Winter 2018 U.S. Poverty Laser Talk
Protecting Food and Health Assistance
Engage: As anti-poverty advocates, we believe nobody should go hungry – yet Census data shows that more than one in ___ residents in our state/your District are living below the poverty line, struggling to make ends meet.
Problem: Right now Congress is considering proposals to take food and health care away from some of our most vulnerable neighbors by changing the structure of the country’s most effective anti-poverty programs, such as SNAP (formerly known as Food Stamps) and Medicaid.
Illustrate/Inform: Rather than taking away crucial supports from working families as they strive to increase their income, I urge you to protect and strengthen basic health and nutrition assistance. (Include your own experience and/or why you care about the impact these programs have on your community – more room to develop on the back.) SNAP is the cornerstone in the fight against hunger in America – it is timely, targeted, and incredibly effective, including during economic crises or natural disasters.
Call to Action: Will you tell congressional leaders and Agriculture Committee members you oppose any harmful changes or cuts to SNAP and other anti-poverty programs, and instead to put forward a robust bipartisan bill that protects and strengthens SNAP?
For supporters: if you haven’t already, please cosponsor H.R.1276/pending Senate legislation that offers a blueprint for strengthening SNAP.
Looking ahead, I urge you to focus on strengthening and expanding effective anti-poverty policies to create opportunity, make sure all Americans can make ends meet, and provide our children with a bright future.
What Is a Laser Talk?
A laser talk serves as a useful starting point for your advocacy work, whether as a talking points during a town hall meeting or as a primer for face-to-face meetings with candidates and elected officials. Follow up with more information and evidence supporting your points. And of course, adapt a laser talk to reflect your own experiences and why you care about the issue! For more on how to create your own laser talk, see the RESULTS Activist Toolkit: Create and Deliver Your EPIC Laser Talk.