Resources for congressional meetings
Let us know if you'll be in Washington, D.C.
If you're an APS member visiting Washington, D.C., and would like to speak out for science, we want to hear from you! Fill out our form to indicate your interest in meeting with your members of Congress or their staff while you're in D.C., and the APS Government Affairs team will get in touch to help you set up and prepare for your meetings.
Effective Meetings with Congress
How to advocate for federal science funding
Meeting with your Senators’ and Representative’s offices is one of the most impactful actions you can take.
Share one-pagers on science funding at your meeting
Policy one-pagers can help guide you in your meeting, though they are not a script that you must follow. You can email them to staff before your meeting, and you should also download and print out a hard copy to leave after an in-person meeting.
Find data on federal research and development funding
APS science policy data dashboards present a new approach to using publicly available data to highlight various impacts of federal R&D investments in the United States, including at the state, district, and institutional level.
Already had your meeting?
Share the outcomes of your congressional meeting with APS to help us strategize.
Meet with members of Congress
APS has resources to assist you in contacting your elected officials and scheduling a meeting with them or their relevant staff. Get started with our template and then review our tip sheet to make the most of your meeting and effectively advocate for policies that will advance the needs of the scientific community.
- Find your elected officials
Look up your Senators and Representatives and go to their official government website. Procedures for requesting a meeting may vary by office, but you can usually reach them through a web form or email address.
- Request a meeting
If you wish, when requesting a meeting, you can use the APS Government Affairs team's email template. You may need to follow up if you don't get a response within three to seven days.
- Prepare for your meeting
When meeting with policymakers and their staff, a well-crafted and practiced message helps your argument be heard and understood. Follow our tips for effective meetings and join our webinar to ensure you're prepared.
- Most importantly, follow through
After the meeting, share your meeting results with APS to help our community strategize. Within a week, send a thank you email or note to the person you met with. This can be a good opportunity to include any additional information or materials you wanted to share with the office.
More ways to advocate for science
Join APS and your community by standing for science.
Join APS in speaking out for our community. Stand with us for science.
Take action for the scientific community by contacting your elected officials about important issues.
Develop an effective advocacy plan for a policy issue you want to take action on, including identifying relevant actors and allies.
Through writing op-eds and letters to the editor, APS members educate the public and compel lawmakers to take action for physics.
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