year. Corporations want extensions or changes to beneficial tax breaks to use on their 2022 taxes. Tax provisions to help families should, at the very least, get equal consideration. That means convincing enough members of Congress to withhold any support for corporate tax breaks unless this CTC is also expanded. It’s a reasonable request, but will they commit?

That’s up to us.

TAKE ACTION: Help set the stage for a productive and meaningful “lame duck” session in Congress. Reach out to tax aides this week urging their bosses to prioritize the Child Tax Credit in post-election tax legislation. Here are messages to help:

1. For House Democrats. Will you please ask your boss to sign this letter urging congressional leaders not to pass more corporate tax breaks this year without also expanding the CTC. The deadline to sign on is this Thursday, October 27.
2. For Senate Republicans. There is a bipartisan effort to fix provisions in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). It is important that we fix it not just for corporations, but for low-income families too. Will you please tell Senate leadership to include families in any fixes to the TCJA, namely by expanding the Child Tax Credit to low-income families?
3. For Senate Democrats. In tax legislation after the election, please tell Senate leadership that you will not support tax breaks for corporations unless the legislation also includes an expansion of the CTC for children and families.

Amplify the message by asking people you know to write letters to members of Congress about the CTC. Use our October U.S. Poverty Action Sheet for guidance.

Ask Congress to co-sponsor the End TB Now Act

COVID-19 isn’t the only contagion ravaging the globe. Tuberculosis (TB) has plagued humanity for generations, and it is the second leading killer after COVID-19. Even though it is preventable, treatable, and curable, TB takes the lives of 1.4 million people annually. It exploits and exacerbates poverty and disproportionally hurts the marginalized. Last week, we heard from Maggy Ngombi of We Are TB as she shared her lived experience with the disease, generously offering us clarity, focus, and inspiration for our work to pass the End TB Now Act (S.3386/H.R.8654). View the October Global Poverty Policy Forum recording to hear Maggy, and then get to work! We are celebrating the Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act being signed into law just days ago, and we can keep the momentum going by pushing this next piece of vital global health legislation forward.

TAKE ACTION: Grab hold of our support materials to make your End TB Now Act co-sponsorship requests of your senators and representatives. Utilize our one-pager, our laser talk, and our Action Sheet to understand the issue better and to seek co-sponsorships for the End TB Now Act in both chambers. (You can find co-sponsor tracking on our website as well, and if your legislators have co-sponsored already, you may wish to thank them and request that they encourage other colleagues to co-sponsor, too!)

Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty

Invite Democratic House and Senate tax aides to briefing tomorrow. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is hosting a virtual event “Addressing Hunger and Poverty: A Briefing on the Urgent Need for Child Tax Credit Expansion.” RESULTS Expert on Poverty Clara Moore will be speaking. The event is tomorrow, October 26 at 11:00 am ET. Register for the event and please contact your Democratic House and Senate tax aides today and invite them to attend as well.

Malnutrition bill signed into law! Last week, President Biden signed the Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act into law. This is a victory for those suffering from malnutrition around the world and for the tireless advocates like you who convinced Congress to make it a priority. Congratulations!

New paper shows link between CTC and hunger. The Journal of the American Medical Association has released a new paper showing that food insufficiency in families increased 25 percent within six months of the 2021 Child Tax Credit payments ending.

Media hooks of the week. To help you in your media advocacy, here are suggested media “hooks” this week to use in letters to the editor:

• U.S. Poverty: Use stories about GOP leaders wanting to extend the 2017 Trump tax cuts for the wealthy to highlight that children and families must come first in any new tax legislation. Expand the Child Tax Credit now.
• Global Poverty: Use passage of the global malnutrition bill (see above) as evidence that Congress can come together to solve important problems. They should keep that momentum going by passing the End TB Now Act.

Announcements

Attend our post-election webinar and invite others to join you. After the election, RESULTS will host a special, post-election webinar to discuss how the election will impact our work to end poverty. This is a fantastic opportunity for both existing and new advocates to hear what the new Congress might do on our policy goals. You’ll also take an action to meet our Child Tax Credit and global TB goals in 2022. Get energized and motivated to move our agenda forward! The webinar is Thursday, November 17 at 8:30 pm ET. Register for the webinar and then use this guide to invite people you know to attend. This webinar is perfect for new people wanting to learn how to make a difference on poverty right now. Note: this one-hour webinar will be in lieu of our November U.S. and Global Poverty Policy Forums.

