Who to Call and Email Today | April 21
A weekly guide to the federal offices that need to hear from constituents right now with clear asks, simple scripts, and a good place to start.
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Congress passed only a 10-day extension of Section 702, through April 30.
Senate Republicans say a massive new funding package for ICE and Border Patrol could begin moving as early as this week.
The House passed a bill to extend TPS protections for Haitians for three years, and it now heads to the Senate while the Supreme Court prepares to hear the Haiti and Syria TPS cases on April 29.
H.R. 1897, a bill that would make significant changes to the Endangered Species Act, is on the House floor schedule this week. Like always with this administration, there is a lot moving at once to try to divide our attention.
How to reach your offices
Start with your own three: your two U.S. senators and your House member.
The Senate contact page helps you find senators by state. The House ZIP code finder helps you find your representative. The House has no central public email list for members, so your member’s own contact form, linked from their page, is the best way to get their attention. If calling is easier, the Capitol switchboard is (202) 224-3121.
Calls are the fastest way to register pressure. Emails create a written record. When possible, do both. Call first, then send a short email repeating the same ask. Use your ZIP code, ask for a clear position, then move to the next office.
If there is only time today for a few contacts, start with Section 702, ICE funding, and H.R. 1897. Those are the clearest places where resident pressure can land at the right moment this week.
Here is where our voices are most needed right now:
Section 702 surveillance | Time is ticking
Congress couldn’t agree on a long-term renewal of Section 702, the surveillance law that gives the government broad authority to collect communications, and passed only a short extension through April 30.
The fight now is over whether Congress will renew it cleanly or attach reforms, especially a warrant requirement protecting Americans’ communications from warrantless searches. The Senate also began the process on a separate three-year FISA extension bill, which means this is still very much in play this week.
Congress needs to also close the data broker loophole, which allows agencies to buy sensitive commercial data, including location and other personal data, without the warrant requirement that would normally apply. If lawmakers renew surveillance powers while leaving that loophole open, they’re not really solving the underlying privacy problem.
The April 30 deadline is quickly approaching.
Who to contact: Both senators first, then your House member.
What to ask: Oppose a clean extension of Section 702. Support a warrant requirement for searches involving Americans’ data, and close the data broker loophole that allows agencies to buy sensitive personal data without a warrant.
Phone script: “Hello, I’m a resident of [ZIP code]. I’m calling to ask [Senator/Representative Name] to oppose a clean extension of Section 702 and support a warrant requirement for searches involving Americans’ communications. Please log my message and let me know the office’s position. Please also support closing the data broker loophole so agencies cannot buy Americans’ sensitive data without a warrant.”
Email subject: Resident asking for Section 702 reform
Email body: Dear [Senator/Representative Name], I am a resident of [city or ZIP code]. Congress passed only a 10-day extension of Section 702, and that deadline is April 30. I am asking you to oppose a clean reauthorization and support a warrant requirement for searches involving Americans’ communications. Please let me know where you stand on this issue. Thank you, [Name]
ICE and Border Patrol funding | Reconciliation is the backdoor
Senate Republicans are preparing legislation that could begin moving this week to fund ICE and Border Patrol through the end of Trump’s term. The expected cost is more than $50 billion over three years. What makes this particularly urgent is the system being considered.
Reconciliation allows a bill to pass with a simple majority instead of the 60 votes normally required, which means limited debate and no ability to filibuster. This is how sweeping immigration enforcement policy gets moved without the full weight of opposition it would otherwise face.
Who to contact: Both senators first, then your House member.
What to ask: Oppose a blank-check expansion of immigration enforcement funding. Oppose fast-tracking massive enforcement increases without meaningful oversight and due-process protections.
Phone script: “Hello, I’m a resident of [ZIP code]. I’m asking [Senator/Representative Name] to oppose any reconciliation package that massively expands ICE and Border Patrol funding without meaningful oversight, transparency, and due-process protections.”
Email subject: Resident opposing unchecked ICE expansion
Email body: Dear [Senator/Representative Name], I am a resident of [city or ZIP code]. I am writing to ask you to oppose any reconciliation package that massively expands ICE and Border Patrol funding without meaningful oversight, transparency, and due-process protections. A blank-check expansion of immigration enforcement is not something I can support, and I want to know where you stand. Thank you, [Name]
TPS protections for Haitians and Syrians | The Senate is next
The House voted 224-204 on April 16 to extend Temporary Protected Status for Haitians for three years, pushing back against the administration’s effort to terminate those protections. The bill now goes to the Senate.
