U.S. Poverty Weekly Update December 17, 2019
Quote of the Week
“Income from the EITC and Child Tax Credit (CTC) benefit struggling working families: improved infant and maternal health, better student reading and math scores, increased school attendance and graduation rates, etc.”
– RESULTS Bremerton, WA volunteer Donna Munro in an December 9 letter to the editor in the Longview Daily News
This is the last Weekly Update of the year. RESULTS hopes that you and yours have a festive holiday season and Happy New Year!
Tax Update: Your advocacy made it close but EITC and CTC left out of final deal
Many of you may have seen the news this morning that Congress has reached an agreement on the budget and taxes. The good news is that the budget deal includes funding for many of the issues we care about, including small increases for critical foreign aid programs, Housing Choice Vouchers ($1.27 billion increase), Head Start, and child care assistance. The bad news is that in the final tax deal, expansions for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) were left out. Negotiators decided to go with a smaller tax deal that extended some business tax credits, including some for “green energy”. However, by focusing on a relatively small tax package, there was not enough political will to include critical expansions of the EITC and CTC (or technical corrections to the 2017 tax law).
This is certainly a disappointing outcome, but your advocacy kept the EITC and CTC in the game until the last minute. Rumors are that an expansion of the CTC for the lowest-income families was still on the table late into negotiations last night. Without your meetings, calls, e-mails, and 100+ media pieces on the EITC and CTC, these credits would have been out of the mix long ago. And you can bet that your hard work laid a strong foundation – including some bipartisan momentum – when taxes again are discussed.
Thank you for the tremendous work you did to get us this close. It’s OK to feel disappointed, but also satisfaction in knowing that did everything you could. Sometimes we don’t win, but that fuels our drive to seek a better outcome next time. And there will be a next time.
TAKE ACTION: Please share the thanks for all you and your networks did to support workers and families this fall. Your efforts to expand the EITC and CTC were heard loud and clear in Congress. Be sure to let your action networks and friends know what happened and thank them for what they did to help. Personalize the statement below and send it to them this week:
Dear RESULTS friend,
I want to personally thank you for your calls and e-mails to Congress over the last few months about expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit for workers and families. Your advocacy kept the EITC and CTC in the game right up to the last minute. Sadly, in the end, Congress chose not to include these expansions in their final tax deal. But one thing is for sure – because of you, they know this issue is of critical importance to millions of low-income families and that advocates will not be satisfied until action is taken.
Please know how much I appreciate your help in getting us here. We didn’t get the outcome we wanted today but there will be more opportunities for success in the future. Rest assured, I’ll be in touch in 2020 as we push Congress for bold action on affordable housing. For now, know that you are appreciated. Happy holidays!
Start Planning for Your 2020 Roadmap
With only a few weeks of the year left, we are already looking ahead to an exciting 2020. Part of that includes our annual planning in January, which we are calling your 2020 RESULTS Group Roadmap. Creating a roadmap is an important part of any journey. You want to find the best way to reach your destination. Each year, RESULTS groups take time to discuss the goals they have for their advocacy for the end of poverty and then create their roadmap to get there. Your roadmap is valuable in helping you achieve your goals and to RESULTS staff who will support you along the way.
Our support starts with all the resources your need to get started.
- 2020 RESULTS Group Roadmap Guide to help your group have an inspiring “roadmapping” meeting.
- 2020 RESULTS Group Roadmap Online Form to document your 2020 Roadmap.
- 2020 Individual Action Form to help individual volunteers set personal goals before your group meets.
- RESULTS Grassroots Group Stats Spreadsheet to celebrate the number of lobby meetings, media pieces, and outreach events your group had this year and RESULTS Grassroots Advocacy Details Spreadsheet to see the details of those successes.
All your 2020 Roadmap resources are on the Outreach & Planning page of the RESULTS website. Just look under “My group wants to make our plans.”
TAKE ACTION: If you want to start your roadmap now, contact each other now to schedule the date for your 2020 Roadmap meeting. We urge groups to complete this process by January 31 so set a date that works before then. Next, please read the 2020 RESULTS Group Roadmap Guide (we recommend each member of your group to read it). The guide includes important information you want to know before your group meets. Finally, join us on Saturday, January 11 at 1:00pm ET for the RESULTS National Webinar which will focus on your 2020 roadmaps.
Quick News
Include RESULTS in Your Year-End Giving. Help us continue the important work of ending poverty. Donate to RESULTS today.
RESULTS’ Cynthia Stancil Honored for her Public Service. Cynthia Stancil, Associate Director of Human Resources at RESULTS, will be recognized with the Phyllis McCarthy Public Interest Award for her longtime service and commitment to the public interest. Awardees demonstrate exceptional dedication to the institution’s mission and goals, working behind the scenes to help it grow and thrive. Cynthia has served RESULTS for over 12 years in wide range of roles, ranging from event management, fundraising, volunteer support, finance, and communications, to technology and operations. Today she manages human resources for the organization. Read more about this honor here. Congratulations, Cynthia!
Bipartisan Eviction Bill Introduced. Last week, Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Rob Portman (R-OH) introduced the Eviction Crisis Act. The bill would track evictions nationwide, using the analyzed data to inform policymakers. It would also create an Emergency Assistance Fund to provide short-term assistance to tenants under threat of eviction. This bipartisan approach to helping vulnerable families facing housing instability is welcomed news. Read a summary of the bill here. Opportunity Starts at Home also has details here. RESULTS thanks Sens. Portman and Bennet for their leadership and supports their effort to address America’s growing eviction problem.
Get Ready for Housing in 2020. Now that the EITC and CTC push is over, it’s time for a break. But we won’t be resting too long. 2020 promises to be an interesting and exciting year for RESULTS. Housing will once again be our primary U.S. poverty campaign. If you want to get a head start on our housing work over the holidays, we have some resources to help you. Start with an overview of the housing crisis with RESULTS staff and Expert on Poverty Clara Moore from our recent Advocacy Training series (recording and slides). Next, re-read the RESULTS U.S. Poverty Housing Policy Brief: Addressing the Affordable Housing Crisis (Word and PDF) from this year’s International Conference. Finally, read Prosperity Now’s new report Coming Home: Providing a Pathway to Housing for All.
Help Us Name the New National Webinar. Help us name our new U.S. and global poverty national webinar debuting in February. The winner will receive a free registration for the 2020 RESULTS International Conference. Submit your name suggestion to [email protected] by January 8.
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.