Thoughts on Congressional Mail

The topic of constituent correspondence can evoke many different thoughts and opinions from Members of Congress and their staff. There are numerous approaches one can take and it really is a matter of determining what works best. With the proliferation of email, its volume can be daunting if not overwhelming. However, I encourage you to consider looking at the topic of constituent correspondence or “mail” as an opportunity and to “Make it matter.”

One of the first decisions Members have to make is the scope of mail to which they will provide a response. Most offices respond to all appropriate constituent correspondence. Responses usually mirror the form of the correspondence received. For example, a constituent who sends an email receives one in return. Most members do not respond to non-constituent correspondence. However, a member may choose to respond to non-constituent correspondence from state residents who reside outside of the Congressional district. This practice can pay dividends down the road should the district be redrawn, or the Member choose to run for state-wide office or the U.S. Senate.

The office mail system should be organized in a fashion that letters from other government officials, invitations, meeting requests, and other timely communications such as constituent casework are quickly identified and processed by the appropriate staff. It also should be quickly distributed to the responsible staff and offices should avoid creating a review process with too many layers.

One objective should always be to provide a timely response to constituent correspondence; some offices also provide written responses to constituent phone calls. Offices typically prepare auto-responses to acknowledge receipt of emails. Additionally, given the sheer volume of correspondence, offices rely heavily upon form letters, which provide a general response to concerns about a particular issue. Sometimes they are quite broad, for example, a form letter regarding the national debt ceiling or taxes, and sometimes they are a little narrower, for example, to all of the constituents that wrote in favor or against a specific measure.

In either case, the form letter should be seen as an opportunity to share the Member’s views, actions, or accomplishments on a particular issue. Moreover, future updates on the issue can be sent to the recipients of a particular form letter. For example, those who are concerned about the national debt ceiling could be updated after the issue has been resolved. Form letters, like all correspondence, should be written carefully and regularly updated as they can become public and be further disseminated. As for the content of form letters, it is ideal to use the Member’s own words from floor remarks, a press release, or an op-ed.

As for more narrowly tailored correspondence or communications on several issues, individual responses are necessary. Sometimes, content from one or more form letters can be utilized to craft an individual response. In other cases, a unique response must be crafted or the matter must be forwarded to an agency or another government official. This correspondence often takes longer.

In my experience, there are a few practices that can help ensure timely responses are provided. One is to ensure the appropriate people are involved in the crafting of form letters; these could include the Legislative Correspondent (LC), Legislative Assistant, Legislative Director, Press Secretary, District Director, and, depending on their preference, the Member. Once the form letters have been approved, they should updated regularly. To ensure they are, someone should review them regularly and time should be taken during the legislative staff meetings to raise the question or whether any of them need to be updated. While this involves a lot of work, it will pay dividends because those form letters can then be used every day by the LC, Staff Assistant, and Intern to provide quick responses to constituents.

Another practice that can help ensure timely responses is to have the Staff Assistants and Interns involved in the mail system. They can help make grammatical, stylistic, or other minor corrections that have been identified during the mail review process. They also can help draft responses, particularly if there is a document with fields that can be filled in easily. For example, let’s say several people have written in support of H.R. 1969, the Budget Reform Act of 2023. Below is a basic response, which I refer to as a “status letter.” Status letters can be written fairly quickly and an office may wish to make it a practice to have the Staff Assistants or Interns write them each day.

“Thank you for taking the time to share your support for/opposition to H.R. 1969, the Budget Reform Act of 2023. As you may know, that measure would make certain changes to the Congressional budget process, such as requiring that Congress pass a budget on a biennial, rather than an annual basis.

H.R. 1969 has been referred to the House Budget Committee for its consideration. Please know that I have noted your views on this measure and will keep them in mind as the legislative process continues.

Thanks, again, for being in touch. I trust you will not hesitate to let me know if I can be of further assistance.”

While the brevity of a status letter may disappoint some constituents, I believe that on balance, it is better to get a response out quickly noting that the concern has been heard. Additionally, status letters work well if you track the bills and do unsolicited follow-up status letters after significant steps in the legislative process. For example:

“Given your interest in H.R. 1969, the Budget Reform Act of 2023, I thought you would like to know that I have carefully reviewed that important legislation and have decided to become a cosponsor.

????? Please know that I share your desire to improve the Congressional budget process and will work to see H.R. 1969 enacted during the 117th Congress.”

Similar forms can be developed to provide updates after committee markups, floor consideration, and enactment. If a Member has issued a press release or made floor remarks, copies or links to those items can be included as appropriate.

Another best practice for responses to constituent correspondence is to personalize the letter when possible. If a constituent mentions that they are a veteran, first responder, educator, or part of another appropriate service profession, it is very easy to add a sentence thanking them for their service. Likewise, when a constituent mentions they are a student, it is easy to wish them well as they continue their education. Finally, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a wonderful resource and when a constituent is deeply interested in an issue, it can be a nice touch to send them a link to or copy of a relevant CRS Report.

With careful planning, advance work, and a good system, you can take advantage of the opportunities provided by constituent correspondence and serve your principal well. You may never be able to achieve a zero-mail count, but you can get it under control and manageable. In any case, remember to “Make it matter.”