The Supreme Court’s April argument calendar shows the consolidated TPS cases involving Haiti and Syria are set for argument on April 29 these cases affecting approximately 350,000 Haitians and roughly 6,100 Syrians who are already living and working here under existing law.
Who to contact: Both senators first, then your House member.
What to ask: Support TPS protections. Oppose stripping legal status from people already living and working here under existing law.
Phone script: “Hello, I’m a resident of [ZIP code]. I’m asking [Senator Name] to support TPS protections for Haitians and Syrians and oppose efforts to push families into deportation when those protections are still urgently needed.”
Email subject: Resident asking for TPS protections
Email body: Dear [Senator Name], I am a resident of [city or ZIP code]. The House has passed a bill to extend TPS protections for Haitians for three years, and the Supreme Court will hear the related cases on April 29. I am asking you to support TPS protections for Haitians and Syrians and oppose efforts to strip legal status from people who are already living and working here under existing law. Please let me know your position. Thank you, [Name]
Immigration courts | 113 judges fired
The administration fired six more immigration judges over the weekend, including two who had blocked deportation orders against pro-Palestinian students.
According to the National Association of Immigration Judges, that brings the total to 113 immigration judges fired since January of last year. The Justice Department defended the removals without providing evidence for the bias it alleged.
Congress has oversight authority here and has largely been quiet about using it.
Who to contact: Both senators and your House member.
What to ask: Demand oversight of immigration-court politicization. Defend judicial independence. Protect due process in deportation proceedings.
Phone script: “Hello, I’m a resident of [ZIP code]. I’m asking [Senator/Representative Name] to support oversight of the immigration courts and defend judicial independence and due process.”
Email subject: Resident asking for immigration-court oversight
Email body: Dear [Senator/Representative Name], I am a resident of [city or ZIP code]. According to the National Association of Immigration Judges, 113 immigration judges have been fired since January of last year, including judges who were removed after blocking deportation orders. I am asking you to support oversight of the immigration courts, defend judicial independence, and protect due process in deportation proceedings. Please let me know where you stand. Thank you, [Name]
H.R. 1897 | The Endangered Species Act
H.R. 1897, the ESA Amendments Act of 2025, is scheduled for House floor consideration under a rule this week and could come up for a vote as soon as later today. The bill would make significant changes to how the Endangered Species Act operates.
It would require the government to prepare an analysis of economic, national-security, human-health, and other effects alongside listing decisions, require congressional notification for certain critical habitat designations and experimental-population releases over 50,000 acres, limit some litigation-fee awards in ESA suits, and restrict judicial review of delisting decisions during the monitoring period.
This would change how species get listed, how habitats get protected, how residents can challenge decisions they believe are wrong, and how much political and economic pressure gets built into a process that is supposed to be grounded in science.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the ESA has prevented extinction for 99 percent of the species listed under it. This bill changes the foundation it rests on.
Who to contact: Your House member.
What to ask: Vote no on H.R. 1897.
Phone script: “Hello, I’m a resident of [ZIP code]. I’m asking Representative [Name] to vote no on H.R. 1897. I do not support weakening endangered-species protections or reducing accountability in the listing process. Please log my message.”
Email subject: Please vote no on H.R. 1897
Email body: Dear Representative [Name], I am a resident of [city or ZIP code]. H.R. 1897, the ESA Amendments Act of 2025, is on the House floor this week, and I am asking you to vote no. This bill would add economic-impact requirements to species listing decisions, change critical habitat rules, and restrict judicial review of delisting. The Endangered Species Act has prevented extinction for 99 percent of listed species. These changes would weaken the protections that make that record possible. Please vote no and let me know your position. Thank you, [Name]
Also on the House floor this week: H.R. 4690 and H.R. 5587
Two more bills are scheduled under the same House rule package this week and are not getting much attention.
H.R. 4690, the Reliable Federal Infrastructure Act, would repeal certain federal building energy-efficiency performance standards and bar green-building certification systems from denying certification based on fossil-fuel use.
