U.S. Poverty Weekly Update May 30, 2017
U.S. Poverty Campaigns
Weekly Update | May 30, 2017
“Proposals such as a per capita cap for Medicaid are not compromises but rather a fundamental dismantling of benefits for millions of Americans in need.”
—RESULTS Boston volunteer Alison Hall in a May 27 letter to the editor in the Sudbury Town Crier
- Got Two Minutes? Set Up those Calls to Senate Aides (May Action)
- Got Ten Minutes? Find Town Hall Meetings This Week to Talk about Medicaid and the Trump Budget
- Got Twenty Minutes? Proposals in Congress Make Your Presence at the RESULTS Conference Essential
- Keep Up Your Phenomenal Media Success… and Your Pressure on Congress
- Quick News
- Upcoming Events
Quick Action: Tell Senators to Protect Medicaid
| Take Action! |
Got Two Minutes? Set Up those Calls to Senate Aides (May Action)
This could be a make or break week for Medicaid. Thanks to your advocacy these last few months, Congress has not been able to ram through drastic changes to Medicaid and other health policies… yet. But there is still great danger ahead. Even though Senate leadership has rejected the American Health Car Act (AHCA, H.R. 1628) as is, they could still enact a health care bill that enacts most of the House provisions and still does tremendous damage to low-income Americans on Medicaid, CHIP, and the insurance exchanges. Senators need to know that we do not want “AHCA Lite.”
Some senators see this week as the litmus test for their health reform efforts. That is, if they get significant pushback from their constituents about gutting Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, they may push leadership to move on to something else. Help make that happen.
TAKE ACTION: Take two minutes to set up calls with both your Senate health aides to talk about protecting Medicaid. This is a recess week so they should have more time to talk with you. Call or e-mail them today to set up a call with your group or the person designated to call from your group. Be persistent. If you cannot get them directly (find names here), call the local office to see if they can set up a meeting with you and the health aide. The May Action has talking points and a link to Medicaid state fact sheets. In addition, you can see health insurance coverage losses by state in this paper from the Center for American Progress. Finally, our May Laser Talk is a role play on an aide conversation, which you can also listen to on the May National Webinar. If you have trouble setting up a meeting with the aide, contact Jos Linn ([email protected]) for help.
Got Ten Minutes? Find Town Hall Meetings This Week to Talk about Medicaid and the Trump Budget
Congress is on recess all this week. That means members of Congress will be home and available to meet. Some may be doing town halls or tele-town halls; others may be available for sit-down meetings. Make the most of this week by trying to meet with them or attend an event where they will be. With senators, tell them to oppose any legislation that would cut or restructure Medicaid or end the ACA’s Medicaid expansion. As the Congressional Budget Office reported last week, the House health care bill will force 14 million people off Medicaid, which will hurt children, seniors, working families, and people living in rural areas, among others (in total, Medicaid would be cut by $834 billion). Senators must reject any bill that cuts or restructures Medicaid.
For House members, focus on President Trump’s FY2018 budget, which was released last week. It would cut another $610 billion from Medicaid over the next decade (by reducing the per capita cap passed under the House health bill) and slash SNAP by one-quarter ($190 billion). Urge them to oppose any budget that puts anti-poverty programs at risk.
TAKE ACTION: Take ten minutes to call your Senate and House schedulers ask about any town halls your members of Congress are during this week’s recess (also look for events at www.townhallproject.com). Start with senators, as they are the priority. If you find an event to attend (or can secure a last minute face-to-face meeting), focus on protecting Medicaid. The May Action talking points and background info can help you. For House members, express your strong opposition to President Trump’s budget and its deep cuts to Medicaid (beyond the House health care bill), SNAP, and other human needs programs. You can find contact info on the RESULTS Elected Officials page. If you find an event you plan to attend, please contact Meredith Dodson ([email protected]) ASAP to help you get ready.
