Formosan Association for Public Affairs: YPG » Participation

Lobby Congress

“The most important political office is that of private citizen.”—Louis Dembitz Brandeis

“Politics should be the part-time profession of every citizen.”— Dwight Eisenhower

At its core, FAPA YPG, like FAPA, is an organization dedicated to advocacy for Taiwan: In political terms, we lobby Congress for support and improvement of US-Taiwan relations. To fulfill our mission, we need your voice in every state. As constituents, our duty is to educate our elected representatives so that they can represent us.

How to Lobby

Update: Our FAPA YPG Advocacy Handbook is now available! More than twenty pages of the best comprehensive information on supporting Taiwan on Capitol Hill can now be at your fingertips at anytime. Read, learn, print, and distribute. Download the Advocacy Handbook [.pdf]!

Advocating for Taiwan can be as simple as writing an email or making a phone call. Due to government security restrictions and the resultant delay, we recommend that you communicate with your Congressional representative via email, phone, or fax rather than postal mail.

Use the Senate and House of Representatives websites (see below) to obtain contact information for your representatives. The Senate website allows you to “Find Your Senators” by selecting your state from a dropdown menu near the top right corner of the page. The House of Representatives website provides a “Write Your Representative” form that forwards your message to your Representative.

If you are still unsure about what, where, and whom to write, you can also use FAPA’s Capwiz website, which provides information on current issues, a “Featured Alert,” and a “Find Your Officials” tool. Capwiz essentially guides you through the steps of writing a well-informed, up-to-date, and efficient message—a crucial skill for any lobbyist.

Lobbying Etiquette

Remember to communicate the following information in your message:

You are a constituent (or an inhabitant of the district/state); i.e., explain your connection to the Senator or Representative.
You are a member of FAPA YPG, a national grassroots advocacy organization.
You are contacting your representative to express your concern about the U.S.-Taiwan relationship. We recommend that you read our Issues of Concern in U.S.-Taiwan Relations in the 111th Congress so that you can raise two or three specific issues.
If your representative is not a member of the Taiwan Caucus, ask him/her to consider joining. Stress that the Taiwan Caucus is not anti-China, it is merely an email list that forwards information to its members so that they can learn more about the U.S.-Taiwan relationship. View the list of Taiwan Caucus Members [.pdf].
If your representative is a member of the Senate or Congressional Taiwan Caucus or has supported Taiwan in the past, thank him/her. View the 111th Congressional Taiwan Record [.pdf].

“What?! What about lobbying on Capitol Hill?”

If you prefer to lobby in person, request an appointment with your representative’s foreign affairs aide via email, phone, or fax. Include the first two pieces of information from above (your identity and organization) and available times/dates. Remember that members of Congress usually have local offices, so you don’t have to wait until you’re in Washington, D.C. to make an appointment.

Sample Email

To Whom It May Concern:

I am a constituent of Indiana and a member of Formosan Association for Public Affairs Young Professional Group (FAPA YPG), a grassroots advocacy organization with 55 chapters across the nation. I would like to schedule an appointment with Senator Lugar’s foreign affairs aide next Monday or Tuesday afternoon to discuss the U.S.-Taiwan relationship, which greatly concerns me. Please let me know what would work for your office.

Sincerely,
George Washington Lee

Appointment Etiquette

Dress in business attire.
Bring two copies of all documents, which should include:
- Issues of Concern in U.S.-Taiwan Relations in the 111th Congress [.pdf].
- Congressional Taiwan Caucus Members [.pdf].
When you meet the Congressional aide, shake his/her hand and give him/her your YPG business card if you have one. Be sure to obtain one of the aide’s cards as well.
Give one set of documents to the aide so that she/he can follow along.
Focus on two to four specific issues. If the aide has time, briefly cover the remaining issues. If the aide asks you a question about which you’re unsure, be honest: Not knowing is not a problem. Say, however, that you will research the answer and report back to the aide—and then do it.
Ask the aide if you can follow up with him/her via phone call or email in one week, after she/he has had time to talk to your Senator or Representative.
Thank the aide for meeting with you.
When one week has elapsed, use the aide’s business card to identify his/her contact information and follow up! If you are following up via email, attach the documents (if they exist in electronic form) that you showed the aide during your appointment.

I need moral support! Where are my fellow YPG constituents?

You’re in luck! YPG has a program called “Lobbying Buddies” that pairs/groups YPG members together for lobbying visits. Ideally, we match veteran lobbyists and newcomers to build confidence in the latter. If anxiety about not knowing what to do is holding you back from visiting your Congressional offices, we strongly recommend that you join our program by emailing bu...@ypg.fapa.org. We also urge experienced lobbyists to volunteer and help fellow YPG members in this area.