U.S. Poverty Weekly Update December 3, 2019

Quote of the Week

“Next time you discuss your holiday plans in public, consider calling your U.S. representative or Senator and urge them to support tax packages with improved EITC funding.”

– RESULTS Lawrence, KS volunteer Cameron Smith in an November 22 letter to the editor in the Johnson County Gazette

Got Two Minutes? Give to RESULTS on This #GivingTuesday

Today is #GivingTuesday. It’s a global giving moment to support the causes you love… like RESULTS! Help us raise $5,000 on Giving Tuesday, money that will help us continue to pressure Congress to make investments that can end poverty. Your gift will be matched by a longtime RESULTS donor, so instead of leveraging 100 times the impact, every dollar you donate will drive $300 in U.S. investments in anti-poverty programs. That’s TRIPLE the impact to fight poverty!

TAKE ACTION: Take two minutes to donate to RESULTS and multiply your impact. Donate at: https://results.salsalabs.org/giving-tuesday/. You can also create a Facebook fundraiser and share it with your friends; donations through Facebook could be matched up to $100,000 today, December 3.

Got Ten Minutes? We’re in the Last Days to Get Expansions of the EITC and CTC (December Action)

This year, you have done a wonderful job at pushing lawmakers to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) in any new tax bill. Your hundreds of lobby meetings, calls, letters, e-mails, and media pieces are making a difference, but we are not there yet. Congress is back in DC this week, working to finalize the FY2020 budget by December 20. They also hope to pass a tax deal at the same time. Sadly, many lawmakers, including some allies, would be content with passing tax breaks for business and moving on. This is unacceptable.

If Congress intends to meet their December 20 deadline, we have a precious few days to influence the outcome. Legislation must be voted on the week of December 16, which means any deals to be had will be finalized in the next 8-10 days. Needless to say, time is of the essence. Use these last days to tell your members of Congress that any tax bill they try to pass this year must include expansions of the EITC and CTC for workers and families.

TAKE ACTION: Take ten minutes to use all the tools in your advocacy toolbox to tell your senators and representatives to expand the EITC and CTC in any new tax bill this year. Using the December Action as a guide, take one or more of these actions THIS WEEK!

• Speak to your Senate and House tax aides urging them to tell their bosses to only support a tax bill this year if it includes expansions of the EITC and CTC
• Submit a letter to the editor telling your members of Congress by name to expand the EITC and CTC
• Call or e-mail your members of Congress about expanding the EITC and CTC
• Urge your local action networks to call or e-mail too; look for an action alert from RESULTS later this week you can forward to them

Got Sixty Minutes? Join Tonight’s National Webinar on Tax Equity with Funke Aderonmu

Congress has just a few weeks left to finalize a budget and potential tax deal that could include expansions of the EITC and CTC. Join us tonight, December 3 at 8:00 pm ET for the RESULTS U.S. Poverty National Webinar when we’ll update you in the latest from DC and what you can do to push lawmakers to help workers and families. Then, we’ll take a deeper dive into how we can address racial and gender inequality in the tax code. We are thrilled to have Funke Aderonmu of Georgetown University Center on Poverty and Inequality as our guest speaker. Prior to her current job, Funke was the Emerson Hunger Fellow for RESULTS in 2018. She has now co-written a new paper, A Tax Code for the Rest of Us: A Framework & Recommendations for Advancing Gender & Racial Equity Through Tax Credits and will join us to share the findings from their research. After Funke speaks, we’ll share the national webinar survey results and review some exciting changes coming in 2020 to keep you informed and supported in your amazing advocacy work. Please join us for this final webinar of the year!

TAKE ACTION: Take sixty minutes to join the RESULTS U.S. Poverty National Webinar tonight, December 3 at 8:00 pm ET. Join online at: https://results.zoom.us/j/873308801 or dial in by phone at either (929) 436-2866 or (669) 900-6833, Meeting ID: 873 308 801. If you login online, please list both your first and last names when prompted. Be sure to remind your groups and action networks of the webinar. The slides for the webinar will be available later today on the National Webinars page. If you have questions, please contact Jos Linn.

Quick News

Experts on Poverty on Capitol Hill. This week, seven of the RESULTS Experts on Poverty will be in Washington, DC to speak with lawmakers about issues impacting their lives and the lives of millions of Americans. Expert and RESULTS Grassroots Board Member Maxine Thomas spoke today at a congressional briefing on lunch shaming and the other Experts will be in town later this week to lobby members of Congress on the EITC/CTC and housing issues. We thank our Experts taking time out of their busy schedules to share their stories with lawmakers and work to change policy for the better.

Registration is Open for the 2020 Conference! As part of RESULTS’ 40th anniversary next year, please plan to join us for a big celebration at the RESULTS International Conference. Nobel Peace Prize winner Professor Muhammad Yunus is already planning to be there. Why don’t you join him? The conference is June 20-23 at Capital Hilton in Washington, DC. Register today at: https://results.org/conference/.

Join the Webinar Naming Contest. In February, our national webinar take on a new format (combined U.S. and Global), new day (first Saturday of the month), and new time (1:00 pm ET). We think a fresh new move like this deserves a fresh new name as well. Since many of our best ideas come from our grassroots, we’re running a contest to name the new webinar. The winner will receive a free registration for the 2020 RESULTS International Conference. Submit your name suggestion for our new combined national grassroots webinar to [email protected] by Wednesday, January 8. The winner and new name will be announced on the January 11 national webinar.

Join Action Network Call Tomorrow Night. If you are looking to better activate and support members of your local action network (online activists) and help move them up the Ladder of Engagement, please join us for our monthly RESULTS Action Network Community of Practice webinar. The call is tomorrow, December 3 at 8:30pm ET. To join, log in: https://results.zoom.us/j/427674133 or dial in: 669-900-6833, Meeting ID: 427 674 133. You can also join our Facebook and e-mail groups to learn more.

Upcoming Events

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

Tuesday, December 3: RESULTS U.S. Poverty National Webinar, 8:00 pm ET.  Join at: https://results.zoom.us/j/873308801 or dial (929) 436-2866 or (669) 900-6833, Meeting ID: 873 308 801. Find recordings and slides from previous webinars on the National Webinars page.

Wednesday, December 4: RESULTS Action Network Community of Practice webinar, 8:30pm ET. To join, log in: https://results.zoom.us/j/427674133 or dial in: 669-900-6833, Meeting ID: 427 674 133. You can also join our Facebook and e-mail groups.

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.