Congressional Visits
Urgent action is needed 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 food security programs. 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
Please register so we can connect you with the right people and so you can receive important communications and resources to support your advocacy. 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, leading to the termination of 83% of USAID-funded programs globally. This caused 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.
In May, CRS received terminations for all three of the agency’s Food for Progress programs and eleven of CRS’ McGovern-Dole Food for Education programs, eliminating food security programs that provide meals for nearly 800,000 children each day.
The administration’s latest tactic to disrupt and international assistance is through rescissions, requesting Congress to cancel previously appropriated, or approved, funds. These funds were written into law by Congress to support vulnerable families and communities. These rescissions will affect lifesaving programs and reduce the U.S.'s leadership role in global humanitarian aid. If approved, the rescissions would undermine decades of work in serving the global community and fostering a peaceful and prosperous world.
Updated June 3.
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.
Make this ask to your members of Congress:
- Please protect lifesaving and life-affirming international humanitarian and development assistance. Please tell the administration to reverse terminations of CRS programs. Please oppose rescissions of all lifesaving and life-affirming programs and robustly fund poverty-reducing budget lines in the fiscal year 2026 appropriations.
Updated June 3.
This ask may change as the situation unfolds. If you are a leading a meeting with your member of Congress, please check here regularly or reach out to your CRS contact for the most up-to-date ask.
Why Advocate Now?
Help Keep Hope Alive
International assistance is crucial for protecting life, upholding human dignity and pursuing long-term solutions to the world’s toughest challenges. It’s a small yet smart investment that fosters economic opportunity, promotes peace and projects to the world the common values this country holds dear. Reducing funding means fewer people will receive essential aid, increasing suffering and the need for help.
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 June 3
- Legislative Meeting Talking Points - NEW June 3
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 June 3
- 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 June 3
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 June 3
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.
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 info@crs.org.