U.S. Poverty Weekly Update September 26, 2017

U.S. Poverty Campaigns

Weekly Update | September 26, 2017

“He didn’t come out and say things like, ‘It’s bad to cut Medicaid, it’s bad to kick 30 million people off their health insurance,'” Wilkinson said. “I’m looking for that force of moral courage within him that I see in most people across Kansas.”

– RESULTS Manhattan, KS volunteer Garrett Wilkinson quoted in the Kansas State Collegian after speaking with Sen. Jerry Moran on the Kansas State campus

Quick Action: Tell Congress to Protect Medicaid!

Got Two Minutes? Keep the Pressure On to Save Medicaid

Your advocacy is working! With only two votes to spare, it seems that Senate leadership may come up short on the Graham-Cassidy health bill. Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Rand Paul (R-KY), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Ted Cruz (R-TX) have all indicated that they cannot vote for the bill. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), based on previous votes, could be a no vote as well. Furthermore, the Congressional Budget Office released its limited score of Graham-Cassidy last night and while they did not have time to come up with precise numbers, the report states that millions of people would lose insurance over the next ten years under Graham-Cassidy.

However, WE CANNOT ASSUME ANYTHING. Time and again efforts to gut Medicaid and repeal the Affordable Care Act have been declared dead only to be resurrected again. Therefore, we must remain vigilant both now and going forward (the threats to Medicaid are not over (see more below)).

TAKE ACTION: Take two minutes to call both your senators again toll free at (800) 826-3688 and leave this message:

“I urge Senator ______________ to REJECT the Graham-Cassidy bill if it comes to a vote, and any future bills that cut Medicaid or other basic assistance programs. Cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, or other programs could have a devastating impact on low-income children, seniors, workers, and people with disabilities. I’m counting on the senator to publicly oppose any proposal that cuts Medicaid or other critical anti-poverty programs.”

Got Ten Minutes? Urge People You Know to Call Senators Again

We know it’s repetitive, but have you called your Senators to oppose the Graham-Cassidy health bill? And have you asked 7 people to call as well? We wish this were over. We wish congressional leaders would listen to their constituents rather than their donors. But know this – it is your advocacy that has protected the health coverage of millions of people this year. We just need you to do it again.

Sadly, this is not just about Graham-Cassidy. Some congressional leaders are already talking about using new reconciliation instructions in the FY2018 budget resolution to again go after the ACA and Medicaid. Plus, Congress wants to enact massive, unpaid-for tax cuts and use cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and other anti-poverty programs to pay for them. By calling now, and getting as many people as you can to call too, you let Congress know that this is unacceptable.

TAKE ACTION: Take ten minutes to contact 7 new people you know (plus the 7 you contacted last week) and ask them to call their Senators again to oppose efforts to gut Medicaid in the new health bill and beyond. We’ll make it easy – copy and paste the message below into an e-mail and Facebook post urging people to take action now.

Congress just won’t stop. As of today, they are still planning to vote on the latest health care repeal bill – the Graham-Cassidy bill – this week. That bill would force millions of Americans to lose their health insurance. Even if that bill fails, threats loom on the horizon. Congress could try to gut Medicaid in the next budget and cut anti-poverty programs to pay for tax cuts for the rich.

You can help stop this. Call your Senators TODAY at (800) 826-3688 and leave this message:

“I urge Senator ______________ to REJECT the Graham-Cassidy bill if it comes to a vote, and any future bills that cut Medicaid or other basic assistance programs. Cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, or other programs could have a devastating impact on low-income children, seniors, workers, and people with disabilities. I’m counting on the senator to publicly oppose any proposal that cuts Medicaid or other critical anti-poverty programs.”

Thank you for taking action. Please share this message with others you know and urge them to call.

Got Twenty Minutes? Submit One More Letter to the Editor about Protecting Medicaid (September Action)

RESULTS volunteers have done another fabulous job at generating media this month. To date, you’ve gotten 24 media pieces published since September 1. Your media has helped raise awareness of tax, food, and health issues and has certainly contributed to the fierce opposition to the Graham-Cassidy bill in the Senate.

We must keep the foot on the gas. The Graham-Cassidy bill is on the ropes, but there is still time left for leaders to get it passed. And looking ahead, this Congress will try to gut Medicaid and other anti-poverty programs again in the next budget and in tax legislation. Your letters supporting Medicaid will help protect it from the current threat and the threats on the horizon.

TAKE ACTION: Take twenty minutes to draft a letter to the editor urging Congress to end their attacks on Medicaid and move on to more important matters, such as ending poverty in America. Below is an update sample letter from the September Action. Be sure to look at your local papers for articles about health care or the budget to use as hooks for your letter.

