Session Recap: Protecting and Advancing a Policy Agenda for Low Income Families, Workers, and Communities

The results of this year’s elections will determine control of Congress and set the stage for the second half of President Biden’s term of office. Races at the state and local level will also have significant impacts on the concentration of political power across the states and new laws targeting abortion, guns, voting rights, and election infrastructure.

EOF hosted a 2022 Post-Election Briefing to provide funders and philanthropic advisors with an opportunity to hear from national experts and engage in discussion with funder colleagues on:

What issues and narratives motivated voters;
How election outcomes will impact opportunities and challenges facing families, workers, and communities across the nation; and
What the results mean for our work as funders in the short and long-term.

See a summary of our second plenary session below.

Protecting and Advancing a Policy Agenda for Low Income Families, Workers, and Communities

The midterm elections shook up the balance of power on Capitol Hill, producing a divided government unlikely to find common ground on major policy issues. However, encouraging signs at the state level and recent legislative achievements provide reason for optimism for those working to expand economic opportunity and justice.

A panel of experts reflected on the outcomes of the elections and what they suggest in terms of opportunities and challenges at both the federal and state level.

Marcela Montes, Program Officer, Family Economic Security, W.K. Kellogg Foundation

Emmanuel Caicedo, State Campaigns Director, The Center for Popular Democracy

Indivar Dutta-Gupta, President & Executive Director, The Center for Law and Social Policy

Jocelyn Frye, President, National Partnership for Women & Families

Samuel Hammond, Director of Social Policy, Niskanen Center

Slides:

Post-Election Toplines, Jocelyn Frye, President, National Partnership for Women & Families
Election Outcomes and What’s Next, Emmanuel Caicedo, State Campaigns Director, The Center for Popular Democracy

Recap:

During the last two years, Congress notched several major legislative achievements benefiting American families, children, and workers. Among them: the temporary expansion of the Child Tax Credit, additional paid family and medical leave, and record investments in education and child care in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, the next two years will almost certainly be less fruitful. The midterm elections produced a divided government, with Democrats retaining the Senate and Republicans soon to control the House. Come January 2023 and the swearing in of the new Congress, any hope for substantive policy wins will depend on bipartisan collaboration and compromise.

With the window for policy wins narrowing, policymakers, funders, and organizers will need to recalibrate their political and organizing strategies. In the short term, that means identifying opportunities for incremental progress. Family policy issues, such as the Child Tax Credit and child care, may be one area for bipartisan collaboration. Other opportunities include the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and reauthorization of the Farm Bill.

Even with legislative prospects dimmed on Capitol Hill, state-level election results provide reason for optimism. Voters in red and blue states approved ballot measures on progressive economic issues, including early childhood education funding, Medicaid expansion, collective bargaining, and raising the minimum wage.

The success of these measures validates the work of grassroots organizers, advocacy groups, and funders who’ve worked to connect with and mobilize voters — particularly in Black and Latino communities. It’s critical that funders continue to invest in the long-term work to build and sustain the infrastructure necessary to advance economic opportunity.

At both the federal and local levels, the next two years are an opportunity to continue to organize, build partnerships, shape narratives, and support the implementation of recent policy wins. Advocates and funders will play a critical role in implementing and monitoring the remaining Covid relief funding and the Inflation Reduction Act. Over the long-term, these policies also present opportunities to further develop grassroots infrastructure and build political power.