How to Contact Congress

Also see

• Congress by the Numbers - including current party numbers in Congress

• Congress Profile: The Backgrounds and Groups Among Members of Congress

• Congress Seating Charts

• Congressional Documents Online

• Congressional Fellowship and Internship

• Congressional Pay and Perks

• Congressional Schedule

• Congressional leadership and committees

  • Leadership of the current Congress - with photos

• How a Bill Becomes Law

• Pocket Constitution

• Senate Classes: Terms of Service

• Terms of Congress

• Visiting Washington, DC

• What's the deal with....

• For an alphabetized listing of Members of Congress, see our Congressional Directory.

Please note that since September 11, 2001, regular mail sent to a member's Washington, DC office is irradiated and that process adds one to two weeks to mailing time.  Faxes get through, but expect many redials. Unless you have an email address for a staffer, forget about sending email directly. One method that does work is to send email using the web-based form on each member's web site.  And remember, members of Congress want to hear from THEIR CONSTITUENTS so indicate your mailing address. Mail and email from non-constituents is usually ignored.

Alphabetical listing of House members with links to their web sites - from the House of Representatives.

Alphabetical listing of Senators with links to their web sites - from the U.S. Senate web site.

Or see Contacting the Congress web site by Juan Cabanela

Couriers are delivering to the Hill, but are expensive.  Mail sent to a district office will eventually get through, but it is slow. 

Phone calls are best if you are pressed for time. Capitol Switchboard:  202-224-3121.

One thing that has not changed regardless of how you contact your representatives: all members' primary concern is for their own constituents. So, regardless of how you contact your Senators or your Representative, be sure to include your name and address showing that you are one of their constituents.

If you do send a letter, the more effort that you put into the letter, for example, neatly handwriting it, the more impact it will have.  Shorter, succinct letters focusing on one point have more impact than longer rambling letters.

The basic advice is still the same: Write, then call, then meet in person.

 

You don't like the current defense spending levels? Upset about the nation's health care system? Don't think the government should invest in the space station?

Write your congressman and tell him or her what you think. You won't be alone: Congress in recent years has been receiving more than 86.9 million pieces of mail annually. This does not even include the faxes and email, which no one counts officially.

About a dozen times a day, Postal Service trucks pull up to the Longworth and Hart office buildings where mail handlers unload big sacks of letters, packages, and most of all, mass-mailed postcards.

The increases on both sides of the Capitol are due to the prevalent use on computerized mass-mailings. In many cases, organizations provide a stamped, addressed postcard with the message already written. All the sender must do is sign his or her name and put it in a mailbox.

In general, Monday is the busiest day of the week, while January through May are the heaviest months. Volume drops off in the summer and does not pick up in the fall unless Congress returns for a lengthy fall session.

Writing Tips

• Different offices prefer different methods of communication.  Some offices prefer regular mail, while other offices prefer email.  If you send regular mail, handwritten can be more effective than typed correspondence if it is neat, and, like all correspondence, courteous, brief, and to the point.
  

• Write to your own senators or representative. Letters sent to other members will end up on the desk of members from your state.
  

• Make sure your zip code appears on the letter. It lets your senators or representative know that you live in their district.
  

• Write at the proper time, when a bill is about to be discussed in committee or on the floor.
  

• Use your own words and your own stationery. Avoid signing and sending a form letter.
  

• Be brief. Members get lots-o-mail. One page, two or three paragraphs.
  

• Don't be a "pen pal." Don't try to instruct the representative on every issue that comes up.
  

• Don't demand a commitment before all the facts are in. Bills rarely become law in the same form as they are introduced.
  

• Whenever possible, identify all bills by their number.
  

• If possible, include pertinent editorials from local newspapers.
  

• Be constructive. If a bill deals with a problem you admit exists but you believe the bill is the wrong approach, tell what you think the right approach is.
  

• Be courteous. No one, including a member, responds favorably to rudeness or threats.
  

• If you have expert knowledge or wide experience in particular areas, share it with the member. But don't pretend to wield vast political influence.
  

• Be appreciative. Write to the member when he or she does something you approve of. A note of appreciation will make him or her remember you more favorably the next time.
  

• Feel free to write when you have a question or problem dealing with procedures of government departments.
  

• Write legibly and use the proper form of address:
  

  • Letters to Senators

    your name, address and zip code
    
    Honorable (full name)
    United States Senate
    Washington, DC  20510
    
    Dear Senator (last name):
    (body of letter)

    Sincerely yours,
    
     

  • Letters to Representatives

    your name, address and zip code
    
    Honorable (full name)
    House of Representatives
    Washington, DC  20515
    
    Dear (Mr. or Ms.) (last name):
    (body of letter)

    Sincerely yours,

   

• Follow up with a phone call or visit. House of Representatives: 202-225-3121 Senate: 202-224-3121
   

Quick DC Links - Washington Essentials

URL:  TheCapitol.Net/FAQ/uc2_7.htm
 

Related Resources

Live Courses

Congress in a Nutshell: Understanding Congress

Capitol Hill Workshop

Congressional Dynamics and the Legislative Process

Audio Courses

Publications