How to Talk to Your Reps This Week -- And Why You Should

There is a striking amount of pending business before the U.S. Congress, even as lawmakers takes a week-long recess their home states and districts following the Memorial Day holiday.

But that doesn't mean they're inaccessible -- in fact, they may be more available to hear from you, if you've got the time to do a little research. Many lawmakers are holding town hall meetings this week to hear directly from their constituents. And there's a lot for them to hear about, a lot for you to tell them.

Issues you may want to discuss with your Reps:

• Trump's budget, which boosts military and cuts many other programs

• The GOP health care bill, which passed the House and is now before the Senate

• Proposed budget cuts to the food stamp program

• The investigation into ties between the Trump administration and Russia, and Russia's meddling in the U.S. presidential election

• Whether the U.S. should stay in the Paris Climate Accord

• President Trump's executive actions

Here's how you can find out if, when and where your lawmakers are holding public events. Start by hitting your profile button on Countable. That'll immediately show you who your Senators and Representatives are. You can then go to their websites and see if they list a schedule of public town hall meetings. If not, go ahead and get in touch with their offices -- your best bet is to call the district office closest to where you live. Make sure you identify yourself as a constituent, and give your zip code. Lawmakers' offices keep track of such things.

Another option is to go to a site like the Town Hall Project. It does a good job of tracking when and where lawmakers are holding public town hall meetings, though this group definitely leans left. Here's what the Town Hall Project's 'About' section says:

"Town Hall Project empowers constituents across the country to have face-to-face conversations with their elected representatives. We are campaign veterans and first time volunteers. We come from a diversity of backgrounds and live across the country. We share progressive values and believe strongly in civic engagement. We research every district and state for public events with members of Congress. Then we share our findings to promote participation in the democratic process."

As always, you can use Countable to get directly in touch with your Reps. Just click that Take Action button and watch Countable do all the work!

Take Action
-- Andrea Seabrook

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(Photo Credit: Michael Vadon / via Flickr)