Contact Congress
As a constituent, your Representatives and Senators work for you. This means that you don’t have to have any experience or any special expertise to email, call, or meet with them. Meetings have the most impact, followed by calls and emails.
You can try to meet with the Member themselves, especially if you or someone in your group is a prominent member of your community or has some type of direct relationship to the Member, such as a shared religious or professional affiliation. If that doesn’t work, meeting with their foreign policy staff is just as good!
Communicating with Congressional Offices
​To relay your comments and concerns with Members of Congress, you can call or email any district or Washington, DC, office.
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In DC: To reach a Washington office you can call the number on your Members of Congress’s websites or call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to speak to your Representative’s/Senator’s office.​​
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Email: You can email your Members of Congress through an advocacy campaign such as USAIDStopWork.com or RESULTS.org, or you can craft your own email and send it directly.​​​​​
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If you email using a pre-written campaign like these two, please make sure to personalize it - tell them why you care, as a constituent, and why they should care, as your representative.
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If you plan to email directly without using an online campaign, call their office first and ask for the name and email address of their foreign policy staffer so you get to the right person.
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Aid on the Hill hosted two trainings on in-district advocacy during the August recess. These slide decks can help you set up, prepare for, and advocate during meetings with district offices while Congress is in recess.
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Setting up district meetings
Despite the name, recess is one of Congress’s busiest times as members return home to hear from constituents, making it an ideal time to request in-person district meetings.
Identify your Members of Congress
You have two Senators and at least one Representative. If you need help finding who represents you, you can visit https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member. Pick one congressional office to meet with first.
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Schedule the meeting
Once you’ve identified a Rep and/or Senator, find the closest office to your home and give them a call to ask for an in-person meeting. This may take more than one call to schedule a meeting.
2
Gather participants
Once you have a meeting scheduled, recruit 3-5 constituent friends/neighbors who can come with you to the meeting! You can also use the Signal groups to ask for participants.
3
Prepare
Get your talking points in order. Use your personal stories, but also AOTH state maps, briefs, and other resources to tell a compelling story. Visit aidonthehill.org for free leave-behinds.
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End with an ask
We want the Rep/Senator to advocate for the inclusion of foreign assistance funding in FY26 appropriations! Our primary talking points remain the same: save funding, save expertise, save statutes, save US global influence.
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The ask
Any action to prevent the further illegal dismantling of USAID is a useful action at this time.
Here are a few ways you could phrase your call to action:
America first
"I am asking you to speak out about how the destruction of USAID will harm the American people, our economy, and our security."
Reform
"I urge you to insist on a meaningful plan to reform U.S. foreign assistance. What is happening now is chaotic, inconsistent, and reflects no meaningful review of evidence, consultation, or respect for existing laws. This makes America less safe, less secure, and less prosperous."
Appropriations
"Please leverage the upcoming appropriations process to ensure that the Administration spends funds for foreign aid as Congress intended, and that USAID remains funded for the next year."
Statutes
"I urge you to hold the Administration accountable for implementing laws that created USAID and established many of its programs."