How to Contact Congress

Before contacting members of Congress or their staff, make sure you know some basic facts about the legislator and the district. This will help you decide how to approach your conversation. Of particular interest are the member’s personal background, party and ideology, voting record, tenure in Congress and whether they sit on a Committee that provides funding or oversight of biomedical research.

You can locate biographical information on your U.S. Representative and your Senators from the House of Representatives and United States Senate websites, respectively. As you learn about them, consider how their background experiences may shape their views on research issues.

Personal meetings can be a very effective way to communicate your views, but successful meetings require advance planning. Legislators are usually busy when they are in Washington so you may not be able to meet with them personally. However, you can almost always get a meeting with a staff member who handles your issues. If you really want to meet with your senators or representative, try arranging something when they are in the district.

Requesting the Meeting

Meetings typically last only 15–20 minutes so be prepared to focus on only one or two issues. When you call to request the meeting, tell the staff what issues you’d like to discuss. It’s a good idea to say that you would be happy to meet either with the legislator or with a staff member. Some offices will schedule meetings over the phone, while others may ask you to submit your request by email or web form. (If you need to submit a written request, FASEB has developed a template that you can customize with the name of the legislator and the topics you want to discuss.) Even if the senator or representative can’t take the meeting, they may drop by to say hello. In any case, the staff will tell them what you said.

Preparing for the Meeting

Before you go, make sure you know what your message is: Are you simply asking them to support biomedical research funding? Or do you want them to take a certain position on a bill or an issue? If you want them to support research funding, use FASEB’s state and district fact sheets to show how research funding benefits your state.

If you are asking them to vote a certain way on a piece of legislation or an issue, make sure you know what their position is (if they have one), and then be prepared to explain yours. If they are sponsoring a bill you oppose, keep in mind that while many bills are introduced each year, few of them pass. Sometimes legislators agree to co-sponsor a bill simply because a constituent or another legislator asked them to do so. Legislators are reluctant to reverse a position they have already taken, but if you give them new information and provide your perspective, they may be willing to soften their support or modify the language if the bill comes up for consideration.

At the Meeting

Arrive on time for your appointment, but be prepared to wait. Capitol Hill is a busy place so be patient if the person is late or if you end up meeting with a different staffer.

Before you go, practice what you want to say. Begin by thanking the person for their time and explaining why you came. Next, briefly introduce yourself: Tell them where you work, the nature of your work, and, if you receive federal funding, the agency that provides it. Few people on Capitol Hill have a scientific background so adjust what you say accordingly. (For pointers on how to do this, see Building Support for Science.)

Once you have explained your position on the issues you came to raise, ask the staffer for questions or comments. If they disagree with your position, ask them to explain why. If you are not prepared to respond to these concerns on the spot, tell them you will follow up after you have looked into the issue further. At the conclusion of the meeting—no matter how it went—thank them for their time and for listening to your concerns.

After the Meeting

After your meeting, send a thank you note by email. This gives you another opportunity to reinforce your message by reiterating your position and offering to answer any questions about biomedical research issues they may have in the future. A thank you note also provides an opportunity to establish email contact, which can serve as a starting point to for future communications with that legislator’s staff.

Expressing views on a piece of legislation is lobbying, but that does not make you a lobbyist! All citizens have the right to make their views known to their elected representatives. However, if you work at an institution supported by federal or state funds, do not conduct your communications with Congress using your office computer or telephone.

For further guidance, contact your institution’s government relations office.