RESULTS Weekly Update September 23, 2025

Quote of the Week

“It is an outrage that our elected representatives stand by and do nothing as the administration persists in clawing back billions of dollars previously allocated by Congress.”

– Claudia Morgan, RESULTS Dallas advocate, in her September 14 letter to the editor in the Dallas Morning News

(Is this newsletter too long; didn’t read (TL;DR) the whole thing? Scroll to the bottom for the most important points or the “TL;DR”)

Shutdown looms as Congress recesses

Congress must pass a budget by midnight on Tuesday, September 30 in order to avoid a shutdown of the government. On Friday, the House passed a short-term Republican continuing resolution (CR), but the Senate rejected it (the Senate also rejected a Democratic CR proposal). Now, it’s a standoff. Both chambers recessed last Friday and do not return to D.C. until next week (Senate on Monday; House on Wednesday). Assuming the House does not return earlier, the question becomes not whether there will be a shutdown but for how long.

It is frustrating that we are at this point once again. Lawmakers have had months to finalize the FY26 budget (i.e., the appropriations bills) only to reach the budget deadline with no deal. Our government should not function this way. RESULTS begrudgingly supports a short-term CR but only if it extends FY25 funding that has gone unspent, it fully funds anti-poverty programs (i.e., RESULTS begrudgingly supports a short-term CR but only if it extends FY25 funding that has gone unspent, it fully funds anti-poverty programs (i.e., no cuts), and it includes language ensuring that appropriated money will be timely spent as directed (no impoundments and no rescissions).

Don’t let up on Congress at this critical time. It is imperative we keep the pressure on them to finalize the budget ASAP. Let them know your frustration at this process. Tell them you don’t want excuses — you want them to do their job.

Meet with lawmakers during this week’s recess and contact congressional offices to tell them to pass a final budget that:

• Funds global health and education programs at the same level (or higher) as the House Appropriations Committee.
  • Both chambers must champion the Global Fund in advance of this fall’s replenishment.
• Funds Housing Choice Vouchers and WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) at the levels that match current need.
• Ensures that agreed-upon funding is protected and spent. No more partisan rescissions, impoundments, cuts, and year-long CRs.

Finally, show your support for SNAP by asking members to co-sponsor the Restoring Food Security for American Families and Farmers Act of 2025. This bill repeals SNAP cuts in the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA). Also, show your local support for the bill by adding your local RESULTS group to this sign-on letter.

Our Action and Allies page is your headquarters for lobbying and media resources. You can also find letter-writing templates – both to Congress and the media – on our Action Center. The Action Center will also offer new action sheets for group gatherings and laser talks to support and sharpen your advocacy. And remember to reach out to RESULTS staff for assistance.

Join the 600 Voices Media Campaign

One of the best moves you can make as an advocate is pursue getting published in your local media outlets. Local papers with opinion pages still offer their respective communities a pulse on what people are thinking about and talking about. YOUR voice should be in the mix. Coast-to-coast, you have a tradition of making sure that our issues get noticed by neighbors and legislators alike through your letters to the editor, through your op-eds, and by inspiring editors to take on topics.

To ensure our media advocacy is loud and proud this fall, we have launched our 600 Voices Media Campaign. The goal is to reach 600 published media pieces by the end of the year. Right now, we are at 358 and counting. Can we get the other 242 (or more) by the time we ring in 2026? Yes, we can.

What issue would you like to write about? What issue would a fellow advocate in your group or in your community like to write about? Getting the budget done? Protecting SNAP and Medicaid? Expanding Child Tax Credit? Supporting the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria? Here’s a great hook this week: respond to this Washington Post article featuring RESULTS Expert on Poverty Tiffany Tagbo.

Use our letter templates and even our EPIC laser talks to write and submit your next letter today. The citizen voice isn’t an accessory to democracy; it is the heartbeat. Write and submit today, and support someone else to do so as well. Let’s reach 600!

Do not miss!

Join this week’s RESULTS Quarterly Outreach Gathering. Outreach is advocacy. Let’s keep building the movement to end poverty! This third installment of our Quarterly Outreach Gathering will equip you with tools, resources, and strategies to strengthen your group’s sustained growth, power, and impact. The webinar is Thursday, September 25 at 8 p.m. ET. Register today!

Register for October Policy Forum. Eager to gain a better understanding of RESULTS’ U.S. poverty priorities for the balance of 2025? Mark your calendars for a U.S. Poverty Policy Forum on Thursday, October 23 at 8:00 p.m. ET. Learn how we are preparing for final FY26 budget negotiations, with a focus on ensuring that housing and nutrition programs are protected and funded. Register today!

Join the October RESULTS National Webinar. As the current class of RESULTS Fellows prepares to graduate, we’re highlighting Fellows past and present on our next monthly webinar. Former Fellow and current congressional staffer Freedom Richardson will share insights from Capitol Hill, and former Fellow and RESULTS St. Louis volunteer Sarah Miller will co-lead a media training. Tune in for even more! The webinar is Saturday, October 4 at 1:00 p.m. ET. Don’t miss it!

TL;DR (too long; didn’t read): Keep the pressure on Congress to pass an anti-poverty budget utilizing our Action and Allies page resources, join our 600 Voices media campaign and help us reach our goal by December 31, get outreach support at the Quarterly Outreach Gathering on September 25, register for the October U.S. Poverty Policy Forum, and plan for the October National Webinar on Saturday, October 4 featuring a spotlight on the RESULTS Fellows and media.

Quick Links: Action Center, Events Calendar, National Webinar recordings