MAA Circle
We share this important information from the National Council for Adoption (NCFA) with you, and encourage you do to your part to support all of our waiting children and families in our China program!
 
The Congressional Adoption Caucus, a group of lawmakers dedicated to supporting legislation and policy that improves the lives of children and families in the United States and around the world, is taking steps to help bring children home from China. The co-chairs of the Caucus, Senators Roy Blunt and Amy Klobuchar and Representatives Donna Shalala and Robert Aderholt, are leading a bipartisan, bicameral letter to Chinese Ambassador Ciu Tiankai advocating for special permission for prospective adoptive families to travel to China to bring their child to the U.S. 
 
Please call your Senators and Representative and ask them to sign on to the letter to Ambassador Tiankai. The more voices, the better. You can do this by dialing the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 or looking up your representative here.
 
We encourage families to ask their extended families, friends, and network of support to join them in this effort. 
 
Tips for a successful call:
  1. Ask to speak with the member’s constituent services staffer for your district/town. If they are unavailable, leave a detailed message with your contact information and ask for an email address to send a written message. 
  2. Introduce yourself and explain your connection to the issue at hand. 
  3. Explain the purpose of the letter and make the request for the member to co-sign, preferably by COB on Friday, September 18th. Provide the staff with names and contact information for the relevant Caucus co-chairs offices so they can review and sign on to the letter:
·         Alexandra_McPhee@blunt.senate.gov (Senator Roy Blunt, R-MO)
·         Jennifer_Treutel@klobuchar.senate.gov (Senator Amy Klobuchar, D-MN)
·         Carla.McGarvey@mail.house.gov  (Representative Donna Shalala, D-FL)
·         Megan.Medley@mail.house.gov (Representative Robert Aderholt, R-AL)
  1. Before you end the call, request the staffer’s email address so that you may follow up after the call and stay in communication regarding the letter and future advocacy.
  2. Send a follow up email within 24 hours to thank them for their time, ask if the member has made a decision about co-signing the letter, and if they have any questions. 
 
If your member(s) of Congress does co-sign the letter, please send a follow up email to thank them. If your member is one of the co-chairs, please make a phone call to thank them for their leadership and support on this issue.
 
This letter and advocacy effort has come about as a result of the collaborative effort of several organizations that NCFA is proud to partner with. To help us track progress and identify opportunities to strengthen our advocacy efforts, please share any feedback with us (KHamilton@adoptioncouncil.org or RHanlon@adoptioncouncil.or
that you receive from your conversations with these offices.