MICHAEL SHINHOLSTER CAN AMPLIFY YOUR CONGRESS CONTACT
Michael Shinholster
When you reach out to your Congress Member about the FAIRtax, Michael Shinholster can amplify your effectiveness. Who is Michael Shinholsger, and how can he do that?
Michael recently took over from Tommy Reynolds as the Legislative Director for our FAIRtax sponsor, Earl “Buddy” Carter. Michael is young and motivated. Michael has contacts with other legislative offices on the Hill.
So, how does that help you? We want you to contact your Congress Member via their webpage or, even better, visit them in your district. After all, Congress Members who don’t see the light, as our co-sponsors do, will cosponsor the FAIRtax only if they feel the heat from the Grassroots members like you. Grassroots constituents cannot make large donations, but they can do something that lobbyists and large corporations cannot – they can vote.
If a Congress Member sees one constituent take the time and effort to visit, the Member will imagine there are more supporters in the District. Visiting the Member in the District, as opposed to Washington DC, has the advantage that the Member will not leave you when called into a meeting after you have made the D.C. journey. You will usually get fifteen minutes to half an hour. You will need to arrange the meeting with the Congress Member’s Scheduler.
If the Congress Member is busy, try to schedule a meeting with their Chief of Staff in the district.
If the meeting with the Member is successful, a follow-up meeting with the Legislative Director may follow. The Legislative Director typically sits in Washington, DC, and is the one who gets into the weeds on legislation. The Legislative Director will probably give you half an hour. Let Jim Bennett (908) 578-4975, jim.bennett@fairtax.org, know if a trip to D.C. is impractical for you. Jim or Jake Buscher in Waynesboro, Virginia, can combine a visit with others and go down to D.C. from New Jersey or Virginia. A follow-up meeting with the Member is also a good idea.
After that, have Jim Bennett contact Michael Shinholster. Let Jim know what you discussed and how the discussion went. Michael can follow up from Congressman Carter’s office and make your outreach more effective. If there is anything else you would like our sponsor’s office to do, let Jim know that, too.
I would love to hear from you if you follow up with your Congress Member.
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As a reminder, event insurance coverage is available, but you must let us know. Once the event is underway, it's too late. If you are planning an event, let me know the who, what, when, and where, and I will get you a certificate of insurance.
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