When calling congressional offices, you should ask for the Health Legislative Assistant. These offices receive numerous calls and faxes everyday and they may not respond to your initial call, but be persistent and follow-up.
When speaking to congressional offices it is important to remember that:
- You should always be honest; there is no need to exaggerate problems or results.
- You should give specific examples of your experiences.
- You should make sure the conversation stays polite and respectful. Listen to what they have to say and engage in constructive dialogue, even if it’s agreeing to disagree.
- You should never get frustrated or engage in an argument. Irreparable harm can be done by unnecessarily upsetting a legislator’s staff member.
- You should always begin and end the conversation by thanking them for taking time out of their busy schedule to discuss these issues with you.
Below are two sample outlines of letters to fax or talking points to use for a conversation or a voicemail. One outline is for a senator’s office and one is for a representative’s office.
The Honorable [full name of the senator]
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Senator [last name of the senator],
- Introduce yourself and explain your personal interest in supporting additional funding for the National Institutes of Health.
- Urge your Senator to support providing an additional $2 billion to the yearlong funding resolution to fund vital health and education programs.
- Urge the Senator to join you in supporting an increase of 5% for the NIH.
- Explain why you believe that additional support for the NIH is essential in order to study diseases which impact millions of Americans.
- Voice your concerns over the negative effects of cutting the NIH’s funding.
- Thank the Senator for his/her leadership in ensuring better healthcare outcomes for all Americans.
- Ask the Senator to keep you advised of his or her actions on these important issues.
Sincerely,
[Your name and title]
The Honorable [full name of the representative]
United States House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Congressman/Congresswoman [last name of the congressman/congresswoman],
- Introduce yourself and explain your personal interest in supporting additional funding for the National Institutes of Health.
- Urge your Representative to support providing an additional $2 billion to the yearlong funding resolution to fund vital health and education programs.
- Urge the Representative to join you in supporting an increase of 5% for the NIH.
- Explain why you believe that additional support for the NIH is essential in order to study diseases which impact millions of Americans.
- Voice your concerns over the negative effects of cutting the NIH’s funding.
- Thank the Representative for his/her leadership in ensuring better health care outcomes for all Americans.
- Ask the Representative to keep you advised of his or her actions on these important issues.
Sincerely,
[Your name and title]
