Congressional Visits
Congressional Visits
Join advocates across the U.S. in a collective effort to stand in solidarity with our global family and ensure the continuation of essential international aid. Take action now by participating in congressional visits and advocating for policies that protect lifesaving and life-affirming assistance. As people of faith, we are called to uphold the Catholic social teaching principle of Solidarity, which emphasizes the interconnectedness of all people and the responsibility to support one another, especially the most vulnerable. By participating in congressional visits, we can advocate for policies that promote human dignity and foster a world where all people can thrive.
Click on the blue dropdown bar in each section to view additional information.
Registration
If you’re interested in participating, please register so we can connect you with the right people and so you can also receive important communications and resources to support your meetings. View the registration form in Spanish.
* Please only fill out the registration form if you are 18 years of age or older. If you are a CRS High School Club member participating in visits, your CRS Club Advisor must fill out the form on behalf of your club.
Legislation
State of Play
On January 20, 2025, the new administration issued an executive order to review all international assistance and freeze Congressionally appropriated funds, including for lifesaving program. This led to stop-work orders on most USAID-managed programs and the termination of 83% of USAID-funded programs globally. These terminations and delays in fund disbursement had immediate and tragic impacts on millions of people worldwide, including halting critical vaccinations, leaving children and pregnant women without nutritional care, and restricting farmers’ ability to plant ahead of growing seasons. By April 19, 2025, CRS received termination notices for 69 poverty-reducing and lifesaving programs in over 30 countries.
Updated April 30.
Legislative Ask
During your legislative meeting, you/your group will share how the administration’s disruption of international humanitarian assistance has impacted millions of vulnerable people worldwide, including women and children. If Congress approves the administration’s request to rescind previously appropriated funds for humanitarian and development assistance, fewer people will receive lifesaving and life-affirming aid, and needs will continue to rise.
You’ll make this legislative ask to your members:
- Oppose rescissions of previously appropriated funds for lifesaving humanitarian and development assistance.
- Maintain current funding levels for poverty-reducing international assistance in fiscal year 2026 appropriations.
Updated April 30.
This ask may change as the situation unfolds. If you are a meeting lead, please check back here or reach out to your CRS contact for the most up-to-date ask.
Why Advocate NOW?
Help Keep Hope Alive
In the next phase of codifying spending cuts, the administration has requested Congress cancel previously approved funds for international humanitarian and development assistance through a process called rescissions. These funds were intended to support vulnerable families and communities by ensuring access to emergency food aid, helping smallholder farmers improve their crops, and strengthening community capacity to meet their own needs. Rescinding these funds means fewer people will receive lifesaving and life-affirming aid, and needs will continue to rise.
Congress is also assessing support for lifesaving aid in the fiscal year 2026 federal budget. Congress has traditionally supported international humanitarian and development funding. As the U.S. realigns its spending around the broad objectives of making America safer, stronger and more prosperous, we must ensure that lifesaving and life-affirming aid remains a central and contributing component of this strategy.
As people of faith, we seek systemic change through just policies and legislation that uphold human dignity and foster a world where all people can thrive. We can achieve this through consistent and sustained advocacy, steadily building strong bipartisan support in Congress to address global poverty and its root causes.
It’s important for constituents like you to engage with your legislators through in-person meetings. Research shows that these meetings are the most impactful advocacy action that you can take to influence decision-makers. This is your moment to act.
Meeting Preparation
Please review the legislative resources in preparation for your meetings:
- CRS Legislative Backgrounder - NEW April 30.
- Legislative Meeting Talking Points - NEW April 30.
Preparing for Visits
We recommend visits take place as soon as a meeting can be scheduled. If traveling for an in-person Senate meeting may not be ideal, virtual meetings are encouraged. Resources will be available as soon as possible, thank you for your patience as materials are rolled out.
- Meeting Lead Checklist in English (View in Spanish)
- Congressional Office Outreach Email Template - NEW April 30.
- Bilingual Congressional Visits Planning Worksheet
Legislative Materials
We recommend emailing the respective Send Ahead/Leave Behinds to congressional offices prior to your visit, in addition to handing staff a printed copy during an in-person meeting.
- CRS Send Ahead/Leave Behind - NEW April 30.
After Visits are Complete
Step 1: Log Your Visits: Prior to your meeting, designate a specific person who will be responsible for reporting the congressional visit back to CRS, preferably a chapter member or club advisor who has access to the CRS Chapter Community. That person should include insights, lessons learned and meeting notes when reporting. This helps us better track which offices have received visits so we can provide appropriate follow-up, if necessary.
Step 2: Send a Thank You: The meeting lead or a designated person from your group should send the email as soon as possible after your visit.
- Thank You Email Templates - NEW April 30.
Congressional Meeting Debrief
Consider leading a short debrief session to celebrate and honor the work your group has done and to learn and grow together. Watch the recording Effective Debriefing After a Congressional Visit for insight on this process.
Learning Opportunities
You are invited to join or watch the recording of these events to learn more information and to continue building your skills as an advocate and leader.
Meeting Leads Training
This one-hour training is for anyone interested in leading a legislative meeting, or to learn more about how to lead a visit.
Watch the Meeting Leads Training recording.
If you indicated interest in leading the meeting on the registration form, a CRS staff member will reach out to you soon to provide additional support and guidance.
Q&A Sessions
These optional one-hour sessions are an opportunity to ask questions from CRS Government Relations staff about the legislative asks or about conducting effective legislative meetings.
Summer sessions will be posted when available.
Coming soon.
Conducting Effective Meetings
- Getting Past Gatekeepers: Congressional Schedulers’ Advice for Meeting Requests Video.
- How to Meet with Your Member of Congress.
- How to Meet with Your Member of Congress Video Training.
- 5 Quick Tips to Avoid Sounding Scripted.
- House District Directors on the Do’s and Don’ts of In-State Meetings Video.
- Strategies to Influence Undecided Lawmakers Video.
- Effective Debriefing After a Congressional Visit Video Training.
Building Relationships
- Congressional Champion Scale.
- Building Relationships with Members of Congress Workshop.
- How to Build Relationships With Lawmakers Back Home Video.
Communicating with Congress
- What Congress is Looking for in Constituent Communications Video.
- Perceptions and Use of Social Media on Capitol Hill Video.
How Congress Works
Questions
Thank you for joining in this united effort to enact change in our world! If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to your CRS staff contact or email [email protected].
