U.S. Poverty Weekly Update July 31, 2018
U.S. Poverty Campaigns
Weekly Update | July 31, 2018
“We’re urging concerned citizens to contact your representatives in Congress, both in the Senate and in the House, and tell them that just as no child should be left behind, no child in this great nation of ours be left without sufficient food.”
– RESULTS Ft. Worth volunteer Craig Roshaven in a July 27 op-ed in the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram
Got Two Minutes? Meet with Lawmakers to Protect SNAP During August Recess
Congress is now beginning its annual August recess. House members have already left DC and are now home until Labor Day. Senators have shortened their recess this year; they will be home next week (August 6-10) and then return to DC to work. With Farm Bill negotiations likely already underway (between top House and Senate leaders), this is the time to meet with them about protecting SNAP. It’s also the chance to talk to members about other important issues, specifically how to use hosing policy to address the racial wealth divide.
The August Action will focus on the specifics of how to talk about these issues in town halls and meetings this month. It will be available on the RESULTS website later this week (in the meantime, use our U.S. Poverty Laser Talk Worksheet for language to use). But you first have to set up the meetings and find the town halls. Don’t miss your opportunity to protect hungry families and raise awareness of racial wealth inequality with policymakers in August.
TAKE ACTION: Take two minutes to contact House and Senate schedulers to set up lobby meetings during the August recess as soon as possible. Since senators will only be home for one week (August 6-10), start with them. Use our online request to send e-mails or make a call to the scheduler. Be sure to ask about town halls they are having during the recesses and check www.townhallproject.com for events as well. Once you get a meeting or town hall in your calendar, please contact Meredith Dodson ASAP to set up a lobby prep call to help get you ready.
Got Ten Minutes? Follow Up with Aides about Protecting SNAP
Congress is running out of time to pass a new farm bill. The current farm bill, which was passed in 2014, is set to expire on September 30. Having passed two different versions last month, the House and Senate must now come up with a compromise agreement before the September deadline.* The House has named its Republican and Democratic conferees and the Senate hoped to do the same before the House left on recess. That did not happen, which means any formal meeting of the conference committee will not happen until September. In addition, rumors are that Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) is trying to revive his defeated amendment from the Senate farm bill floor debate; his amendment would tighten work requirements under SNAP and require SNAP recipients to show a photo ID every time they used their SNAP EBT cards. These changes place unnecessary burdens on SNAP recipients and only contribute to the further demonization of person’s receiving food assistance.
This is a good reminder that we must keep the pressure on senators and representatives to support the Senate’s approach to SNAP passed in June. In addition to getting to lawmakers during the August recess (see above), following up with congressional staff from recent meetings is vital to protecting SNAP from harmful changes.
TAKE ACTION: Take ten minutes to follow up from recent meetings with House and Senate staff at the RESULTS International Conference or at home. If you’ve sent your thank you to them already, follow up again to check in your request. Did they speak to their boss about the issue? If so, what did he/she say? If not, when will they? Follow up is essential in holding them accountable and ensuring that your message gets through loud and clear. If you have questions about follow-up, please contact Meredith Dodson or Jos Linn for assistance.
Join FRAC’s Facebook Live Event with Rep. Jim McGovern. For the latest on SNAP and the farm bill, our friends at the Food Research and Action Center are hosting a Facebook Live event with SNAP champion Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA-3) this Thursday, August 2 at 3:30 pm ET. Plan to watch at: https://www.facebook.com/foodresearchandactioncenter/.
*If nothing is passed by the September 30 deadline, Congress can pass an extension of the current bill for a specified time to keep programs running and finish work on the new bill. This happened during farm bill negotiations in 2007 and 2013.
Got Twenty Minutes? Prepare for the Joint National Webinar on August 11
RESULTS will resume our National Webinars in August. Our August webinar will not be one to miss. It will be a joint webinar with both U.S. poverty and global poverty advocates from around the country. You’ll hear about the success of the recent RESULTS International Conference and then we’ll dive into our next big push – making poverty a priority in the November election. It will be an inspiring and informative webinar – please plan to join. Because it is a joint webinar, it will be held on Saturday, August 11 at 2:00 pm ET (we’ll go back to Tuesday webinars for U.S. poverty advocates in September).
