With the federal budget in continual flux and a new Congress in session, it’s never been more important to maintain strong working relationships with your federal advocates in Washington, D.C. Your congressional delegation wants to help you, but you must help them first.
So what does this entail?
Communication
To build support with your congressional delegation, you must maintain frequent communication with your elected representatives and staff from relevant agencies, as they will be even more effective advocates for your community if they are kept well-informed.
That being said, it is important to develop strong ties with not only the congressional members themselves, but also their staff. While it is not made widely known, congressional staff can be extremely helpful resources when trying to navigate the maze of the federal government. Although they can rarely guarantee a specific grant or legislative outcome, they can help you obtain reliable federal information, order agency forms, avoid common applications errors that local governments make when requesting federal assistance, and inquire on your behalf with federal agency staff.
Staying in contact with your member shows that you are aware of what they are doing and can lead to their assistance providing letters of support or pressure on federal agencies if you are being given the cold shoulder. One tried and tested way to keep an office apprised of the developments inside and pressing issues facing your community is to provide them with a short, quarterly newsletter.
Capitol Hill Visit
Visiting your delegation in Washington is regarded by most municipal lobbyists as a critical step towards any effective advocacy effort. A visit associates a personality with project requests and allows officials to discuss your community’s needs in a less formal, more impactful way.
While you shouldn’t expect to get much time with your Representatives or Senators (in many cases you may only meet with congressional staff), do not be dissuaded by what may seem like a snub. Each congressional members’ time is strained and their legislative schedule may prohibit a meeting on the day(s) you are in Washington.
It is vitally important that representatives from your community not only meet with congressional offices but also visit those executive branch agencies from which your community may seek funding or assistance. Typically local officials should consider visiting Washington at least one time per year, but additional trips may be beneficial in some cases.
Be A Reliable Partner
Before a congressional office can support a local project or initiative, it must carefully review it to determine whether it meets federal requirements, whether it is a good use of taxpayer funds, and whether it will provide sufficient local/regional/national benefit. That is why the onus is on your community to develop sound projects that are “shovel ready” and backed with local funding. Members of Congress and program managers would much rather help a local government complete a project than start one from scratch.
Begin a technical review of your community’s known capital needs or proposed projects/initiatives and begin preparing or updating briefing materials for each. In light of what is expected to be a chaotic year, you must be ready to move quickly to take advantage any funding opportunity that presents itself.
Say Thanks!
Building a relationship with an office is the best way to make your voice heard on Capitol Hill. And while a meeting gets your foot in the door - it’s in the follow-up that you’re going to see results. Follow up with the office by sending a thank you letter to the Member or staffer you met with, along with along any additional information and materials you pledged to provide.
About James Alfano
Prior to joining Gov1, James was a founding editor of the FundBook, a free information resource read by over 10,000 local governments and two-thirds of Congress. He also served as Grants Director at the Washington D.C.-based municipal lobbying firm, Marlowe & Company.