U.S. Poverty Weekly Update December 10, 2019

Quote of the Week

“I urge our members of Congress to give workers and families a reason to be cheerful this holiday season by ensuring that any tax bill passed this year includes expansions the EITC and CTC.”

– RESULTS Southern IL volunteer Candace Ellis in an December 5 letter to the editor in the Southern Illinoisan

Got Two Minutes? Call Your Senators THIS MORNING for Workers and Families (December Action)

If any deal to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) is going to happen this year, it will be made this week. Negotiators know that details will have to be finalized this week in time to pass it by the December 20 deadline to pass a budget and tax deal. If you want any deal to include expansions of the EITC and CTC, please speak up today – in fact, right now! Senate Democrats are meeting at lunch today to decide their priorities for a tax deal. Make sure they hear from you before they meet.

TAKE ACTION: Take two minutes to call your Democratic senator(s) using this toll-free number (888) 678-9475 and leave this message: 

My name is ___________ and I am a constituent from __________________. I am calling to urge you to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC). Will you please tell Senator ______________________ to tell Senate leaders that any tax package the Senate passes this year must include improvements to the EITC and CTC for low-income workers and families?

Got Ten Minutes? Urge Others to Speak Up for the EITC and CTC (December Action)

After you’ve called your Democratic senators this morning about expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) (see above), keep the pressure on by urging people you know – action networks, family, friends, social media contacts – to call or e-mail their members of Congress too. Decisions on what a final tax bill will look like, if any, will be made this week. Who can you contact this week to help us influence that final decision?

TAKE ACTION: Take ten minutes to organize people you to know to tell their members of Congress to expand the EITC and CTC in any new tax bill. Personalize the action message below and send it to your action networks. But first, remember these tips for moving people to act:

• Make your message personal. Addressing a person individually (rather than a mass e-mail) increases the chances they take action.
• Share the impact their action can make. People need reminders that their actions can make a difference. Share this piece by RESULTS Expert on Poverty Aaron Carrillo about the impact of the EITC and need to expand for younger workers.
• Offer to take action with them. Make it a joint effort “I am planning to make a call at 11:00am today, will you join in and call too?”
• Personalize the action. If someone you know is hesitant to make a call, tell them to e-mail instead. If you know someone has made a lot of calls already, ask them to submit a letter to the editor. Any and all actions will help.

Action Message: If Congress passes a tax bill this year, it’s details will be finalized this week. If they do anything, they must expand of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) for low-income workers and families. We need your help to make this happen. Please send an e-mail to your members of Congress today urging them to prioritize workers and families in any tax bill this year. Thank you!

Got Thirty Minutes (or more)? Review Tax Equity Resources

Even if Congress passes a tax bill expanding the EITC and CTC this month, the issues with inequity in tax code will be far from over. Tax provisions can impact almost every aspect of life, including people’s bank accounts, housing, health care, transportation, and care for their children. Last week, we had the pleasure of hearing from Funke Aderonmu of Georgetown University Center on Poverty and Inequality (and former Hunger Fellow at RESULTS) on our U.S. Poverty National Webinar. She shared some of the findings from a new report she co-wrote, A Tax Code for the Rest of Us: A Framework & Recommendations for Advancing Gender & Racial Equity Through Tax Credits. The information was detailed, informative, and important to our work. It speaks of our commitment to ending the inextricably entwined issues of poverty and oppression. After you have made your calls to Congress about the EITC and CTC, and urged others to do the same, review these important resources on equity and the tax code.

TAKE ACTION: Take thirty minutes or more to listen to last week’s U.S. Poverty National Webinar with Funke Aderonmu. Be sure to review the slides from the webinar and if you have time, read the report she co-authored as well. They will come in handy in your advocacy work going forward.

Quick News

Giving Tuesday a Success! Thank you to everyone who made Giving Tuesday a success! Altogether, you helped us raise over $12,000 on Giving Tuesday – completely exceeding our goal – and unlocked the match of an additional $10,000. This unrestricted, flexible funding is the most precious resource we receive.

RESULTS Experts on Poverty Storm Washington. Last week, seven of the RESULTS Experts on Poverty came to Washington, DC, for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ Impact Conference, and several also got to speak with Congressional staff about EITC/CTC and housing issues before the start of the conference (picture of four of the Experts on Capitol Hill). In addition, Expert and RESULTS Grassroots Board Member Maxine Thomas spoke at a congressional briefing on lunch shaming. As always, we continue to work to ensure the voices of those directly impacted by anti-poverty programs are centered in policy conversations.

Help Us Name the New National Webinar. In February, the RESULTS national webinar will take on a new format (combined U.S. and Global), new day (first Saturday of the month), and new time (1:00 pm ET). Help us name this new webinar. If your idea is chosen, you could win a free registration for the 2020 RESULTS International Conference. Submit your name suggestion to [email protected] by Wednesday, January 8. The winner and new name will be announced on the January 11 national webinar.

New SNAP Rule Could Cut 700,000 People Off Food Assistance. Last week, the Trump Administration announced it was moving forward with a new rule to cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The new rule would primarily impact able-bodied adults (18-49 years old) without children, who currently can only get SNAP for three months out of every three years if not working. States can get waivers from this requirement in times of high unemployment, but the new rule would restrict their ability to do so. It is estimated that 688,000 could lose SNAP benefits as a result. The rule is scheduled to start in April 2020. It is expected to be challenged in court. Our website includes a summary and our official comments to proposals from the Administration that will impact anti-poverty policies, including this proposal.

Upcoming Events

Congressional Recesses. Both the House and Senate will be on recess December 21-January 5. Submit your meeting requests today.

Tuesday, December 17: U.S. Poverty Free Agents Calls, 1:00 pm and 8:00 pm ET. Join at: https://results.zoom.us/j/324294681 or dial by phone at (929) 436-2866 or (669) 900-6833, Meeting ID: 324 294 681.

Wednesday, December 25-Wednesday, January 1: RESULTS holiday break. All RESULTS offices closed.

Saturday, January 11: RESULTS Joint U.S./Global National Webinar, 1:00 pm ET. Join at https://results.zoom.us/j/510407386 or by phone at either (669) 900-6833 or (929) 436-2866, meeting ID: 510 407 386.

June 20-23, 2020: RESULTS International Conference. Capital Hilton, Washington, DC. Register today!

Other Resources

Learn about the RESULTS Experts on Poverty.

Do you have a new person in your RESULTS group or info to update? Use our Volunteer Information Form to add them.

Find actions and volunteer resources on our Current Volunteers page.

Please let us know about your recent grassroots successes for lobby meetings, media, and outreach.

If you have a question, comment, or suggestion for the RESULTS/REF Board, please e-mail Steven McGee at [email protected]. View Board minutes and Annual Reports.

RESULTS Staff directory.