For this event, use the webinar to reconnect with action network members and others who have helped you with actions this year. Invite them to join you or your group to listen to the webinar, hear how their actions helped support volunteers at the Conference, and what they can do to help make poverty an election issue this fall.
Finally, we have transitioned to a new webinar platform for August and beyond. We will now be using Zoom for all webinars. Just like Fuze, you will be able to join the webinar through the internet (which we recommend) or by phone. Stay tuned to next week’s Weekly Update for more details.
TAKE ACTION: Take twenty minutes to prepare for the RESULTS Joint U.S. and Global Poverty National Webinar on Saturday, August 11 at 2:00 pm ET. Confirm when and where your group will be meeting for the webinar. If you live in an area with both global and U.S. poverty advocates, plan to do the webinar together; it’s a good way to share about recent events and coordinate actions during the August recess. Also, reach out to people who’ve helped you with letters, calls, and other actions and encourage them to join you to hear about how their work is making a difference. If you have questions about the webinar or need help, please contact Jos Linn.
Quick News
Check Out Photos and Videos from the Conference. Whether you were in DC for the RESULTS Conference or not, you can share in the experience by watching the latest array of videos and photos from the event. And remember, all the resources from the Conference (policy briefs, lobby requests, etc.) can be found on the Conference Resources page. And please remember to submit your lobby reports from your Conference lobby meetings.
Take the Conference Survey. Please let us know what you thought of this year’s RESULTS International Conference by taking the Conference Survey. Your feedback helps us make the Conference better each year.
Read Blog Post on New Public Charge Rule. The Trump administration may soon propose changes to immigration rules that would create a stark new reality for immigrant beneficiaries of social assistance programs. Participation in public assistance programs, including by citizen children, could mean losing the ability to become a permanent resident in the U.S. This would change what is known as the “public charge” rule and pose new barriers to immigrants who receive critical services and assistance. Read more about this issue from intern Lakshmi Premysler on the RESULTS Blog.
Read the 2017 Annual Report. The RESULTS/RESULTS Educational Fund Annual Report is now available on the RESULTS website. Check it out!
Thank You Funke, Estefany, and Lakshmi. Last week, Emerson Hunger Fellow Funke Aderonmu and interns Estefany Sanabria and Lakshmi Premysler ended their tenures with RESULTS. They were integral in helping us with policy materials for our website and for the International Conference, as well as participating in important meetings with coalition allies and congressional offices. We are grateful for their work and are glad they each chose RESULTS for their work this year. We wish them the best of luck in school and their careers going forward. Thank you!
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.
Upcoming U.S. Poverty staff time off: Meredith Dodson, August 4-19. Jos Linn, August 25-September 3.
House Recess, July 30-September 3. Use our online request to schedule meetings now.
Senate Recess, August 6-10. Use our online request to schedule meetings now.
RESULTS Joint U.S. and Global Poverty National Webinar, Saturday, August 11 at 2:00 pm ET. Join online at: https://results.zoom.us/j/510407386 or by phone at (669) 900-6833 or (929) 436-2866, meeting ID 510407386.
RESULTS New Advocate Orientation, Wednesday, August 15 at 8:30 pm ET. Learn more here.
U.S. Poverty Free Agents Calls, Tuesday, August 21 at 1:00 pm and 8:00 pm ET. Participation info TBA.
RESULTS New Advocate Orientation, Friday, August 24 at 1:00 pm ET. Learn more here.
Other Resources
Get Your RESULTS Promo Materials. If you need banners, pens, stickers, or business cards for your local RESULTS work, fill out our Materials Order Form and we’ll send them to you.
Got a Question for the RESULTS Board? If you have a question, comment, or suggestion for the RESULTS/RESULTS Educational Fund Board, please e-mail Steven McGee at [email protected]. View published Board minutes on the RESULTS website, as well as our Annual Reports.
Please Fill Out the Lobby Report Form. After any lobby meeting, please fill out the RESULTS Lobby Report Form to let us know how it went. When you have a meeting where both U.S. and global poverty issues are discussed, please fill it out twice.