Got Twenty Minutes? Proposals in Congress Make Your Presence at the RESULTS Conference Essential
When it rains, it pours. The last few months have seen a flurry of activity in Washington – little of it good. Attacks on the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid were proposed, died, and are very much alive again. President Trump’s tax plan is another regressive and costly tax cut that will enrich the wealthy while leaving everyone else behind and putting core anti-poverty programs at risk. Now we have the President’s FY 2018 budget, which not only shreds the safety net, it douses it with gasoline and sets it ablaze.
When the RESULTS International Conference convenes in Washington in late July, some or all of these issues will be front and center. Your voice could be the difference in what your Representative and Senators do to Medicaid, SNAP, the Earned Income Tax Credit, and other core anti-poverty programs.
At the Conference, you’ll have an excellent array of workshops and speakers to help you become more informed on these important issues. Our most popular session – the Experts on Poverty – will be a Conference-wide plenary this year. In addition, U.S. Poverty volunteers will enjoy informative and inspiring sessions such as:
- No Sugar Added: Threats to Basic Assistance Programs and How to Fight for Justice
- Upside Down: How Tax Cuts Reward the Wealthy and Threaten Anti-Poverty Programs
- Understanding Poverty, Hunger and Health Care through a Racial Justice Lens
TAKE ACTION: Take twenty minutes to register for this year’s RESULTS International Conference today! Come to DC to learn, be inspired, and make a difference. And we’ll make it easier for you to bring someone with you. If you know someone who has never been to the Conference before but would like to come, we will offer them a $50 discount off their registration fee. E-mail [email protected] or Jos Linn for details and the discount code.
Keep Up Your Phenomenal Media Success… and Your Pressure on Congress
Congratulations – you have hit a media milestone! As of today, you’ve gotten 201 U.S. Poverty media pieces published this year. That means that you have broken 2016’s U.S. Poverty media total (200) in just five months. Give yourselves a pat on the back. Not many volunteer networks can brag about such a feat in less than half a year. But why stop here? Our all-time U.S. Poverty media record is 243 pieces; a record which we challenge all volunteers to break by the time the RESULTS Conference starts on July 22.
And we need them. Attacks on Medicaid, SNAP, and other programs are real. With many members of Congress refusing to hold town halls, letters in your local paper demanding that they protect core anti-poverty programs may be the only way to get through to them. They need to know that their constituents won’t stand for rationing health care and food assistance for millions and increasing poverty in America. Use our new budget media alert or health care media alert to send your own letter(s) today!
Quick News
Thank You for a Successful Speak Up Campaign. Thank you to all the volunteers who participated in the 2017 RESULTS Speak Up Friends and Family Fundraising Campaign. You all did incredible work during the campaign. Together, you raised over $9.100 and gained support from 144 donors. Beyond that, you shared RESULTS’ mission, an update on our work during the First 100 Days campaign, and your individual accomplishments with your communities amplifying our impact across the country. All of this is a critical part of building our movement of passionate, committed everyday people using our voices to end poverty. Thank you!
Please Complete and Submit Your New Group Plans. Meet with your group to complete your 2017 Group Plans. Use our new Group Planning Guide and Group Plan Summary form to do your planning. Use planning to make the rest of your 2017 productive and inspiring. Once you’re done, please submit your 2017 Group Plan Summary online as soon as possible. If you have questions, please contact Jos Linn at [email protected].
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 Congressional Recesses: House and Senate: May 29-June 2.
RESULTS U.S. Poverty National Webinar, Tuesday, June 13 at 8:00 pm ET. Participate at http://fuze.me/32255914 or (201) 479-4595, Meeting ID: 32255914#. Listen to previous webinars on our National Webinars page.
RESULTS Introductory Call, Wednesday, June 14 at 9:00 pm ET. If you want to learn more about RESULTS, register for an Intro Call on the RESULTS website.
RESULTS U.S. Poverty Free Agents Calls, Tuesday, June 20 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#.
Independence Day Holiday, Tuesday, July 4. All RESULTS offices are closed.
RESULTS International Conference, Saturday, July 22 – Tuesday, July 25, 2017. Washington Court Hotel, Washington, DC. Register today!
If you have a question, comment or suggestion for the RESULTS/RESULTS Educational Fund Board, please e-mail them to RESULTS Grassroots Board Member Vanessa Garcia 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.