U.S. Poverty Weekly Update January 20, 2015


January 20, 2015

U.S. Poverty Campaigns

Weekly Update | January 20, 2015

In This Week’s Update:

REQUEST FACE-TO-FACE MEETINGS

Got Two Minutes? Call about Face-to-Face Meetings (January Action)

Tonight the President will lay out his agenda for the year in the annual State of the Union address. Members of Congress will respond with their own agendas as well. With the budget process now gearing up, it is imperative that your representatives and senators hear from you about your ideas for creating economic mobility in America. Getting face-to-face meetings is how you best give them that message. Meet with them to tell them how the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) lift more children out of poverty each year than any other programs. Meet with them to show them the impact the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has only hunger in America. Congress will be on recess from February 14-22 and many also come home on weekends. Call to get your meeting scheduled today.

TAKE ACTION: To two minutes to call the schedulers for your members of Congress (MoC) to set up face-to-face meetings for upcoming recesses. If you’ve already made your request, call and check on the status of it. Schedule meetings with all the representatives your group covers and both senators in your state. The January Action has information to help with your requests and you can use our updated online request letter to e-mail or fax your request in today. You can find scheduler names and contact information on the Elected Officials page of the RESULTS website. If you need help or guidance with your requests, please contact Jos Linn ([email protected]) for assistance. Once you confirm a lobby meeting, please contact Meredith Dodson ([email protected]) for help in preparing for your meeting.

Got Ten Minutes? Sign Up for Budget Battles Webinar (January Action)

This year promises to be an interesting year in Congress, with lawmakers proposing both expansions and rollbacks of America’s social safety net. To help you get a better understanding of the threats that face anti-poverty programs in the 114th Congress, our friends at the Coalition on Human Needs (CHN) and Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) will host a “Budget Battles” webinar this Thursday, January 22. Hear from national experts Joel Friedman and Ellen Nissenbaum of CBPP, and Debbie Weinstein of CHN, about when Congress will take up its new round of critical budget decisions and how to protect vital anti-poverty programs. Get an accurate lay of the land on our issues by joining this webinar on Thursday.

TAKE ACTION: Take ten minutes to register for the Budget Battles webinar today at the CHN website. The webinar is this Thursday, January 22 at 1:00 pm ET. Once you register, send the link to others you know and invite them to join as well.

Got Sixty Minutes? Watch Tonight’s State of the Union Address

Tonight at 9:00 pm ET, President Obama will deliver his annual State of the Union speech. In his speech, the President will outline his agenda for 2015. The President is expected to outline several proposals to help working Americans, including expanding the EITC for workers without children, giving a $500 tax cut for married couples who work, expanding the tax credit on child care expenses, and offering free community college for qualified students. These initiatives would be paid for by closing tax loopholes and raising taxes on capital gains, which would primarily impact the very wealthy. Another issue the President is expected to cover is the issue of paid leave. Millions of Americans work in jobs that offer no paid sick leave, putting their job security in jeopardy every time they or their children fall ill. Tune in to see what priorities the President will focus on this year. Be sure to also watch the Republican response, which will be delivered by Joni Ernst, the new Republican senator from Iowa.

TAKE ACTION: Take sixty minutes to watch the 2015 State of the Union address tonight at 9:00 pm ET. The speech will be carried by most major networks.

Urge Tax Aides to Attend EITC Briefing

2015 marks the 40th Anniversary of the EITC. To mark the occasion, CFED and Tax Credits for Working Families will be hosting a tax briefing on January 30, annual EITC Awareness Day. The briefing will include leading researchers, policymakers, advocates, and taxpayers to share their knowledge and first-hand experience with the EITC. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) will speak on the importance of these programs and on the path forward in Congress and Professor Kathryn Edin will present insights from her new book, It’s Not Like I’m Poor. In addition, a panel discussion will talk about EITC policy and the individual experiences of those directly impacted. Help educate your lawmakers about the importance of the EITC by inviting the tax aides from your House and Senate offices to attend this briefing.

TAKE ACTION: Call or e-mail your House and Senate tax aides and urge them to attend the January 30 EITC briefing. Send them the registration link to the event: http://cfed.org/knowledge_center/events/etic_awareness_day_discussion/. You can find the names of the tax aides on our Elected Officials page.

Invite People to the Nicholas Kristof National Event

On February 14, RESULTS is hosting a national outreach event with New York Times columnist and best-selling author Nicholas Kristof. Mr. Kristof is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author whose has written about issues of U.S and global poverty for years. His new book, A Path Appears, is a sweeping tapestry of people who are using research, evidence-based strategies, and brilliant ideas to make the world a better place.” We are thrilled Mr. Kristof can be with us on February 14 to inspire and inform us and others on being powerful advocates for change.

TAKE ACTION: Because of Mr. Kristof’s international prominence and expertise, this event is a great opportunity for RESULTS groups to engage new people in our important work. Invite people you know to watch the event with your local RESULTS group. To help you, join a RESULTS outreach training tomorrow, January 21 at 1:00 pm ET to talk about potential invitees, what to say when you’re inviting them, and how to make the most of this event for your group. Join online at: http://fuze.me/27334294 or by phone at (201) 479-4595, meeting ID 27334294.

You can find materials to help with outreach on our Nicholas Kristof Event Materials page. Check the page frequently as we will add resources (flyers, etc.) to help you. Also, PBS will be airing a documentary series on A Path Appears later this month. Check your local PBS listings for details. Encourage people you know to watch the series and then invite them to hear from Mr. Kristof with us on the 14th.

Upcoming Events

(See a complete calendar on the RESULTS website)

Upcoming Congressional Recesses: House and Senate: February 14-22 (House recess goes through Feb. 23). Request face-to-face meetings.

RESULTS U.S. Poverty Free Agents Call, Tuesday, January 20 at 1:00 pm and 8:00 pm ET. Join online at: http://fuze.me/27491886. Join by phone at (201) 479-4595, Meeting ID: 27491886.

Outreach Training Call for Nicholas Kristof Event, January 21 at 1:00 pm ET. Join online at: http://fuze.me/27334294. Join by phone at (201) 479-4595, meeting ID 27334294.

RESULTS Introductory Call, January 30 at 1:00 pm ET. Register for the call on the RESULTS website.

National Outreach Event with Nicholas Kristof, February 14 at 2:00 pm ET. Listen to previous conference calls online.

RESULTS International Conference, July 18-21 at the Washington Court Hotel, Washington, DC. Register TODAY!

Find a list of the RESULTS U.S. Poverty staff with contact information on the RESULTS website.

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