U.S. Poverty Weekly Update November 28, 2017

U.S. Poverty Campaigns

Weekly Update | November 28, 2017

“Take from the poor and give to the rich. In a nutshell, that’s the tax bill — a reverse Robin Hood plan.”

– RESULTS Northern Virginia volunteer David Tate in a November 24 letter to the editor in the Washington Post

Quick Action: Tell Congress to Vote No on Reckless Tax Plan

Got Two Minutes? Call Senators Today to Oppose Tax Bill

This is the week. Senate leaders are working furiously to pass their tax bill, with a vote coming as early as this Thursday. Leaders will be working hard to cobble the 50 votes needed to pass a bill. To add to the chaos, the bill keeps changing – and sadly for the worse. According to Vox’s analysis of a new CBO report, “people earning under $10,000 lose $8.7 billion as a group in 2025 under the bill, whereas people earning $1 million or more gain $15.8 billion as a group.”

If Congress passes any version of these proposed tax bills, the deficit will predictably skyrocket, and lawmakers will demand cuts to federal programs that help millions of Americans put food on the table, get affordable health care, and make ends meet. Are these really the priorities lawmakers should be pursuing? If you’re answer is no, you can do something about it.

TAKE ACTION: Take two minutes to call both your Senators TODAY and tell them to reject this giant tax cut for the wealthy that hurts families and puts anti-poverty programs at risk. Call both Senators at (888) 516-5820 and leave this message:

My name is ______________ and I am a constituent from ___________________. I am disappointed that the Senate is still pursuing this dangerous tax bill. I want Sen. ______________ to tell Senate leaders that he/she CANNOT support it. This bill gives massive tax cuts to the rich and big corporations, while putting core services such as Medicaid and SNAP at risk of deep budget cuts. Please tell Sen. __________________ to oppose this bad tax bill. Will you give him/her that message today?

Once you call, please urge everyone you know via e-mail and social media to call as well. Light up those phones with a wall of opposition to these reckless policies.

Got Ten Minutes? Tell Congress To Say No to Tax Cuts for the Wealthy (November Action)

As noted above, the Senate will work hard this week to pass a version of their tax cut bill. While the final version is being kept secret until the last possible minute, we know from press accounts that it’s getting worse by the day. Not only did they add repealing the ACA’s individual mandate last week, which could cause 13 million people to lose their health insurance, they are now working to increase the benefits to the wealthy while raising taxes on people in poverty. And of course, the deficits these tax cuts will cause mean that anti-poverty programs such as Medicaid and SNAP will be put on the chopping block.

Once again, it’s all hands-on deck this week. If we can convince enough senators to oppose the bill, we can potentially kill this effort, or at least delay it long enough to generate more opposition. Make no mistake, Congress is defying the will of the American people, who are not in favor of these proposals. But we need more than polls to get this done; we need action.

TAKE ACTION: Take ten minutes using the November Action to write letters and make calls to tax aides urging your members of Congress to oppose the tax bills in Congress. Use these resources to help you make a powerful argument for rejecting these proposals.

1. The November Action has talking points for letters and calls to tax aides. Our updated Laser Talks are also a good resource. Find fax numbers for letters, and aide names and DC office numbers here.
2. Our friends at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) have interactive maps analyzing the impact of the House and Senate tax bills on your state, and how the Senate’s CTC provisions impact children in your state.
3. The Tax Policy Center has a new report on how the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act would impact families with young children. 

Got Twenty Minutes? Take Our New Grassroots Survey (deadline is November 30)

Thank you to those of you who have already provided feedback on our U.S. Poverty Grassroots Survey. If you have not completed the survey, please take time this week to fill it out. We want your input on possible 2018 campaigns, how we can better support you and your groups, and how best to communicate with you. RESULTS volunteer leaders and staff are gathering in DC this weekend to map out organizational priorities for the coming year. The decisions we make will be influenced by the answers we get from you. Don’t miss your chance to share your thoughts with us.

TAKE ACTION: Take twenty minutes to take our 2017 U.S. Poverty Grassroots Survey. We encourage all active volunteers (in groups and Free Agents) to participate. The deadline to participate is this Thursday, November 30. If you have questions, please contact Jos Linn ([email protected]).

Unlock the Matching Gift TODAY on Giving Tuesday

Today is Giving Tuesday, a national day of giving back. RESULTS is participating in Giving Tuesday with a special one-day matching offer: if we raise $5,000 today, all donations will be matched 2:1! Your gift will go even further to provide resources and support for your work to end poverty. Donate now to participate in our #GivingTuesday challenge to unlock the 2:1 match!

Quick News

400 and Counting! RESULTS volunteers have hit another milestone this year in their media work. This week, you surpassed 400 U.S. poverty media pieces published in 2017, again adding to your record media year. You can bet that the media you have generated this year has played an important role in protecting Medicaid and SNAP from cuts. Congratulations on this fabulous achievement and thank you from RESULTS! Now continue your amazing success by sending your own letter to the editor or op-ed today urging lawmakers to oppose tax cuts that put anti-poverty programs at risk.

WV Outreach This Thursday. We continue our outreach push this fall with a storytelling workshop in Morgantown, WV this Thursday, November 30. RESULTS U.S. Poverty Organizer Kristy Martino will present at the event. Check out all the events we have planned over the next few months in our Events Calendar below. If you know anyone in these areas, invite them to attend. Also, if you have an event coming up, send the details to Jos Linn and he’ll add them to the list.

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).

West Virginia “Let’s Put Kids First” Storytelling Workshop, Thursday, November 30 at 6:00 pm ET. Morgantown Public Library, 373 Spruce Street Morgantown, WV. RSVP at: https://www.facebook.com/events/147178689242270/.

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.

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

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.

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.

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#.

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 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 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. Save the date and keep an eye out for more details.

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.