Grassroots Advocacy Training

March 6 - 7, 2011
Cesar Chavez School for Public Policy · Washington, DC

 

Congressional Meeting Thank You Letter
Template for Email or Fax

Copy and paste the following template to send Thank You Letters to the Congressional Offices you met with on March 7. You should email the letter directly to the staffer you met with and/or fax it to the office.

Contact information for your Members of Congress, including the fax number and the name of the scheduler, can be found at congress.org

Make sure your personalize the letter. Feel free to add or remove bullet points as is relevant to your own meetings. It is recommended that this letter be sent within one week of your meeting.

Follow-up your letter with a phone call to make sure the staffer received it and is preparing a response. Book another meeting in Washington or with your Representative's local District Office.

DATE

The Honorable ____[NAME OF REP/SENATOR]_____
United States House of Representatives/United States Senate
House/Senate Office Building _______
Washington, DC 20515/20510

Dear Representative/Senator:

I am writing to thank YOU/YOUR staff, ____[NAME OF STAFF]____, for taking time out of HIS/HER busy schedule to meet with us about the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli defense Force’s use of US weapons, and the importance of Israeli-Palestinian peace-making. It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to discuss these issues in person on Monday, March 7, 2011.

Our group included __[number]___ constituents from ____[state/congressional district]____. We represent a large and diverse portion of our community and we thank you for taking our concerns seriously. Please update me on your work on the following issues which we discussed in our meeting:

  • We ask Members of Congress to offer amendments to the budget/appropriations bill to condition military aid to Israel to prevent U.S. weapons from being misused, as detailed in enclosed memo. The website www.aidtoisrael.org documents how much military aid your state and Congressional district will be providing under the terms of the 2007 agreement between the United States and Israel, and what that money could fund instead to promote affordable housing, green jobs training, education programs, and health care access.  Please take a look at the numbers.

    Military aid to Israel does not work to promote a just and lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis. In fact, it does the opposite, by literally “fueling” the conflict (as documented in a 2009 Amnesty International report). Israel routinely misuses U.S. weapons in violation of the Arms Export Control Act to commit human rights abuses against Palestinians and to maintain its illegal military occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip.

    What actions has your office taken to raise these questions in the appropriations process?
  • We ask members of Congress to not sign letter linking more military aid to Israel with the success of the "Peace Process." While we agree that U.S. leadership is essential in pursuit of a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians, sending more U.S. military aid to Israel at this time does not suit that purpose.  The $3.075 billion in military aid in the FY2012 budget request does not work to promote a just and lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis. In fact, it does the opposite, by literally “fueling” the conflict (as documented in a 2009 Amnesty International report of that title). Rather than signaling to Israel that the U.S. will continue to overlook its own laws and ethics, we should ensure that taxpayer aid is used in ways that are legal and ethical.

    Please let me know if your office has agreed to not sign this letter. 
  • We ask Members of Congress to send Secretary of State Clinton a letter asking for the State Department to investigate Israel's possible violations of the AECA through its misuse of high-velocity tear gas canisters and other “riot control equipment.” Members of Congress have a responsibility to ensure that the laws they pass are followed. The AECA restricts the use of U.S. weapons to “internal security” or “legitimate self-defense.” Several U.S. citizens have been gravely injured by high-velocity tear gas canisters, and a number of Palestinians have been killed after being hit with the canisters or inhaling the gas. 

    What action has your office taken to ask the State Department to investigate these violations of the AECA?
  • We ask Members of Congress to send a letter to the Inspector General of the IRS asking it to investigate organizations that support illegal Israeli settlements. Non-profit organizations registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as 501c3 organizations are supposed to be charitable and educational in nature.  However, many 501c3 organizations exist to support Israel’s illegal settlements and operate in ways counter to IRS regulations to finance their distinctly non-charitable purposes.  Individuals donating to 501c3 organizations are allowed by law to take a tax-deduction.  Therefore, money going to these organizations deprives the U.S. Treasury of badly needed tax receipts. 

    Members of Congress have a responsibility to ensure that charitable organizations are not fraudulently taking advantage of the tax code to funnel money to non-charitable purposes that conflict with IRS regulations, U.S. law and policy, and international law. 

    What action has your office taken to ask the IRS to investigate these violations of US law?

As the materials we left at your office demonstrate, the issue of Israeli-Palestinian peace is a crucial question for our government. We represent a growing consensus in our community that the status quo has resulted in far too much pain and suffering and that the US government must take an active and even-handed role in pursuing peace with justice. This requires that not only Palestinian actors, but also the Israeli government be held responsible for its actions. The above actions are the least you can do at this time.

Again, we thank ____[YOU/NAME OF STAFF]____ for ____[YOUR/HIS/HER]____ time and consideration. I am happy to send additional materials and supporting documents like those we left at your office on Monday, March 7. Should you or ____[NAME OF STAFF]____ have any questions or need additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me, ____[name], [phone number], [email]____.

I expect responses to each of the issues outline above. I also look forward to a follow-up meeting and further work with you on this critical issue.

Sincerely,


[YOUR NAME]____
[YOUR TITLE/ORGANIZATION]____



This event sponsored by:
Interfaith Peace-Builders and the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation

Endorsed by:
American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Christian Peacemaker Teams - Palestine, CODEPINK: Women for Peace, the Fellowship of Reconciliation, Friends of Sabeel - North America, Friends of Tent of Nations - North America, the Islamic Circle of North America, ICNA Council for Social Justice, the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions - USA, Jewish Voice for Peace, the Middle East Research and Information Project, the National Peace Foundation, Students for Justice in Palestine (American University), and the Washington Peace Center


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