How can we expect our policymakers to represent us if they don’t know our values?
Why is it important to speak with Congresspeople? Elected officials and their staff spend a large portion of their time meeting with constituents. In 2015 the Congressional Management Foundation released a survey of congressional staff, highlighting the significant impact constituents can have on their policymakers by taking the time to express their values and stories. There are many ways to do this including sending emails, calling offices, or signing online letters. However, taking the time to have a successful office visit, whether in your home district or in Washington DC, is more influential than any other strategy. Our Congresspeople want to hear from us, and office visits are welcomed, encouraged and easily set up through email. Many scientific societies have been trying to bridge the communication gap between scientists and policy makers by hosting and facilitating targeted Congressional Visit Days where members can meet with their policymakers to discuss topics of interest. For example, the American Geophysical Union hosts Advocacy Days, and expanded this idea into a year-long program called Voices for Science, which is geared towards honing and practicing communication skills. One of the tracks possible is for policy, where you learn more about how to use science to inform policy and engage with policymakers. These are great opportunities to partner with scientific societies to advance research, and these events are what first inspired us (Mary and Morgan) to create this blog. How do you navigate speaking with your Congresspeople? Even though it is best when the conversations in these meetings flow naturally, a successful meeting takes preparation. Think of it like preparing for an interview. Cater to your policymaker’s values and their strengths, and formulate your message accordingly. Our Congresspeople and their staffers have many meetings every day, so it is important to come ready with a plan to introduce yourself, make a clear “ask” or request of the office that is reasonable and actionable, and have a prepared story to help them make a personal connection to your ask. The preparation:
The meetings:
Meetings with the policymaker will look a bit different than those with a legislative aide. Policymakers will often have more questions for you that align with pushing their own agenda. These meetings often have more back and forth. As a result, the conversation may feel a bit more casual. Congressional staff will more often be there to listen to you and share the values of their office, and may not be able to expand on your particular “ask” without discussing it with the Representative first. Building trust with offices is important. You may not accomplish anything massive in one visit or two, but regular conversations with your Congresspeople will keep their attention and focus on topics that you care about and will set the foundation for a working relationship. Our Experiences with Congressional Visits Days May 2021 Earlier this week we met with Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar’s offices, and Representative Illhan Omar’s office on behalf of AGU to advocate for an increase in science funding for FY2022. Specifically, we asked that their offices support at least $10 billion in the Federal budget to be allocated for the National Science Foundation. For more information on the Federal budget and how it works, check out our two posts The Federal Budget Part 1: What is it and How is it Made? and The Federal Budget Part 2: What to Expect for Science Investment in FY2022. It is important to note that we realized through our research that none of our MN Representatives reside on the appropriations committee, which is the committee in charge of drafting legislation to pass the Discretionary portion of the Federal budget. However, while they may not actually write the legislation for funding, they can still be an influential voice and have a say when these bills move to the House or Senate floor, so meeting with their offices remains important. This year’s (2020-2021) visits looked a bit different than they have in the past. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all meetings are currently being held virtually rather than in person. All of our visits used Microsoft Teams, but other offices rely on different virtual platforms such as Zoom, Skype or just a conference phone call. This brings in a whole suite of possible complications including awkward delays due to poor internet connections, technology malfunctions, and difficulty reading body language. Many of us, including Congressional staffers, are dealing with the challenges of working from home and zoom burnout. As a result, sometimes staffers will choose to keep their cameras off during these meetings, which can bring additional challenges similar to poor internet connections. It can be difficult to know when to speak and leave room for natural conversation when the personal connection face-to-face isn’t there. Do the best you can, but do not worry if these feel a bit awkward, or if you’re the one with internet issues - everyone is dealing with the same thing. In fact we struggled a bit with awkward pauses and transitions along with interruptions due to poor internet connections. That said, the virtual setting brought a lot of positives. We were able to read notes directly on our computer screens to help us stay on message, and we did not have to allot time to travel to DC or the Congressperson’s local office. We were able to have these conversations from the comfort of our own homes. The availability of virtual platforms could theoretically increase engagement because the overall time spent on attending these meetings is significantly less. Perhaps in the future it would be better to maintain a virtual option, as it can increase accessibility of meetings and engagement between constituents and Congresspeople. Example: Our meeting information Topic: Budget increases for science!! (increased science funding) Ask: Increase funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF). (among others) Message: NSF was created in 1950 by Congress to promote advancing health, prosperity and welfare. NSF supports all fields of science & engineering and provides funding for cutting edge research and development. This keeps us at the forefront of innovation. 25% of all federally funded research is supported by NSF. Funding for NSF is needed because it would enhance research development, address racial equality in STEM, and address climate science and sustainability. Support is important because scientific innovation and research drives the economy, enhances national security, and advances knowledge to maintain global leadership. Stories: We both shared our experiences interacting with NSF, and tied it to the importance of our “ask”. Questions asked/things learned: We learned about the Congressperson’s science priorities Takeaway: All of the offices we talked to were supportive of increased funding for science and will keep our ask in mind as the FY2022 budget process moves forward! Although we were nervous going into the meetings because we knew the importance of building relationships with our policymakers' offices, we had a very positive experience. We came out of the meetings feeling empowered and glad that we took the preparation time to convey our message and communicate with our Congresspeople effectively about our values.
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