So You Have a New Member of Congress. Now What?

Getting to know your new elected officials early helps build relationships for the long haul.

Advocacy Resource

The 119th Congress includes twelve new senators and more than 60 new representatives. A list is available here.

The early days of a new congressional session offer opportunities for constituent advocates to get to know new members and their staff, and to introduce them to the work of FCNL and our priorities. Meeting with new members and their staff early, after they get settled, is crucial to building lasting relationships.

Use the resources on this page to make this first step in the relationship a little bit easier. Still have questions or want support? Email us at Lobby@fcnl.org. 

Two members of FCNL's Advocacy Corps meet with Congressional staff
Eric Bond

Tell FCNL about your relationships

Building relationships is the key to building change. Tell us about relationships you have with lawmakers and leaders in your community.

Who do you know?

Helpful Links

Resources

How to Meet with Congress

Introduction to FCNL

FCNL's 119th Congress Priorities

Legislative asks

Look up staff

Suggested Action Timeline

January: Do Your Homework

Read about your new member’s background and issue priorities. Sources for this include your member’s website, local news interviews, social media, and newsletter. Try to answer the following questions:

  1. What issues are you not seeing or hearing that you care about?
  2. Did your member hold local office? What was their track record?
  3. Who did your member appear to listen to in the community?
February: Schedule a Meeting

When engaging with your new member or their staff, having an education mindset can help to build relationships and trust. Members and their staff are learning A LOT of issues, fast. How can you and your community help educate the new office? What kind of expertise or experiences can you share to educate them on our legislative priorities?

A great time to meet with your representative is during a congressional recess. The 2024 February Recess runs from Friday, Feb. 14 to Friday, Feb. 21. You can use the resources above to schedule a meeting and share about FCNL and our work.

For your first meeting, we recommend learning what their policy priorities are, what they want to accomplish, and how FCNL can be a resource to them.

After your meeting, let us know how your visit went at this link.

March: Follow-Up on Your First Meeting

Follow-up on your first meeting in February by sending an email to thank the staffer or representative for their time.

April: Continue Your Advocacy

If you feel called, write a letter-to-the-editor recapping the first few months of your representative’s term to offer reflections and advice. You should share your letter, published or not, with the office.

Depending on the conversation in your first meeting, ask for a second with the District Director or a policy staffer to continue to build your relationship with the office.

If you have questions about additional advocacy opportunities, contact us at lobby@fcnl.org.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does my new member of Congress start working?

New members don’t get the keys to their office until they are sworn in. From November to that January start date, new members are in Washington, D.C. for orientation, learning the ropes, and beginning to hire some key staff. They officially get sworn into office on January 3.

When will I be able to look up staff who work for my new member of Congress based on the issues they work on?

FCNL will be updating our Staff Lookup Tool as quickly as we are able. But it is important to remember that most offices aren’t fully staffed until about March. If you are looking to contact a staff person who works on a particular issue, we suggest calling the office to ask for the name of the best person to reach out to. You can reach your new member’s office by dialing the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

When do we know the committee assignments of our new members of Congress?

Committee assignments are typically finalized in late January, though some assignments might happen sooner.  Your member of Congress will typically update their official House or Senate website once their assignments are finalized.

When will my member of Congress have their district office set up?

The timeline varies from member to member. Their official website will have the most up-to-date information. Once the district office is set up, we recommend a drop-by visit before scheduling a lobby visit to help introduce the office to FCNL.

Why hasn’t my member of Congress responded to my email message that I sent through their website or FCNL’s advocacy center?

New members of Congress get a lot of correspondence, and might not be fully staffed to until weeks after they are sworn in. We encourage proactive outreach to your member of Congress, but don’t be discouraged if it takes some time to hear back. And remember to always be polite. 

Should I take the first meeting I can get, or wait until the staffer is hired who handles the issue I want to discuss?

According to the Congressional Management Foundation, 66% of new member offices recommended waiting to request meetings with new members until staff are hired that focus on the issue your group would like to discuss. There’s no harm in requesting early, especially if you can get a meeting with your new member of Congress themselves but know that sometimes it is worth the wait!