Advocating for science on your own:
Advocating for what you believe in is your right and a central tenet of the American democratic construct. The best way to influence your members of Congress is to call them (click here for some additional tips). If you don’t know the number for your Representative and Senators offices, you can find them here. One of the easiest ways to stay in touch is to save the numbers of these offices in your cell phone so that in the future you won’t have to look them up again. Below you will find some mock scripts by topic with talking points which you can personalize to frame your message. For all calls, if you leave a voicemail, please leave your entire home address to ensure that your call is tallied as a constituent. If you prefer to set up a face-to-face meeting, ESA has some suggestions on how to set up a meeting.
Script for supporting scientific integrity:
Hi, my name is [Name] and I'm a constituent from [City, State, Zip]. I am an entomologist and I work at [institution or company]. I’m calling to tell [Senator/Rep’s Name] that I oppose the efforts to suppress the dissemination of scientific research between the federal government and the public. In order to fulfill their mission as public servants, US Federal scientists must be able to communicate with their internal and external stakeholders as well as with the American citizenry that funds their work. I strongly encourage [him/her] to take an immediate stand against this suppression and reinforce the importance of scientific integrity. [Optional: add your own comments here] Thank you for your time.
Script for supporting federal funding for science:
Hi, my name is [Name] and I'm a constituent from [City, State, Zip]. I am an entomologist and I work at [institution or company]. I’m calling to tell [Senator/Rep’s name] that I support sustained funding for scientific research across the federal agencies. I understand the difficult fiscal environment our nation faces and that difficult choices need to be made; however, it is also necessary to make strategic investments in areas of domestic and global concern. Such investments help address national priorities, foster economic growth, and create jobs. Entomology, for example, makes valuable contributions to numerous areas of national significance, such as food security, environment, and health. In my own work, I [explain your work, mention where your funding comes from, and identify a successful outcome if possible or else the problem you are trying to solve]. I strongly encourage [him/her] to support a fiscal year 2017 spending package that funds scientific research at the highest levels possible and fight against cutting funding for political purposes to agencies that support critical scientific research. [Optional: add your own comments here] Thank you for your time.