How to Be Heard by Your Congressional Representatives
Remember - they work for you, not the other way around
America’s democracy is in a fight for survival with Republican far right-wing ideology, and the current president’s thirst for vengeance and revenge against imagined enemies.
Sadly, Iowa’s congressional delegation chooses not to stand with democracy and good government in this fight. Iowa’s congressional delegation stands with Trump. They have become a band of “Little Sir Echoes” too afraid of a primary challenge that might cause them to lose their jobs to utter even a syllable of disagreement with any of Trump’s dangerous nonsense - much less resist it.
Iowa’s congressional officials need to hear from Iowans on this battle which will ultimately decide whether our democracy survives. They are not representing the views of Iowans when they stand with Trump’s anti-democratic mayhem and chaos.
Their phones wouldn’t be ringing off the hook - and they are - if they were.
Here are some tips for getting your voice heard by your congressional representative or senator:
First, understand that they work for you. That doesn’t mean you get to boss them around - they work for thousands of other voters, too, who hold many differing views - but it does mean they need to respect you, your views and your opinion. That means they have an obligation to listen to you, whether that is making a staffer accessible to you to talk with, hearing you out a public meeting, meeting with you directly, or seeing that your calls and letters to them are seen and heard.
Write letters to them to share your views. E-mails, too. I know a lot of people are skeptical about the effectiveness of writing a letter, but it is absolutely worth doing. At the very least, letters get tallied and are reported weekly to the office holder. What they watch are the number of letters individual topics are generating; the number of letters received on each side of an issue; and a general summary of the content of all the letters.
Congressional representatives get thousands of letter a month, so it is not realistic to think an office holder will personally read every letter they get. But someone in their office will. They have staff to help them read the mail they receive, summarize it, tally it, report it, and work with them to draft replies to it.
That said, some letters do make it to the representative or senator’s desk. Here’s how to improve the odds of your letter being one of them:
Keep it relatively short, and on one topic.
Provide a unique perspective, with some facts and data not readily available elsewhere and that provide some special insight to the real world impact of the issue at hand.
Tell a story about your view of the problem or issue that makes your view more relatable.
Avoid form letters. They aren’t worthless, so if it’s all you’ve got, sure, go ahead and send one. But if you are sending a form letter, they know it. They likely have a tall pile of identical letters in the mailroom already. Form letters - and form postcards the sender merely signs - are not very effective. Do you really think the congressional office is going to put more effort into reading and responding to your correspondence than you did “writing” and sending it? Not likely.
Be respectful. Few disagreements are won in person by “helpfully” pointing out that the other fellow is an “idiot.” It doesn’t work any better in letter writing. Threatening and bullying language also don’t work and could get the police involved. So, if you are angry, simmer down before you write your letter.
If the reply you get to your letter is not responsive, send it back, and respectfully ask for one that actually answers your question. Again, remember: they work for you.
While a reply may be general and noncommittal - they are answering thousands of letters on a topic, and sometimes a simple “thank you for your views” letter is appropriate if they are still trying to decide - you deserve a response to questions you ask. Don’t hesitate to continue to ask for one if you aren’t getting an answer.
Call their office. The good news, in the current moment, is that a lot of people are doing this. The phones are ringing off the hook across Capitol Hill with angry constituents expressing their displeasure about “President” Elon Musk’s on-going rampage - all sanctioned by Trump, of course - and Trump’s on-going '“Vengeance, Retribution and Presidential Vandalism Tour.”
You are not likely to get connected with the office holder when you call, but a phone call arrives with a greater sense of urgency and intensity. It will be tabulated and reported daily, especially on particularly hot topics.
You can also ask to talk to the legislative assistant that works directly with the office holder on your particular issue of interest. You won’t always get connected to them, but you might, and they have the representative’s or senator’s ear on a daily basis.
Call their Washington, DC office or their home state/district offices. Maybe both. They both take, tabulate and report calls to the office holder, by issue, by position, and by volume.
Visit their office to share your views in Iowa or in Washington, DC. This is a significant step up from a telephone call. Congressional offices are public offices, public spaces. Visit them, ask to talk to the appropriate aide, and share your views. Calling ahead to make an appointment is a good idea, especially if you want to talk to a specific aide or the representative or senator. But you can also just stop in and talk with whoever is available. Like phone calls, these visits are tabulated and reported to the office holder at least weekly, sometimes daily, if volume warrants it.
Attend their public events. Ask questions, share your views. This is an opportunity for direct conversation, though the nature of the meeting means it will be a short conversation. Public officials who are on the wrong side of public opinion or th merits of an issue hate it when people do this, by the way. But if it is a public event, announced as such, you have a right to be there.
There can be complications. Be prepared for them. Senator Grassley, for example, has tried to dodge questions from all but the most friendly questioners by enlisting local police to keep people from other counties out of town meetings when no such restriction on attendance was announced.
Personally, I doubt the legality of that, and encourage you to consult an attorney - maybe even take one with you if you anticipate such a response - if the meeting has been billed as a town meeting or other pubic “listening” meeting.
In any event, go. They can only turn you away.
Be aware of another tactic Senator Grassley has used to avoid tough questions at public meetings. His tactic: a curt, generally non-responsive answer, followed by a loud “Next question!” shout, during which he turns away from the questioner.
If he tries that with you, remember - he works for you. Respectfully observe that you would like to have an actual answer to your question which he did not answer, before we move on to a next one.
If he doesn’t want to answer it, fine, but let’s not pretend that he did when he didn’t.
The bottom line is that he has an obligation to at least attempt an actual response. If he chooses not to provide an answer - that’s his prerogative. But it is also your right to politely note that he didn’t answer your question, and to request that he do so.
The unfortunate fact is that Iowa’s congressional delegation has inexplicably decided to abandon good government and support for democracy and turned into cheer leaders for Trump’s attack on democracy, and pursuit of retribution and vengeance; and also for Elon Musk’s looting of government data and issuing orders for which he has no authority to issue.
They need to hear from Iowans who see things more clearly, and who are willing to stand up for our democracy and good government even if they won’t.
WEEKLY OVERDUE FARM BILL TICKER - 497 DAYS: The number of days that have passed since the 2018 Farm Bill expired on September 30 2023m without Congress passing a new one. (Total days as of Sunday, 02/09/2025).
Two thirds of Iowa’s congressional delegation serves on the U.S. House and Senate Agriculture Committees.
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Thanks, Barry. I am trying to contact my representatives just about daily, because it is one thing I can do. This information is so helpful in how to effectively do that. I think we are in a fight for our lives and that we need everyone who believes that, actively participating. Thanks for your help!
An excellent phone app is 5 Calls which provides a script on a number of issues when placing a call to staffers. You provide your zip code and the app then gives you your rep’s and senators’ contact info. I suggest using the script as something to vamp off of rather than simply reading it aloud.
One other thing: I strongly suggest that legacy media need to attend and then report on this imperious attitude Grassley has displayed at these “town halls.” He’s obviously taken his cue from Trump regarding behavior towards challenging questions.