U.S. Poverty Weekly Update December 5, 2017

U.S. Poverty Campaigns

Weekly Update | December 5, 2017

“The burden of these tax cuts will fall on those that have the least to benefit those that have the most.”

– RESULTS Salt Lake City volunteer Debbie Baskin in a November 29 op-ed in the Deseret News

Quick Action: Generate Media Protecting Anti-Poverty Programs from Cuts

Got Two Minutes? Tell Your Members of Congress to Oppose Final Tax Bill

This weekend, America suffered a setback when the Senate passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, 51-49. The bill contains tax cuts for the rich and big corporations, temporary tax cuts for the middle class, little to no benefits for low-income working families, and repeal of the ACA’s mandate. In fact, a new report from the Tax Policy Center (and this accompanying interview) bad the tax bill for low-income children and families. Worst of all, if a final bill passes, leaders will soon push for deep cuts to anti-poverty services to pay for the wealthy’s new tax cuts (in fact, they are already doing it).

Now the House and Senate must work out a compromise bill (see a comparison of both the House and Senate bills vs. current law here). It is likely the House and Senate will vote on a conference agreement in the next week, but the outcome is not set. Members of Congress need to hear from you once again telling them to reject whatever bill they come up with.

TAKE ACTION: Take two minutes to call your senators and representative telling them to oppose any final tax bill that gives tax cuts to the wealthy that hurts families and puts anti-poverty programs at risk. Once you call, please urge everyone you know via e-mail and social media to call as well. Let’s melt those phone lines telling members of Congress no tax cuts for the wealthy. Call House members at (877) 795-7862 and both Senators at (888) 516-5820 and leave this message:

My name is ______________ and I am a constituent from ___________________. I am exasperated that the House and Senate are poised to pass a final tax bill that massive tax cuts to the rich and big corporations, while putting anti-poverty programs such as Medicaid and SNAP, at risk. The ink was not even dry on the Senate bill before lawmakers started talking about cutting programs to pay for these reckless cuts. This is wrong. Low-income Americans should not be required to finance tax cuts for the rich. Please tell Rep./Sen. __________________ to put working families first by voting NO on the final tax bill. Will you give him/her that message today?

Join CBPP Webinar Today to Learn More. If you want to learn the latest about the tax negotiations and what to expect next, join our friends at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities for their webinar Federal Tax Battle: Where Do We Go From Here? today, December 5 at 2:00 pm ET. Register for the webinar here.

Got Ten Minutes? Generate Media to Protect Anti-Poverty Programs

Last weekend’s Senate vote on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was certainly disappointing. Advocates like you worked tirelessly to stop the Senate bill and your efforts made this vote a close one. But the fight is far from over. First, Congress still must pass a final bill (so please call!). Second, if they pass it, leaders in Congress will start working to pay for these tax cuts by slashing anti-poverty programs such as Medicaid and SNAP.

These threats are real – and could come soon. But you’ve already shown that you have the power to turn back cuts that would hurt millions of low-income Americans. And you can do it again. Don’t waste a minute of time. Get started now by using the media to demand your members of Congress reject cuts to anti-poverty programs to pay for new tax cuts.

TAKE ACTION: Take ten minutes to submit a letter to the editor to your local paper urging your members of Congress to protect anti-poverty programs from any cuts. Congress must not use Medicaid and SNAP to pay for tax cuts for the rich. Below is language you can personalize into a powerful letter to the editor and send to your local paper (or you can use our online tool)

It's clear who will benefit from the new tax plan in Washington: the rich. What we're hearing less about is who will pay the consequences – and that's hardworking, low-income Americans.

This year we've already seen attempts to gut essential programs like Medicaid and SNAP (formerly Food Stamps). So, after giving away $1.5 trillion in tax breaks to millionaires, those same critical programs will wind up back on the chopping block. With one in eight Americans below the poverty line, this is both bad public policy and just plain wrong. I am counting on our Congressional delegation to reject efforts to gut basic assistance to pay for tax breaks for the rich.