Apply for the 2023 RESULTS Fellowship. We are now accepting applications for the 2023 class of the RESULTS Advocacy & Organizing Fellowship. The RESULTS Fellowship is an 11-month program designed for activists ages 20-35 to harness the power of their voice, sharpen their advocacy and organizing skills, and take action with dozens of other dynamic young leaders. RESULTS Fellows advocate at the intersections of poverty and anti-oppression and learn how to work with the media, their communities, and policymakers to create change. For all the details on eligibility and how to apply, check out our website. The application deadline is November 30.

Join Critical Conversations training on Thursday. This anti-oppression training brings together foundations of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) with an equity focus to inform participants on how to have challenging values-based conversations about issues of identity and bias. Participants will learn what helps and what hinders healthy dialogue, and given time to practice skills for interrupting bias, prejudice, and bigotry. The training is Thursday, October 27, 8:00-10:00 pm ET. The training is facilitated by Peace Learning Center; it is an encore presentation from the 2022 International Conference. Register for the training today.

Register for Thursday’s social media advocacy training. Building on our social media advocacy training in September, join us for a deeper dive into how to create effective content and analyze your results. Social media expert Lindsey Spector will share tips on how to write clear, concise text and develop engaging visual content for social media. She will also discuss analytics and reporting for your social media work. The training is this Thursday, October 27 at 8:00 pm ET. Register for the training today. If you would like to listen to the recording of the first training (recommended), please contact Jos Linn.

Group Leader Office Hour on November 3. Join RESULTS staff member Lisa Marchal and DC-area Group Leader Lisa Peters on Thursday, November 3, 8:30-10:00 pm ET for a drop-in conversation on best practices, tips, and support for your group leadership. Bring your questions! No registration required. Come along any time during the 90-minute time slot; we’ll address attendees as they arrive. Join in at https://results.zoom.us/j/92629726832 or call in to (929) 436-2866, meeting ID 926 2972 6832.

Join Grassroots Board Town Hall on November 10. RESULTS now faces great opportunities to fulfill our mission but must amplify the capacity of our volunteers. What will it take to become more capable and increase our impact? How do we inspire members of Congress before year’s end? Grassroots volunteers are at the center of this event. Join our next Grassroots Board Town Hall to hear a brief update on the Board of Directors, a review of resources provided by staff, inspiring shares of volunteers’ successes, and a detailed discussion on amplifying our capacity to impact Congressional action. Come share your needs, ideas, and resources. The Town Hall is November 10, 2022 at 9:00pm EST. Join via Zoom at: https://results.zoom.us/j/96979080608 or dial (301) 715-8592, Meeting ID: 969 7908 0608.

Upcoming Events

Congressional schedule. The House and Senate are on recess this week.

Unless otherwise noted, registration ends one hour prior to the start of all webinars and trainings.

Thursday, October 27: Social Media Advocacy Training Part 2: Creating Effective Content and Analyzing Your Results, 8:00 pm ET. Register here.

Thursday, October 27: Creating Spaces for Critical Conversations training, 8:00 pm ET. Register here.

Thursday, November 3: Group Leader Office Hour, 8:30 pm ET. Join in at https://results.zoom.us/j/92629726832 at any time during the 90-minute session or call in to (929) 436-2866, meeting ID 926 2972 6832.

Saturday, November 5: Monthly National Webinar, 1:00 pm ET. Register here.

Saturday, November 5: Diversity and Inclusion 101, 3:00 pm ET. Register here.

Tuesday, November 8: Election Day. Please vote!

Thursday, November 10: The Global Allies Program: Partners Ending Poverty with RESULTS, 8:30 pm ET. Register here,

Thursday, November 10: Grassroots Board Town Hall, 9:00 pm ET. Join via Zoom at: https://results.zoom.us/j/96979080608 or dial (301) 715-8592, Meeting ID: 969 7908 0608.

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

Tuesday, November 15: U.S. Poverty Free Agents, 1:00 pm and 9:00 pm ET. Contact Jos Linn for more information.

Tuesday, November 15: Together Women Rise Advocacy Chapter with RESULTS, 8:30 pm ET. Learn more.

Tuesday, November 15: Diversity and Inclusion 101, 8:30 pm ET. Read details and register.

Wednesday, November 16: Action Network Managers (afternoon option), 12:30 pm ET. Register.

Wednesday, November 16: Action Network Managers (evening option), 8:00 pm ET. Register.

Wednesday, November 16: Media Office Hour, 2:00 pm ET. Join via Zoom at: https://results.zoom.us/j/93668005494 or (312) 626-6799, meeting ID: 936 6800 5494.

Thursday, November 17: RESULTS Post-Election Webinar: What’s next in the fight against poverty?, 8:30 pm ET. Register for the webinar.

Thursday, November 24-Friday, November 25: Thanksgiving holiday break. All RESULTS offices closed.

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 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.