H.R. 5587, the HEATS Act, would waive the federal drilling permit requirement for certain geothermal activity on non-federal surface estates where the U.S. owns less than 50 percent of the subsurface geothermal estate and the operator has a state permit.
In those cases, the bill says the activity would not count as a major federal action under NEPA and would not be subject to ESA Section 7 consultation.
If climate, public lands, or environmental review matters to you, this is a good week to call your House member.
Who to contact: Your House member.
What to ask: Vote no on H.R. 4690 and H.R. 5587.
Phone script: “Hello, I’m a resident of [ZIP code]. I’m asking Representative [Name] to oppose H.R. 4690 and H.R. 5587. I do not support rolling back federal energy-efficiency standards or exempting drilling activity from environmental review.”
Email subject: Please oppose H.R. 4690 and H.R. 5587
Email body: Dear Representative [Name], I am a resident of [city or ZIP code]. H.R. 4690 and H.R. 5587 are scheduled for House floor consideration this week. H.R. 4690 would repeal federal building energy-efficiency standards. H.R. 5587 would exempt certain geothermal drilling from federal environmental review and ESA consultation. I am asking you to vote no on both bills. I do not support rolling back energy-efficiency standards or weakening environmental review protections. Please let me know your position. Thank you, [Name]
The CFPB | A quiet dismantling
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was created by Congress after the 2008 financial crash to police abusive financial products. Reuters reports the administration has now ended the lease on its headquarters at least six years early and is seeking court approval to reduce the agency to roughly one-third of its previous workforce of about 1,700 employees.
This is a sustained effort to hollow out one of the main federal agencies that protects us from predatory lending, junk fees, and financial scams.
Congress created the CFPB. Congress has the authority to defend it.
Who to contact: Both senators and your House member.
What to ask: Defend the CFPB. Preserve staffing and enforcement capacity. Oppose the effort to reduce the agency’s ability to function.
Phone script: “Hello, I’m a resident of [ZIP code]. I’m asking [Senator/Representative Name] to defend the CFPB and oppose efforts to weaken its staffing, enforcement authority, and independence.”
Email subject: Resident asking Congress to defend the CFPB
Email body: Dear [Senator/Representative Name], I am a resident of [city or ZIP code]. The administration has ended the lease on the CFPB’s headquarters and is seeking court approval to reduce the agency to roughly one-third of its current workforce. The CFPB was created by Congress to protect ordinary people from abusive financial practices, and I am asking you to defend it. Please preserve the agency’s staffing and enforcement capacity and oppose efforts to hollow it out. I would like to know where you stand. Thank you, [Name]
Virginia’s Law | Survivors should not run out of time
This one is not moving on a this-week deadline, but it deserves attention now.
Virginia’s Law was introduced in February by Senator Chuck Schumer and Representative Teresa Leger Fernández. The legislation would eliminate the federal statute of limitations for certain civil claims by survivors of sexual abuse and trafficking, create a new cause of action for survivors, and include a one-year lookback window for older claims that have previously been time-barred.
For survivors who were told their time had run out, this bill is about whether the law can still support them.
It will need committee movement to advance, which is why building pressure now still helps. After contacting your own senators and House member, this is one of the few issues where reaching out to Senate Judiciary Committee members is also worth the effort.
Who to contact: Both senators and your House member.
What to ask: Support Virginia’s Law and push for movement out of committee.
Phone script: “Hello, I’m a resident of [ZIP code]. I’m asking [Senator/Representative Name] to support Virginia’s Law so survivors of sexual abuse and trafficking are not denied justice because of an arbitrary deadline.”
Email subject: Please support Virginia’s Law
Email body: Dear [Senator/Representative Name], I am a resident of [city or ZIP code]. I am writing to ask you to support Virginia’s Law, legislation that would eliminate the federal statute of limitations for certain civil claims by survivors of sexual abuse and trafficking and include a one-year lookback window for older claims. Survivors should not lose their right to justice because of an arbitrary deadline. Please support this bill and help move it forward. Thank you, [Name]
A script that works for almost anything
For anyone who does not want to write a new message from scratch every week, this works for nearly any issue:
Phone: “Hello, I’m a resident of [ZIP code]. I’m calling to ask [Senator/Representative Name] to take action on [issue]. I want the office to [specific ask]. Please log my message and let me know the office’s position.”
