WE WON! Now what?

Photo of a group of people seated in chairs with one standing to ask a question to a man at the front of the room

It’s been three weeks since the ACA repeal bill failed in Congress, and we’re still just as excited about the power of the disability community to get things done. When you spoke out to save health care, your voice mattered – your calls, visits, emails, letters, and faxes to your Members of Congress had a huge impact.

Now it’s time to keep that momentum going! Congress is on recess, which means your Senators and Representative are back home for the rest of August. What do you want Congress to know about health care, education, and other important policy issues affecting the disability community? This is your chance to tell them!

Here’s how to speak your mind to your Members of Congress during the August recess:

  • Attend a public event. Your Members of Congress might be holding town hall meetings or other public events. These are excellent opportunities to directly ask questions and hold them accountable for their answers. To find out if there’s a town hall or other public event coming up near you, visit TownHallProject.com and type in your zip code.
  • Set up a meeting. Face-to-face meetings leave the strongest impression on Members of Congress and their staff. To find your Members of Congress’ local offices and make an appointment, visit contactingcongress.org and type in your ZIP code. Under the contact information for each Representative or Senator, there is a list of their local offices.You can go by yourself, or go with a group.

Script for setting up meetings
“My name is [Your Name] and I am a constituent of [Representative/Senator] [Name]. I would like to meet with the [Representative/Senator] or their staff during Congressional recess, to talk about [name one or two issues that matter to you]. Can we set up a time?”
Don’t forget: our Members of Congress work for us. That’s why it’s so important that they hear from the people they were elected to represent. If you’re happy with the way your Members of Congress have been representing you, let them know! If you want them to do better, let them know that too! To learn more about communicating with your Members of Congress, check out “They Work For Us,” which gives you more tools to get through to your elected officials.

For the last seven months, the disability community showed up to defend our rights, over and over again–and we won. When it seemed like we couldn’t get through to Congress, you made them listen. Now our Members of Congress are paying attention. What do you want them to do next? Make sure your elected officials get the message: Nothing about us, without us!