Joining the United Way Network in Federal Advocacy
Read time: 4 minutes
In late July, the California United Way network was well represented at United Way’s Advocacy Forum and Capitol Hill Day in Washington, D.C. This event brought together United Way representatives from across the country to join in a collective effort to express our communities’ priorities to members of Congress, and 13 advocates from seven different California United Ways—including United Ways of California—were among the group.
Collectively, the advocates shared messages of support for:
- Expanding and continuing the Child Tax Credit
- Preserving and strengthening the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
- Supporting 211 funding and capacity through the HELP Act
- Updating the Federal Poverty Line
Here are just a few takeaways and stories from our United Ways of California team who participated.
Pete Manzo, President & CEO
“United Ways work to solve thorny, high-priority challenges, like creating pathways out of poverty and increasing community well-being. These challenges are often complex and require not just effective program strategies, but also systems change.
Advocating for such change, therefore, is central to achieving our mission. Federal policy has a massive impact on families and individuals struggling to make ends meet. Examples of this include providing access to federal tax credits, health coverage and care, food assistance, public education (particularly for schools with high poverty), housing, and much more.
To be effective at calling for change in these systems, we need to work together, to align our goals and efforts at the local, state, and federal level. That is what United Way’s Advocacy Forum and Capitol Hill Day is about.”
Danielle Bautista, Policy & Coalition Manager
“Legislators and their staffers alike love to talk about what’s happening back in their home state. It’s great to be able to connect with them about our favorite parks and annual events back home along with other shared interests. Those connections can prove to be a good segue to discuss our policy priorities.
For example, when I was discussing with Representative Jacobs that the high cost of living was one reason I left San Diego, I was able to tie in one of our policy priorities, the Poverty Line Act bill by Representative Mullin.
We want what’s best for our local communities the way federal and state legislators want what’s best for their constituents.”
Jazmine Muñoz, Public Policy Coordinator
“It was an incredible privilege to meet and speak with people from so many United Ways across different states and learn about the multitude of ways they are engaging with and supporting their communities across the country.
United Ways met with their congressional representatives during United Way’s Advocacy Forum and Capitol Hill Day to advocate for the positive changes we wish to see in Congress. Walking amongst historical monuments and memorials, I was reminded of the progress this nation has made, and was reinvigorated with hope of how much further we can go when we work together to build a better future for all.”
Dave Sheldon, Senior Advisor, Strategic Initiatives
“Sitting at a table with folks from states I thought of as vastly different from California, I realized how we are all fighting for the same things. United Ways fight for people who are often overlooked, whose voices are not heard, whose needs are ignored. It was clear to me that we are all working to lift up those voices so that needs are no longer ignored.
In meetings, I also learned how knowledgeable our representatives’ offices are about our priority issues and that they really value our experience and perspectives. United Way is a trusted messenger on the Hill, and we have influence.”
Jose Vargas, Public Policy Manager
“I was particularly excited to uplift our 211 work in California during meetings with legislative offices as part of United Way’s Capitol Hill Day. As with many of our state electeds, many congressional members were shocked to find out that California does not fund 211. It was exciting to see how open they were to receiving information and resources for their local 211 and thinking about how their office could better leverage the system to meet the needs of their communities. Since the federal government works on a slower schedule than our state legislature, it was nice to hear members talk about the potential district opportunities they would be happy to participate in.”
