Each August, members of Congress return to their home districts and states for a prolonged recess, often holding town halls and making themselves available to meet with constituents. With fewer than three months until the November 5th elections, Members of Congress are particularly keen on hearing from their constituents, as many will be appearing on the ballot.
This August also comes as Congress continues to negotiate how the government will allocate federal funding in the coming fiscal year. Many of Congress’s spending decisions will have a tremendous impact on our communities’ capacity to successfully welcome refugees and other newcomers, as well as the U.S.’s ability to effectively respond to displacement around the world. Meanwhile, the Biden administration must consult with Congress to inform the Presidential Determination – or annual target for the number of refugees to welcome – before announcing the refugee admissions goal in September.
Here are three steps you can take this month to urge your elected officials to advance welcoming policies:
1. Meet With Your Members of Congress
As Members of Congress return to their home states and districts, August is an ideal time to schedule meetings with lawmakers and their staff in your own community. You can use this email template to reach out to the offices of your two senators and one representative.
To guide your meetings, you can refer to the CWS August Recess 2024 Policy Asks, which contain our current pro-immigrant, pro-refugee priorities, including policies to expand housing access and support unaccompanied children.
You can also attend town halls and local events hosted by your Members of Congress.
To discover Congressional events in your community, seek out the press releases or events sections of officials’ websites, sign up for their newsletters, and monitor their social media accounts.
2. Engage Electorally
With the November elections rapidly approaching, this month also presents abundant opportunities for civic engagement to amplify the electoral power of refugee and immigrant communities. Use the newly updated CWS Strengthening Welcome Through Civic Engagement Toolkit, and use and share the CWS virtual voter pledge card for New Americans.
3. Email and Call Your Members of Congress
Even if you aren’t able to meet with your members of Congress this August, you can still urge them to robustly fund key programs that serve many newcomer populations and to support access to safe, affordable housing for refugees and immigrants. See all of CWS’s latest action alerts here for more ways you can take action.