1. Poverty in the United States and Proposals to Dismantle the Safety Net

2. Why Advocacy?
We stand by as children starve by the millions because we lack the will to eliminate hunger. Yet we have found the will to develop missiles capable of flying over the polar cap and landing within a few hundred feet of their target. This is not innovation. It is a profound distortion of humanity’s purpose on earth. – former Sen. Mark Hatfield (R-OR)

3. What is RESULTS?
RESULTS is a movement of passionate, committed everyday people. Together we use our voices to influence political decisions that will bring an end to poverty.

4. Empowering People
As volunteers, we receive training, support, and inspiration to become skilled advocates.
650 active volunteers in about 110 communities around the country
Everyday people who want to make a difference
In 2016, our activists had…
171 face-to-face meetings with U.S. House members and 78 face-to-face meetings with U.S. Senators
Over 550 strategic media placements, including editorials, Op- eds, and letters to the editor
Nearly 200 outreach and community events around the country

5. Hunger and Poverty in the United States
The U.S. Census released 2015 poverty data in September 2016:
The 2015 poverty rate was percent, or about million people
Child poverty dropped from percent in 2014 to percent
-Recent House budgets proposed cutting SNAP by 20 percent, or $125-$150 billion (over 10 years).
-93 percent of federal SNAP spending is for food, which means large SNAP budget cuts would need to come from deep benefits & eligibility cuts affecting millions
-If similarly large cuts are “reconciled” to the Ag Committees, the only way to achieve it is through a block grant
-House budgets also included a recommendation to block grant SNAP
-Block granting SNAP would essentially end the program
-Eliminates automatic response to recessions, natural disasters, rising food prices, etc.
-Allows states to shift funds to other purposes

6. Anti-Poverty Programs Make an Impact!
The impact of safety net programs is often ignored…

7. Anti-Poverty Programs Make an Impact!
Data from the Census Bureau’s Supplemental Poverty Measure:
The EITC and CTC lifted 9.2 million people above the poverty line in 2015.
SNAP lifted 4.6 million people above the poverty line in
RESULTS U.S. Poverty National Webinar

8. Federal Programs are Key in Fighting Hunger

9. SNAP (formerly Food Stamps)
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly Food Stamps)
In 2015, SNAP lifted nearly 4.6 million people above the poverty line
Including about 2.1 million children
SNAP is one of the most efficient government programs
More than 99 percent of benefits issued to eligible households

10. SNAP Participants
About 93 percent of SNAP benefits go to households with incomes below the poverty line
58 percent go to households below half of the poverty line
about $10,080 for a family of three in 2016
Overall, 75 percent of all SNAP households, containing 87 percent of all participants include a child(s), elderly or an individual with disabilities.

11. SNAP Benefits Help Local Economies
$1 in SNAP benefits generates about $1.70 in economic activity.

12. SNAP Works
Nationally, almost 69% of SNAP participants are in families with children – and the program’s structure is key!

13. Threats to SNAP
Recent House budgets proposed cutting SNAP by 20 percent, or $125- $150 billion (over 10 years).
93 percent of federal SNAP spending is for food, which means large SNAP budget cuts would need to come from deep benefits & eligibility cuts affecting millions
If similarly large cuts are “reconciled” to the Ag Committees, the only way to achieve it is through a block grant
House budgets also included a recommendation to block grant SNAP
Block granting SNAP would essentially end the program
Eliminates automatic response to recessions, natural disasters, rising food prices, etc.
Allows states to shift funds to other purposes
Today, more than 44 million people receive the supplemental food assistance.
The budget plan approved by the House Budget Committee in March would cut SNAP by $150 million over the next 10 years, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.[2]
SNAP cuts would cause more families and individuals to fall into poverty and push poor families deeper into poverty.
The budget plan includes major benefit cuts:
Terminate benefits to about 3 million low-income people and cut SNAP spending by more than $25 billion over ten years
It would convert SNAP into a block grant beginning in and cut funding steeply by $125 billion over 2021 to States would be left with the responsibility to decide whose benefits to reduce/terminate
Programs such as SNAP are highly responsive to changes in need
If turned into block grants, programs like Medicaid and SNAP would lose their responsiveness (CBPP)

14. Affordable Care Act (ACA)
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), has three primary goals:
Make affordable health insurance available to more people.
Expand the Medicaid program to cover all adults with income below 138% of the federal poverty level.
Support innovative medical care delivery methods designed to lower the costs of health care generally[1]
Bullet 2 is more relevant for us—highlighting the effects of the Medicaid expansion

15. Repealing Obamacare will leave millions of the poorest Americans without insurance.[1]
While many are focused on the overall repeal of the ACA, leaked documents show that Congress is considering not only effectively ending the expansion of Medicaid including in the ACA, but also capping the core Medicaid program. In total, this would shift $560 billion in Medicaid costs to states over the next ten years, resulting in lost coverage and rationed benefits – effectively ending the program as we know it. RESULTS strongly opposes efforts to enact structural changes (including caps or “block grants”), changes in financing, or repeal of the ACA’s Medicaid expansion - we hope you will communicate these concerns to Congressional leaders.