RESULTS volunteers have published over 400 media pieces about protecting anti-poverty programs. Keep that record momentum going and when you get published, please let us know.

Quick News

U.S. Poverty Webinar Next Tuesday. Remember to gather with your groups or dial in on your own for the RESULTS U.S. Poverty National Webinar next Tuesday, December 12 at 8:00 pm ET. We’ll review the latest on the tax bill, celebrate your amazing successes from 2017, and preview what’s next for you and RESULTS in 2018. To join, go to http://fuze.me/32255914 or (401) 479-4595, Meeting ID: 32255914#. We’ll have more details about the webinar in next week’s Update.

ACA Open Enrollment Continues. If you or someone you know needs health coverage, go to https://www.healthcare.gov to find a plan that works for you. You have less than three weeks to enroll; the enrollment period runs until December 15.

Upcoming Events

Go to the RESULTS Events Calendar to see a full list of RESULTS events. Also, find a list of the RESULTS U.S. Poverty staff with contact information on the RESULTS website.

Staff Vacations: Meredith Dodson, December 21-January 1. Jos Linn, December 21-January 7. Kristy Martino, December 23-January 1.

Upcoming Congressional Recesses: House and Senate: December 16, 2017-January 1, 2018 (this is subject to change).

Missouri Ending Poverty Advocacy Training, Thursday, December 7 at 6:30 pm CT. Keystone United Methodist Church, 406 W. 74th St, Kansas City, MO. Presented by RESULTS Kansas City. Contact Jos Linn for details.

Indiana Advocacy Training, Monday, December 18. Indianapolis, IN. Featuring RESULTS Expert on Poverty and RESULTS Grassroots Board Member Maxine Thomas. More details soon. Contact Kristy Martino for more information.

RESULTS Introductory Calls, Monday, December 11 at 9:00 pm ET and Friday, December 15 at 1:00 pm ET. Register for an upcoming Intro Call on the RESULTS website.

Mississippi Outreach Event, Tuesday, December 12 at 6:00 pm CT. Rosedale Library 703 Front St. Rosedale, MS. Contact Kristy Martino for more information.

RESULTS U.S. Poverty National Webinar, Tuesday, December 12 at 8:00 pm ET. Participate at http://fuze.me/32255914 or (201) 479-4595, Meeting ID: 32255914#.

South Carolina Storytelling and Media Training, Saturday, December 16 at 10:00 am ET. Hosted by RESULTS Expert on Poverty Yolanda Gordon. York County Library, 138 Black St E, Rock Hill, South Carolina. RSVP via Facebook.

Pennsylvania Storytelling Workshop and Media Training, Saturday, December 16 at 9:00 am ET. Featuring RESULTS Expert on Poverty Asia Bijan Thompson. Misericordia University, 301 Lake St, Dallas, PA. RSVP at: https://www.facebook.com/events/126506608021972/.

U.S. Poverty Free Agents Calls, Tuesday, December 19 at 1:00 pm and 8:00 pm ET. To participate, login at http://fuze.me/32256018 or dial by phone at (201) 479-4595, Meeting ID: 32256018#.

RESULTS Holiday Break, December 23-January 1. All RESULTS office closed.

Des Moines Presentation on Poverty and Young Children, Monday, January 29, 2018 at 6:30pm CT. Franklin Avenue Library, 5000 Franklin Ave, Des Moines, IA. More details soon. Contact Jos Linn for more information.

Iowa City Presentation on Poverty and Young Children, Tuesday, January 30, 2018 at 6:30pm CT. St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, 2675 E. Washington Street, Iowa City, IA. More details soon. Contact Jos Linn for more information.

2018 RESULTS International Conference, July 14-17, 2018, Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, D.C. Check out our new 2018 Conference flyer!

If you have a question, comment or suggestion for the RESULTS/RESULTS Educational Fund Board, please e-mail them to RESULTS Grassroots Board Member Steven McGee at [email protected]. You can view the most recently published minutes from Board meetings on the RESULTS website, as well as download RESULTS’ most recent Annual Report.