RESULTS Weekly Update September 13, 2022

Quote of the Week

“Tuberculosis is definitely still a major global health threat, with a disproportionate impact on impoverished communities.”

–RESULTS St. Louis volunteer  Yara Changyit-Levin in a September 12 letter to the editor in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Table of Contents

• Share new poverty data with tax aides showing CTC impact
• Webinar highlights why we need the End TB Now Act
• Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty
• Announcements
• Upcoming Events
• Grassroots Resources

Share new poverty data with tax aides showing CTC impact

Congress is back in Washington for only a few weeks before they leave again to campaign. Use this critical time to ask your representatives and senators to expand the Child Tax Credit (CTC) in legislation this year. Today, you got a huge reason for doing so. The U.S. Census released its annual poverty data for 2021. It does not disappoint. The data shows that child poverty dropped 46 percent last year. A huge source was the expanded Child Tax Credit with monthly payments. The Census shows that the CTC alone lifted 5.3 million people out of poverty (including 2.9 million children).

Remember, low-income families who never received the CTC got it last year. Low-income families who only got part of the CTC (while wealthier families got the whole thing) got the full credit last year. Millions of families received the CTC as a monthly payment for the first time last year. All these factors contributed to the impressive drop in poverty released today.

Sadly, next year’s data could look a lot different. When the expanded CTC expired last December, child poverty and family hardship skyrocketed. And with inflation putting a further strain on family budgets, restarting the expanded CTC payments is a must.

TAKE ACTION: Contact your House and Senate tax aides this week. Request their bosses urge House and Senate leadership to include the CTC in a post-election tax bill. Share the new Census data and how it shows that when the CTC includes the lowest-income families (full refundability) and a monthly payment option, lives are transformed. Use the September 2022 U.S. Poverty Action for talking points for e-mails and calls. In addition, these resources might help with your outreach to aides:

• View the recording and slides from the September National Webinar. Guest speaker Barbara Saverino of United Way Worldwide shares tips on talking about the CTC with moderates and conservatives (first 30 min).
• Read our new RESULTS Blog post on making the conservative case for the CTC.
• See additional resources on our Fall 2022 Campaign Resources page.

Remember, only one person from your local RESULTS group needs to contact a particular tax aide about the CTC. Others in your group should amplify that message by e-mailing the office directly and getting letters to the editor published in support of the CTC.

Webinar highlights why we need the End TB Now Act

We are grateful to Aaron Sunday of the Global Fund Advocates Network (GFAN) for speaking on the RESULTS National Webinar this past weekend. As we work to pass the End TB Now Act around the world, it was sobering to hear Aaron’s personal experience having tuberculosis as a child. He spoke of the stigmatism, discrimination, and isolation he experienced after his diagnosis, and the mental toll this took on him. Now with TB’s infection rate on the rise, millions around the world face will face the extraordinary challenges that come with a TB diagnosis.

If we don’t do something, the United Nations estimates the world could experience 6.6 million additional TB deaths over the next eight years. We have the tools to prevent this, so we must act.

This is why it is imperative Congress pass the End TB Now Act this year. The bill would require the U.S. to establish bold goals for reaching the most vulnerable populations to detect, cure and prevent all forms of TB globally. It would promote partnerships and coordination across groups allied in fighting TB. It would support research on new tools for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of TB. And it would require reporting and evaluation on the impact of TB programs.

Quite simply, the End TB Now Act is about saving lives. We need your help to pass it.

TAKE ACTION: Contact your senators and representatives to co-sponsor the End TB Now Act (S.3386/H.R. 8654). See our global poverty tracking chart to see who has already co-sponsored the bill. If your members of Congress are not signed on, reach out to them this week and urge them to co-sponsor the bill. The September 2022 Global Poverty Action has resources to help you. You can also send a message using our TB action alert. If you’ve already asked them, follow up on the status of your request. Find additional resources to help on our Fall 2022 Campaign Resources page.

Quick News on U.S. and Global Poverty

Keep pushing the READ Act. In addition to our work on global TB (see above), it is also imperative that Congress pass the READ Act Reauthorization Act of 2022 this year. Millions of impoverished children around the world are denied a primary education. The U.S. must do its part to expand access to this basic human right. The READ Act Reauthorization Act builds on the original READ Act by working to improve foundational literacy and numeracy in basic education. Use our READ Act action alert to ask your senators to co-sponsor this bill today (and visit our global poverty tracking chart to see who already has).

New child poverty data shows importance of anti-poverty programs. Yesterday, the New York Times reported that child poverty today is significantly lower today because of government interventions, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit, SNAP, housing assistance, and other programs. The data backing the article shows that the child poverty rate in 2019 (11.4 percent) would have been nearly double (20.3 percent) without the safety net. Note: the data only goes through 2019 and does not include the impact of the Child Tax Credit.

New survey results highlight impact of losing the CTC for families. CLASP has released a new report based on a national survey of low- to moderate-income parents about the CTC. Two-thirds of CTC payment recipients said they had increased difficulty in affording food and paying the bills once payments stopped. Read the report here.