16. First Attack: ACA and Medicaid Expansion
Whites have a net-worth 15 times that of Blacks ($111,740 vs $7,113) and over 13 times that of Latinos ($111,740 vs $8,113).
First Attack: ACA and Medicaid Expansion
Obamacare Reduces Racial Disparities in Health Coverage:

17. Despite the Impact of ACA on Closing the Gaps
Whites have a net-worth 15 times that of Blacks ($111,740 vs $7,113) and over 13 times that of Latinos ($111,740 vs $8,113).
Despite the Impact of ACA on Closing the Gaps

18. Medicaid is Key – Especially for Low-Income Children
Medicaid plays a crucial role in providing health care for millions of children in low-income families, seniors, people with disabilities, and others.
Medicaid covers 35.7 million children – here is a breakdown of the critical role Medicaid and CHIP (the Children’s Health Insurance Program) play in the lives of millions of children from Georgetown’s Center for Children and Families.

19. the important of the ACA & Medicaid for children

20. Medicaid is Key for Women of Color
According to Rewire, “In states where lawmakers expanded access to Medicaid [through the ACA], 3.9 million women enrolled in the government insurance program between 2013 and 2015, a growth of nearly 30 percent. Women of color enjoyed double-digit gains in insurance coverage in every state except five from 2013 – Women of color gained insurance even in states where GOP-majority legislatures rejected Medicaid expansion, such as Florida, where more than 460,000 women of color became insured under the ACA.”

21. RESULTS U.S. Poverty National Webinar
Threats to Medicaid
New House ACA Repeal bill would end Medicaid as we know it
In 2020, Congress would “cap” the amount of money states get for Medicaid (essentially a block grant), based on 2016 enrollment
Continues ACA’s Medicaid
expansion until 2020, then
“freezes” it by reimbursing
states at lower rates for any new
patients
CBPP estimates that this will
shift $370 billion in costs to
states over next 10 years
Changes would lead to people
losing coverage, rationed care,
and increased poverty
RESULTS U.S. Poverty National Webinar

22. Medicaid Under Attack
RESULTS strongly opposes efforts to enact structural changes (including caps or “block grants”), changes in financing, or repeal of the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion.
---
Dismantling Obamacare means higher premiums, deductibles and cost-sharing for the 57 million senior citizens and disabled Americans enrolled in the program. It would also bring back the “donut hole” in Medicare’s prescription drug coverage
According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), repealing Obamacare would increase Medicare spending by $802 billion over 10 years
After the elimination of the ACA’s expansion of Medicaid eligibility and of subsidies for insurance purchased through the ACA marketplaces, that number would increase to 27 million, and then to 32 million in 2026.

23. Refundable Tax Credits Support Working Families
The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) are pro-work, pro-family tax credits. They are financial lifelines for people working in low-wage jobs; together theyt lifted 9.2 million Americans above the poverty line in 2015.
The EITC and CTC encourage work. Only taxpayers who are working can claim them. Extensive research shows that the EITC did as much or more to raise employment among single mothers as welfare reform did.
The EITC helps local economies. EITC refunds tend to get spent quickly and locally. Economist Mark Zandi estimated that the EITC generates at least $1.24 in economic activity for every dollar spent.

24. There’s still work to do
Working adults without dependents are the only group of people taxed into or deeper into poverty (7.5 million workers).
In 2016, a childless worker earning wages at the federal poverty line (estimated at $12,494 for 2015) would owe nearly $1,000 in federal taxes even after receiving the EITC.
Source:

25. EITC: Threats and Opportunities
Under the Ryan proposal:
Lower the eligibility age from
25 to 21
5.8 million fewer workers
would be taxed into poverty
Lift out of poverty an
additional 2.1 million African
American workers, nearly 3
million Latino workers, and
more than 630,000 veterans
RESULTS supports enacting legislation that would ensure that NO worker is taxed into poverty
Mention that we are hearing rumors about proposed cuts to EITC and CTC (including pending Executive Order), but no specific details – so if talking about taxes, it is great to make a strong case about the importance of EITC and CTC for working families.

