Training on Scheduling Meetings With Congress

From 12:00-12:30 pm (EST) Tuesday, December 6, 2022, OLLAA will be hosting a brief training for the Oromo Diaspora community on how to schedule meetings with Congress. If you are interested in attending, please register here.

Stay tuned for information on future trainings on conducting advocacy with Congress.

How to Schedule Meetings with Congress:

Finding Contact Information

The most efficient way to schedule a meeting with your legislators or their staff is through their website.  Many legislators provide a portal to request a meeting online.  If their website does not have a portal, it may give you an email address to directly contact their scheduler.

If their website does not contain this information, it is possible to find the name of your legislator’s scheduler through this website. Simply type the last name of your legislator in the “Search by Last Name” field, and scroll down to their Staff list, where it will show you the name of their scheduler [Please note, this Staff list will also give you the name of your legislator’s foreign policy staff, who you may try emailing directly with your meeting request.  However, foreign policy staffers frequently change offices, and, as this list is updated infrequently, it may be out of date].

Once you find the name of the scheduler, you will likely be able to guess their email address, as Congressional email addresses generally follow the following format: 

• Senate offices: firstname_lastname@senatorlastname.senate.gov
  • (Example: alex_brown@booker.senate.gov) 
• Representative office: firstname.lastname@mail.house.gov
  • (Example: alex.brown@mail.house.gov)

It is also possible to call the DC office of your representative and ask to schedule a meeting directly.  The number for all legislator’s DC offices should be available on their websites.  You can also contact a U.S. Capitol Switchboard operator, who can connect you directly with the relevant Senate or House office at (202) 224-3121.

Sample Email Meeting Request:

Subject: Meeting Request in DC

Dear [Name],

My name is [Name] and I am a constituent of [Senator/Representative X] who has lived in [State/District] for [X] years.  I am writing today because I will be in DC from [Dates] and would like to schedule a meeting with someone from your office who works on legislation or foreign policy issues regarding the situation in the Oromia region of Ethiopia.

Please let me know if there will be any availability to meet with your office during that time.  

Sincerely,

[Name]

Sample Phone Call Script:

Caller: Hello, my name is [Name] and I am one of your constituents.  I am calling because I will be in DC from [Dates] and would like to schedule a meeting with someone from your office who handles foreign policy or legislation issues. I would like to discuss my concerns regarding the current situation in the Oromia region of Ethiopia, and steps Congress can take to address this issue.

Sample Group/Community Call Script: 

Caller: Hello, my name is [Name] and I am calling on behalf of the Oromo community in [State].  I am calling because we will be in DC from [Dates] and would like to schedule a meeting with someone from your office who handles foreign policy or legislation issues. We would like to discuss our concerns regarding the current situation in the Oromia region of Ethiopia, and steps Congress can take to address this issue.

Follow-Up

On some occasions, it may take multiple attempts to schedule a meeting with your legislator’s office.  Please remember that they are quite busy and handle meeting requests from a wide variety of actors, so it is up to you to be persistent.

If you are unable to get through on a call, try calling again, or sending an email as an alternative.  Similarly, if your email request goes unanswered for multiple days, try resending it, or try calling.