NARFE Members Wrap up Another Successful Grassroots Advocacy Month in August

LEARN MORE about how you can take action to protect your earned pay and benefits by reviewing NARFE Grassroots materials at www.narfe.org/advocacy.

Labor Day not only marks the unofficial end of summer— it also signals the end of the long summer congressional recess (or district and state work periods, depending on whom you ask), as lawmakers prepare to return to their Capitol Hill offices. It also marks the end of NARFE’s Grassroots Advocacy Month, which occurs each August in conjunction with the summer recess.

NARFE’s Grassroots Advocacy Month aims to ensure that the federal community’s legislative priorities continue to be discussed with lawmakers when they are back in their districts and states. These discussions provide a local touch when members weigh in with personal experiences of how policies like the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) affect their financial well-being.

Members engaged in in-person and virtual events with lawmakers, including meetings, town halls, county fairs, picnics and more. Wellcoordinated groups of members wearing NARFE gear at community events help make local views of federal community issues more powerful by creating attention for NARFE.

Additionally, members took part in social media activities, sent letters directly to lawmakers and editors of community newspapers, and made phone calls through the advocacy call center, urging lawmakers to repeal the unfair Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). Before the start

of Grassroots Advocacy Month, members engaged in a targeted grassroots effort to try to force a House floor vote on H.R. 82, the Social Security Fairness Act, which helped to boost the total cosponsors of the bill as we entered the August recess campaign.

This year’s mid-term election presented opportunities for advocates to engage with new candidates to educate them about NARFE and familiarize them with NARFE’s legislative priorities before they take their seats on Capitol Hill in January 2023.

Like NARFE, many constituent groups use the August recess to expand their advocacy efforts and keep discussions about their issues on the table. This means there is a multitude of competing interests and demands for lawmakers’ attention. Therefore, NARFE engages members in advocacy activities for the duration of the recess, increasing the likelihood its issues will remain fresh on lawmakers’ minds when they return to Capitol Hill after Labor Day.

NARFE seeks volunteers to lend their voice and lead advocacy efforts at their federation. Contact your federation today and inquire about open volunteer senatorial leader (SL) or congressional district leader (CDL) positions. CDLs and SLs serve as liaisons between the lawmaker’s office and NARFE members in the state and district. NARFE headquarters provides advocacy training throughout the year to ensure volunteers are successful in their efforts. Contact the advocacy team at headquarters today at advocacy@narfe.org if you have any questions.

NARFE thanks all its members who participated in this year’s Grassroots Advocacy Month for their continued support for and commitment to NARFE’s mission.

—BY MARSHA PADILLA-GOAD, DIRECTOR OF GRASSROOTS