26. Take Action with Congress!
Use our meeting request for to schedule face-to-face meetings with your members of Congress now:
Read this RESULTS Action for tips on both face-to-face meetings and town halls:
Please enter each meeting or town hall into our Meeting Tracker: (this is before the meeting/event takes place).
Set up a Lobby Prep Call with Meredith Dodson to get ready.
Fill out the RESULTS Lobby Report Form after each meeting (including meetings with aides) to let us know how it went:

27. Take Action in the Media!
Generate media about protecting critical anti-poverty programs
Tell your members of Congress by name to oppose efforts to dismantle the safety net
Use our online actions:
Protect the safety net:
Leave SNAP alone:
Expand the EITC:

28. You can be EPIC! ENGAGE the listener into the conversation
Use the EPIC Laser Talk to help you create a powerful message
ENGAGE the listener into the conversation
Identify the PROBLEM you want them to address
INFORM (or ILLUSTRATE) about the solution to the problem
State a clear and specific CALL TO ACTION

29. SNAP EPIC Laser Talk
Engage: Senator Johnson, nearly 1 in 5 children in the U.S. live in households that are struggling against hunger.
Problem: Yet leaders in the new Congress want to drastically change food assistance in the U.S. which could lead to more people in poverty.
Inform: SNAP (formerly Food Stamps) is the first line of defense against hunger in America. The U.S. Census reports that SNAP lifted 4.6 million people out of poverty in But Congress wants to undo SNAP’s success by changing it to a lump sum grant to states, which will undermine its effectiveness and force people deeper into poverty.
Call to Action: Senator Johnson, will you urge congressional leaders to protect SNAP from cuts or “block grants” that will weaken the program and increase hunger in America? 

30. SNAP Laser Talk
Engage: Senator Johnson, nearly _______ children in the U.S. live in households that are struggling against hunger.
Problem: Yet leaders in the new Congress want to drastically change ______________________ in the U.S. which could lead to more people in poverty.
Inform: ________ (formerly Food Stamps) is the first line of defense against hunger in America. The U.S. Census reports that SNAP lifted ___________ people out of poverty in But Congress wants to undo SNAP’s success by changing it to a ______________ to states, which will undermine its effectiveness and force people deeper into poverty.
Call to Action: Senator Johnson, will you urge congressional leaders to protect SNAP from ____ and ______________ that will weaken the program and increase hunger in America? 

31. RESULTS U.S. Poverty National Webinar
Medicaid Laser Talk
Engage: As an anti-poverty advocate, I am alarmed about proposed changes to Medicaid.
Problem: Block granting or capping Medicaid spending would result in lost coverage, rationed benefits, and end the program as we know it.
Illustrate or Inform: The House health proposal would harm tens of millions of children in low-income families, seniors, people with disabilities, and others who rely on Medicaid. It would also effectively end the expansion of Medicaid under the ACA – while shifting $370 billion in Medicaid costs to states over the next ten years. Under this plan, no one’s health care is safe. [If you have a personal story, please share it!]
Call to Action: Will you talk to Congressional leaders to voice your support for protecting the structure and integrity of Medicaid?
RESULTS U.S. Poverty National Webinar

32. RESULTS U.S. Poverty National Webinar
Medicaid Laser Talk
Engage: As an anti-poverty advocate, I am alarmed about proposed changes to ____________.
Problem: Block granting or capping Medicaid spending would result in ____________, ______________, and end the program as we know it.
Illustrate or Inform: The House health proposal would harm tens of millions of __________ in low-income families, seniors, people with _____________, and others who rely on Medicaid. It would also effectively end the ____________ of Medicaid under the ACA – while shifting $____________ in Medicaid costs to states over the next ten years. Under this plan, no one’s health care is safe. [If you have a personal story, please share it!]
Call to Action: Will you talk to Congressional leaders to voice your support for protecting the __________ and ___________of Medicaid?
RESULTS U.S. Poverty National Webinar

33. EPIC Laser Talk
Now you try

34. Take Action Today! Tell Congress to Protect Medicaid
Call your Representatives and Senators and leave this message:
My name is _______________ and I am a constituent from ______________. I am calling because I am alarmed about proposed changes to Medicaid. The House plan to block grant or cap Medicaid spending would result in lost coverage, rationed benefits, and end the program as we know it. It would harm tens of millions of children in low- income families, seniors, people with disabilities, and others who have no other access to health coverage. It would also shift $370 billion in Medicaid costs to states, including ______________ [your state], over the next ten years. Under this plan, no one’s health care is safe. I urge Rep./Sen. ______________ to tell Congressional leaders to strongly voice his/her support for protecting the structure and integrity of Medicaid.
Call the congressional switchboard at (202) or find direct numbers at: and leave this message (or your version of it).
If you cannot get through to leave a message, go to: and send an message about protecting health care for low-income Americans!
Take Action Today! Tell Congress to Protect Medicaid
RESULTS U.S. Poverty National Webinar

35. Get Involved!
The RESULTS ___________Group meets each month to take action.
Next local RESULTS meeting
Date:
Time:
Location:
Local Contact:
To learn more about RESULTS, visit