In response to your coverage of the health care fight, the American people have made it clear: we want Congress to protect Medicaid and other programs that lift and keep people out of poverty. Attempts to gut Medicaid and repeal the ACA have been met with overwhelming opposition from constituents — especially when the money would be used to give huge tax cuts to millionaires and big corporations.

I urge Senators ___________ and _____________, and Representative ______________ to reject the Graham-Cassidy health bill and any efforts to cut or cap Medicaid in the next budget. I also urge them to oppose tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, who instead should start paying their fair share.

The Next Fight Ahead: More Cuts to Health and Nutrition Assistance to Pay for Tax Breaks for the Wealthy

While we focus on protecting Medicaid this week, there are critical fights ahead. We will have to mobilize quickly to protect key basic assistance programs such as SNAP, Medicaid, the  Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit. The House is expected to vote soon on a budget resolution that “fast tracks” cuts to basic assistance programs using budget reconciliation, while key Senate Republicans have reportedly agreed on a budget framework that paves the way for up to $1.5 trillion in tax breaks that will not only make wealth inequality and the racial wealth gap worse, but pave the way for future cuts to programs that help low- and middle-income Americans.

Use the next few weeks to send policymakers a message that they should oppose a budget resolution that paves the way for large tax cuts for the wealthy and profitable corporations; tax cuts that would lose massive amounts of revenue, increase our deficit, and force cuts to nutrition assistance, education, health care, and infrastructure.

TAKE ACTION: Request face-to-face meetings with your representatives and senators when they are on recess next month (Senate: October 9-13; House: October 16-20). Contact schedulers (plug in your address on our new Elected Officials page , then click on your senators’ or representative’s name to scroll down to “Staff Members”) to request a meeting or check on the status a previous request. When you get a meeting or town hall on your calendar, please contact Meredith Dodson to get individualized coaching for your meeting – and don’t forget to fill out a lobby report form afterward to let us know how it went.

Quick News

Attend Community Mapping Webinar Tomorrow Night. Want to grow the movement to end poverty? Want to connect with others leaders and groups in your community? Attend our upcoming webinar Mapping Your Community for Outreach and Engagement on Wednesday, September 27 at 8:30 pm ET. Learn how to strategically engage others in this important work. To participate, login at: http://fuze.me/35674518 or dial (201) 479-4595, meeting ID 35674518.

Join Discussion about Race and Employment on September 28. Join the RESULTS Anti-Oppression Working group for our next webinar discussion on Thursday, September 28 at 8:30 pm ET. We’ll be looking at the role of racism and bias in employment practices, recently highlighted in a New York Times editorial. To join the webinar, go to: http://fuze.me/34326078 or dial in by phone at: (201) 479-4595, Meeting ID: 34326078#.

Learn How to Use Volunteer Match. Last week, RESULTS Global Grassroots Expansion Manager Amanda Beals hosted a webinar on how best to use Volunteer Match to help grow and strengthen our volunteer network. Volunteer match is an online resource that helps connect potential volunteers to like-minded organizations. Listen to the recording and learn how you can use this helpful resources in your RESULTS work.

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: October 16-20; Senate: October 9-13.

Mapping Your Community for Outreach and Engagement, Wednesday, September 27 at 8:30 pm ET. Join at: http://fuze.me/35674518 or dial (201) 479-4595, meeting ID 35674518.

RESULTS Anti-Oppression Group Discussion Webinar, Thursday, September 28 at 8:30 pm ET. To join, go to: http://fuze.me/34326078 or dial in by phone at: (201) 479-4595, Meeting ID: 34326078#.

They Are Interested in RESULTS. Now What Do I Do? Webinar, October 3, 8:30 pm ET.  Login: http://fuze.me/35674518. Or to join by phone only, dial (201) 479-4595, meeting ID 35674518.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Monday, October 9. All RESULTS office closed.

RESULTS U.S. Poverty National Webinar, Tuesday, October 10 at 8:00 pm ET. Participate at http://fuze.me/32255914 or (201) 479-4595, Meeting ID: 32255914#.

RESULTS Introductory Call, Wednesday, October 11 at 9:00pm ET. Register for an upcoming Intro Call on the RESULTS website.

U.S. Poverty Free Agents Calls, Tuesday, October 17 at 1:00pm and 8:00 pm ET. To participate, login at http://fuze.me/32256018 or dial by phone at (201) 479-4595, Meeting ID: 32256018#.

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.