The Burma Act of 2021 is here! Rep. Gregory Meeks formally – and finally! – introduced the Burma Act of 2021 in the House of Representatives.
The introduction of this bill is a tribute to your hard work. Over the past few months, we have ramped up our email, phone calls, and Zoom meetings with our Members of Congress. Now, let’s ensure that our Members of Congress sign up as original co-sponsors the Burma Act of 2021.
Lead sponsored by Senator Ben Cardin and Rep. Gregory Meeks, the new Burma bills will, not only sanction and hold accountable the Myanmar military but also provide support to Burmese civil society and much-needed humanitarian assistance directly to the Myanmar people.
Click here today to urge your U.S. senators and representative to co-sponsor the Burma Act of 2021.
Please follow up your message in these four easy – yet powerful – ways.
Follow up #1: email your U.S. representative
Find the name of your U.S. representative’s legislative director by simply searching under the name of your representative and the term “legislative director.” When you have the name, the staffer’s email will be simply [first name].[last name]@mail.house.gov (Don’t leave out the period between the first and last name.)
You may wish to use a succinct and direct subject line such as: “Please co-sponsor the Burma Act of 2021”
Start your message with a mention of where you live in the state. Feel free to include a sentence or two on why you care about Myanmar and provide your address to show you live in the district. Please use or adapt the following text in your email. Please blind copy (bcc) us on your email at [email protected].
I ask that my representative co-sponsor and support the Burma Act of 2021 introduced by Rep. Gregory Meeks. To sign on as an original co-sponsor, please contact Anubhav Gupta in Rep. Meeks’s office at [email protected] by 10am on Tuesday, September 28th.
The US. Congress must show leadership in forcing the Burmese army to stand down from its coup d’etat and release all civilian government and civil society figures from detention.
Please write back and tell me what actions my represenatative will take in response to the Myanmar military’s coup d’etat. Thank you.
If you receive a reply, forward it to us at [email protected].
Follow up #2: call your representative’s office
- Search online for your U.S. representative’s Washington, DC, phone number or call through the Congressional Switchboard at (202) 224-3121
- When you reach the office, ask to be connected directly to the staffer responsible for foreign policy either in person or on their voicemail.
- Simply tell the staffer – in person or on their voicemail – that you want your representative to co-sponsor the Burma Act of 2021. (Ask them to contact Anubhav Gupta in Rep. Meeks’s office at [email protected] to sign up as a co-sponsor.)
- Leave your name, number, and city of residence to indicate that you live in the congressional district.
- Follow up with an email to the staffer and blind copy (bcc) us at [email protected]
- Email us at [email protected] and tell us how your calls went. (And please tell us of any changes or additions to your representative’s staffers.)
Follow up #3: Check out our training sessions. Our Manager of our Campaign for a New Manager, Mike Haack, leads training sessions for the best ways to communicate with Congress and other elected officials. They are held on Sundays at 6:00 pm US EDT and Tuesdays at 9:00 pm US EDT. Simply join the Zoom call using this short link: https://www.tinyurl.com/CallCongress4Burma. You can also email Mike with any questions at [email protected].
Follow up #4: Join our lobbying efforts. We can support you with setting up Zoom meetings with the top staff of your Members of Congresss. Again, contact Mike Haack, from the Campaign for a New Myanmar, to take part of that at [email protected].
Just one meeting, email, or phone call from a constituent can make a difference. Your Members of Congress need to know that you want Congress to act. The people of Myanmar can’t wait any longer.