Help families claim their CTC and EITC refunds. Millions of people could miss out on the benefits they deserve, simply because they don’t file taxes. GetCTC allows low-income families to claim the Child Tax Credit and missing third stimulus payments quickly and easily. It is available for free in English and Spanish at https://www.getctc.org until November 15. In addition, it’s not too late to claim the expanded 2021 Earned Income Tax Credit for younger workers and others who do not claim dependents. Qualified individuals must file their taxes by October 17, 2022. Visit GetYourRefund.org by October 1 to find out more.

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:

• S. Poverty: Use the new Census poverty data release (see above) as a hook for letters to the editor urging Congress to expand the Child Tax Credit this year.
• Global Poverty: Critics are pushing back at new reports blaming “vaccine hesitancy” for low COVID vaccine rates in the Global South. They point to inequity in vaccine access as the cause. The U.S. must support equity in global health around the world. Start by passing the End TB Now Act.

Announcements

Join relational organizing training tonight. Learn what relational organizing is and why it is critical to the sustainability of your group and RESULTS’ mission. Develop a framework for engaging your community and bringing new people into the RESULTS movement. The webinar is tonight, September 13 at 8:30 pm ET. Register today.

Invite aides to Five Pillars conversation tomorrow. Ahead of the White House Hunger Conference on Hunger, join the Community Partnership Group at CLASP and the Experts on Poverty at RESULTS for a discussion to re-vision the guiding “Five Pillars” of the Conference. The Five Pillars are meant to define the scope of the conference, but currently do not reflect the insight of people who have directly experienced hunger, poverty, and the social systems to alleviate them. This webinar is designed to highlight those voices and offer solutions based on their experience. The webinar is tomorrow, September 14 at 3:00 pm ET. This is an important conversation, so urge aides in your congressional offices to attend. Register for the webinar here. Also, be sure to sign up to livestream the White House Conference on September 28.

Join “Interrupting Microaggressions” training on Thursday. Join us this Thursday, September 15 at 11:00 am ET. This 2-hour workshop where participants will define the term, its history and impact, and build awareness of microaggressions in daily life. Register here.

Join Saturday’s social media advocacy training. Looking for new ways to reach your senators, representatives, and other audiences online? Join us for a training on how to draft effective social media messaging tied to RESULTS’ goals. The trainer, Lindsey Spector, is a digital diplomacy professional who provides daily problem-solving and training on social media and strategic communications for global audiences. The training is this Saturday, September 17, 11:00 am-12:30 pm ET. Register today.

Join media office hour next week. If you need help finding hook, data, or need editing help for your latest media piece, join RESULTS staff for our media office hour next Wednesday, September 21 at 2:00pm ET. Join via Zoom at: https://results.zoom.us/j/93668005494 or (312) 626-6799, meeting ID: 936 6800 5494.

Apply for the 2023 RESULTS Fellowship. We are now accepting applications for the 2023 class of the RESULTS Advocacy & Organizing Fellowship. For all the details on eligibility and how to apply, check out our website. Applications close October 31.

Join candidate “bird-dogging” training in October. October will be a big month for candidate engagement. This is a perfect time to tap into the energy and angst around elections to advance our issues and recruit new advocates. Join RESULTS and Right to Health Action to learn how to make the most of election town halls and other public events. In addition to learning the tactics of “birddogging” candidates, you’ll get ideas about engaging people in your community in the transformational advocacy of birddogging. The webinar is Thursday, October 6, 2022 at 08:30 pm ET. Register here.

Upcoming Events

Congressional schedule. The House and Senate are in session this week.

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

Tuesday, September 13: Relational Organizing 101, 8:30 pm ET. Register today.

Wednesday, September 14: Reimagining the Five Pillars of the White House Hunger Conference by People with Lived Experience, 3:00 pm ET. Register today.

Thursday, September 15: Understanding and Interrupting Microaggressions, 11:00 am ET. Facilitated by Peace Learning Center. Seats limited. Register here.

Saturday, September 17: Social Media Advocacy training, 11:00 am ET. Register today.

Tuesday, September 20: U.S. Poverty Free Agents, 1:00 pm and 9:00 pm ET. Contact Jos Linn for more information.

Tuesday, September 20: Together Women Rise Advocacy Chapter with RESULTS, 8:30 pm ET. Learn more.

Wednesday, September 21: 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.

Wednesday, September 21: Action Network Managers Webinar, 8:00 pm ET. Register here.

Wednesday, September 21, New Advocate Orientation, 8:30 pm ET. Register for the orientation here.

Thursday, September 22: U.S. Poverty Policy Forum, 8:00 pm ET. Register here.

Thursday, September 22: Global Poverty Policy Forum, 9:00 pm ET. Register here.

Wednesday, September 28: Build the Movement – Nuts and Bolts of Supporting New Advocates, 8:00 pm ET. Register today.

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

Tuesday, October 4: Diversity and Inclusion 101, 12:00 pm ET. Register here.

Thursday, October 6: Candidate engagement “birddogging” training, 8:30 pm ET. Register here.

The next Global Poverty Free Agents meeting will be held in October.

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.