Hill 101: Do Your Homework Before Contacting Congressional Aides by Sanjay Talwani They have crowded, busy schedules. They deal with dozens of different issues, and they give visitors 15 minutes to make their case for action by the U.S. Congress. But congressional staffersóthousands of themóultimately write the legislation in Congress, prod slow-moving bureaucrats, and provide their bosses with much of the information and advice they need to run the country. And according to several staffers and lobbyists interviewed, there are ways to effectively educate and earn the goodwill of key staff, and there are as many ways to alienate or irritate them or leave no discernable impact at all. (Congressional aides interviewed for this article, citing their ongoing relationships with lobbyists and embassy staff, spoke on condition they not be identified.) ìThe squeaky wheel gets the grease, and often there is a reluctance to engage, on the part of the diplomatic community, out of fear of offending or committing the dreaded faux pas,î said a senior Republican aide. ìThat might be appropriate to dealing with the regional desk at State [Department], but it doesnít necessarily apply in the political world, where sometime s you must rattle cages to get things done.î Persistence is vital, say Hill aides. Donít be turned off by brusque, undiplomatic behavior of staff, and donít worry if they RSVP for your event and donít show up. They probably meant nothing personal. ìToo often I have found one off-handed remark on my part, or one missed phone call results in people just giving up,î said the aide. When diplomatic staff finally gets through to an aide and schedules a meeting, use that time wisely. ìMembers of Congress and members of their staffs are like anyone else who has a busy schedule. Donít pester me unless you have something to say,î the GOP aide said. ìIf you have a concern and it is serious and timely, then you shouldnít hesitate to bring that issue to the attention of a member. But make sure itís important. Make sure itís relevant.î And leave papers, say lobbyists and aides. Leave charts, fact sheets, CDs, whatever. As soon as one advocate leaves the office, in comes another one, possibly on wildly unrelated business. Leave nothing tangible behind, said one aide, and itís like you werenít there at all. Congress has 535 members, each with a different constituency and style. Itís tricky terrain to navigate, with some different protocols compared to the diplomatic world. For starters, there are two basic, but contradictory, instincts in Washington: ìDonít go where youíre not invited,î said the GOP aide. ìAnd if you wait to be invited, youíll never be asked.î Washingtonís thousands of professional lobbyists can help foreign interests feel more invited and build relationships. They also help their clients focus their needs to tight, realistic goals, be it a very specific piece of legislation, a congressmanís pressure on a federal agency, or a broader campaign of national image building. ìUnderstanding what you are trying to accomplish is the first thing,î said Joel Jankowsky, chairman of the Policy Department at Akin Gump, a major Washington law and lobbying firm. Then follows the requirements of any relationship between lobbyists and client. They have to be clear on whoís doing what to achieve the goal, and they have to face Congress with integrity, credibility, patience, courtesy, flexibility and humility. That means choosing oneís battles and being realistic in oneís expectations. ìIím amazed at how many times a single embassy calls and expects a meeting with the boss because thereís some group coming through the next weekóevery couple of weeks, itís a constant drumbeat,î said a senior Democratic aide who did not wish to be identified. ìIím happy to meet, but not every couple of weeks.î ìSome governments come in with ëfire drills,í demanding audiences or photo ops,î said Dean Dilley, a partner at Patton Boggs, one of Washingtonís top lobbying and law firms. ìThatís just not the right way to do it and itís not a good investment in the relationship.î Lobbyists and staffers agree thereís plenty of homework that diplomatic workers can do to avoid an embarrassing waste of time. Get educated on the scheduling, jurisdiction and processes of Congress. Donít bother staff with matters that can wait if a member or committee is swamped with other issues. Understand that members may vote in unexpected ways because of parliamentary and political quirks that may not be readily apparent. Understand that things on the Hill change rapidly and with little explanation. ìSometimes you get the feeling that maybe the Capitol beat for these folks [embassy staff] are where they cut their teeth,î said a staffer. ìSo a sort of education process within the embassy about the way things work would be extremely helpful.î Understand also, insiders say, that although Republicans currently control most of the levers of power in Washington, that doesnít mean foreign nations can ignore the minority party. Individual, even junior members can wield unexpected power, especially to block legislation. ìBe very careful with partisanship,î said Dilley ìThings arenít static, and people remember that. Itís a bad idea to build a relationship with only one party.î Similarly, a good way to stunt a budding relationship is to snub a staffer perceived as a low-level operative. ìDonít be put off if the person looks like theyíre just out of college, because they may be,î said a senior Democratic aide. ìCapitol Hill is a very young place. One of the things thatís great about Capitol Hill is that you can be young and still have a very significant and powerful role, and I think a lot of the time people donít realize that.î What is off-putting to ambassadors and diplomats is a staffer who is simply uninformed of the issues facing the nation or region in question. And that happens often enough, staffers say. International interests must also always remember that senators and representatives serve at the pleasure of their home state or districtóso diplomats need to be aware of the memberís home constituency, particularly the local business interests. ìIf youíre going to ask him to take a significant step, you need to find a hook,î said Dilley. The relationship between the Hill and the embassies also works better if itís a two-way street, says Hill staff. In other words, a great way to become buddies with a Hill staffer is to be a resource for information and contacts when needed. ìThey want to get information and share information, so making themselves available to answer questions is sometimes the most important thing,î said a Democratic staffer. ìRemember there are 200-some countries and one staffer [in a given congressional office] whoís doing the entire world.î Hill staff can benefit by keeping up their end of the bargain as well, and that includes respecting the unique status of international visitors among the many others petitioning Congress. Ambassadors are representatives of sovereign peoples, and have some expectation of respect for that status. Professional lobbyists and diplomatic staff can cut through that problem by making sure the Hill staffer knows at least the basics of the nation, including information as basic as how to pronounce the ambassadorís name, and maybe his or her religion and any other special concerns. Embassy or Hill events, while not as effective as one-on-one lunches, help build relationships, although evening events tend to attract younger staffers. If you want more senior staff to show up to your embassy or trade groupís meet-and-greet, schedule it during the day, said one aide. But aides warn against inviting too many Hill staff. Events shouldnít become mixers for staff to yak about the issues of the day, instead of focusing on the nation. Bringing members and staff home to oneís nation may well be the best way to build lifelong relationships with staffers. But with the ongoing questions on foreign trips made by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) and others, most aides predicted a chilling effect on many kinds of foreign travel, especially in the short term, while others said foreign travelóan invaluable education and relationship-building toolówill rebound. But no one wants their trip to land on a prosecutorís desk or in a news story prying into the tripís propriety. ìEveryoneís going to look at everything much more closely, which is also why groups that are doing these trips need to make sure that theyíre doing the legwork to make sure these things are appropriate through the [House or Senate] Ethics Committee,î said a Democratic staffer. ìI donít do anything until I get a letter from the committee. And there have been plenty of trips where if thatís not provided up front with the invitation, I donít take much of a look at it. They can do the ethics legwork on their own, and they should.î Sanjay Talwani is a freelance writer in Arlington, Va.