Email: Subject: Resident asking for action on [issue]
Dear [Senator/Representative Name], I am a resident of [city or ZIP code]. I am writing to ask you to [specific ask]. I would like to know where you stand on this issue. Thank you, [Name]
Which office will you contact today? Paste your script if you want, it may help or inspire someone else here.
And please let us know if you think this should be a reoccurring theme with updated: who to call/email and what to say
The Senate needs to hear from us about Section 702, ICE funding, and TPS. Our House members need to hear from us about the Endangered Species Act while it is on the House floor schedule this week. And for those with a few extra minutes, every issue on this list is worth a call.
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Sources
AP News: Senate extends surveillance powers until April 30 after chaotic votes in House
Reuters: Funding effort for ICE, Border Patrol could begin in Senate next week, majority leader says
AP News: House passes a bill to protect Haitian immigrants, in slap back to the Trump administration
House Rules Committee: H.R. 1897 page, including H. Res. 1189 PDF and related hearing documents
Reuters: Trump administration ends lease for consumer protection bureau’s headquarters, records show
I find it helpful to have short scripts available to send to our representatives in Washington. An article educates us, an available script gives us a simple way to tell our representatives our personal view.
I appreciate the scripted suggestions. Since I live in a Red state and often receive little to no positive feedback from my representatives, I choose to consolidate these suggestions into one document to save time. I have no expectation that they will act on any of my requests, as they have never done so before, but I refuse to give up. Here is my template from this week's suggestions. I leave out the two items for my Senate reps and tweak as necessary. Thanks again for your suggestions and scripts.
I am a resident of Georgetown, KY. This week, I am writing to request that my House representatives address the following eight items:
1. Oppose a clean extension of Section 702. Support a warrant requirement for searches involving Americans’ data.
Congress granted a 10-day extension for Section 702, expiring April 30. Please oppose a clean reauthorization and support a warrant requirement for searches of Americans' communications.
2. Oppose a blank-check expansion of immigration enforcement funding. Oppose fast-tracking massive enforcement increases without meaningful oversight and due-process protection.
I oppose any reconciliation package that significantly increases funding for ICE and Border Patrol without proper oversight, transparency, and due process protection. I cannot support the blank-check expansion of immigration enforcement.
3. Support TPS protections. Oppose stripping legal status from people already living and working here under the existing law.
The House has passed a bill to extend TPS protections for Haitians for three years, with the Supreme Court set to hear related cases on April 29. Please support TPS protections for Haitians and Syrians and oppose efforts to strip legal status from those already living and working here.
4. Demand oversight of immigration-court politicization. Defend judicial independence. Protect due process in deportation proceedings.
Since January of last year, the National Association of Immigration Judges reports that 113 judges have been fired, including those who blocked deportation orders. Please support oversight of immigration courts, defend judicial independence, and protect due process in deportation proceedings.
5. Defend the CFPB. Preserve staffing and enforcement capacity. Oppose the effort to reduce the agency’s ability to function.
The administration has ended the lease at the CFPB’s headquarters and seeks court approval to cut the agency's workforce to about one-third. Created to protect people from abusive financial practices, the CFPB deserves your support. I urge you to defend it by preserving its staff and enforcement capacity and opposing efforts to weaken it.
6. Support Virginia’s Law and push for movement out of committee
I urge you to support Virginia’s Law, which would eliminate the federal statute of limitations for certain civil claims by survivors of sexual abuse and trafficking, and include a one-year lookback for older claims. Survivors deserve justice without arbitrary deadlines. Please support this bill.
7. Vote no on H.R. 4690 and H.R. 5587
H.R. 4690 and H.R. 5587 are up for a vote this week. H.R. 4690 would repeal federal energy-efficiency standards, while H.R. 5587 would exempt some geothermal drilling from environmental reviews. I urge you to vote no on both bills, as I do not support weakening energy-efficiency standards or environmental protections.
8. Vote no on H.R. 1897
H.R. 1897, the ESA Amendments Act of 2025, is up for a vote this week. Please vote no. This bill adds economic-impact requirements for species listings, alters critical habitat rules, and limits judicial review of delisting. The Endangered Species Act has successfully prevented extinction for 99% of listed species, and these changes would weaken those crucial protections.
I would like to know your position on these matters.
Thank you,