2017 ME/CFS Advocacy Week

The 2017 ME/CFS Advocacy Week was a large-scale advocacy project coordinated by Solve ME/CFS Initiative and #MEAction in May 2017. The main mission aimed to inform US Congressional members about ME/CFS and the need to fund research. Following online and in-person advocacy training, it culminated in a May 17th "Capitol Hill Storm," where advocates met with 71 Washington DC congressional offices and over 3,327 online messages were sent to Congress about ME/CFS. Local politicians, also, were contacted.

On May 18, a congressional briefing in the Capitol occurred to educate legislators on the urgent need to fund ME/CFS research. Speakers were Senator Ed Markey (MA), #MEAction co-founder Jennifer Brea, Solve ME/CFS Initiative Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Zaher Nahle, and President of Solve ME/CFS Initiative Carol Head.

Talks and interviews

 * ME/CFS Advocacy Week Was Phenomenal!
 * Emily Taylor of Solve ME/CFS Initiative, Melanie Duff, Senator Ed Markey, Tess Balzer, and Laura Bucholtz


 * Recording of Congressional Briefing on ME/CFS | last4 (Slides of briefing)
 * Senator Ed Markey, Jennifer Brea, Zaher Nahle, and Carol Head


 * 2017 ME/CFS Advocacy Week, Florence Nightingale | ME/CFS Alert Episode 89

Washington, DC face-to-face meetings
The following Senators and Congresspersons were visited by ME/CFS advocates in 2017:
 * Congressman Charles Dent (R-PA-15)
 * Congressman David Price (D-NC-04)
 * Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA-02)
 * Congressman Joe Courtney (D-CT-02)
 * Congressman Ryan Costello (R-PA-06)
 * Congressman Walter Jones (R-NC-03)
 * Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ)
 * Senator Dean Heller (R-NV)
 * Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
 * Office of Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12)
 * Office of Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA-28)
 * Office of Congressman Adam Smith (D-WA-09)
 * Office of Congressman Anthony Brown (D-MD-04)
 * Office of Congressman Barry Loudermilk (R-GA-11)
 * Office of Congressman Brian Higgins (D-NY-26)
 * Office of Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA-08)
 * Office of Congressman Dwight Evans (D-PA-02)
 * Office of Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD-07)
 * Office of Congressman Jamie Raskin (R-MD-08)
 * Office of Congressman John Delaney (D-MD-06)
 * Office of Congressman John Sarbanes (D-MD-03)
 * Office of Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D-IL-04)
 * Office of Congressman Mark Amodei (R-NV-02)
 * Office of Congressman Mark Pocan (D-WI-02)
 * Office of Congressman Mike Quigley (D-IL-05)
 * Office of Congressman Patrick Meehan (R-PA-07)
 * Office of Congressman Robert Pittenger (R-NC-09)
 * Office of Congressman Steve Scalise (R-LA-01)
 * Office of Congressman Ted Lieu (D-CA-33)
 * Office of Congressman Vern Buchanan (R-FL-16)
 * Office of Congresswoman Barbara Comstock (R-VA-10)
 * Office of Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12)
 * Office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC-At Large)
 * Office of Congresswoman Jenniffer González-Colón (R-PR-At Large)
 * Office of Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-CA-37)
 * Office of Congresswoman Katherine Clark (D-MA-05)
 * Office of Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE-At Large)
 * Office of Congresswoman Lois Frankel (D-FL-21)
 * Office of Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD)
 * Office of Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA)
 * Office of Senator Bob Casey (D-PA)
 * Office of Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI)
 * Office of Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV)
 * Office of Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)
 * Office of Senator Christopher Coons (D-DE)
 * Office of Senator Christopher Murphy (D-CT)
 * Office of Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY)
 * Office of Senator David Perdue (R-GA)
 * Office of Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
 * Office of Senator Edward Markey (D-MA)
 * Office of Senator John Cornyn (R-TX)
 * Office of Senator John Kennedy (R-LA)
 * Office of Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA)
 * Office of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
 * Office of Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC)
 * Office of Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
 * Office of Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI)
 * Office of Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA)
 * Office of Senator Patty Murray (D-WA)
 * Office of Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)
 * Office of Senator Richard Burr (R-NC)
 * Office of Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL)
 * Office of Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI)
 * Office of Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
 * Office of Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)
 * Office of Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX)
 * Office of Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC)
 * Office of Senator Thomas Carper (D-DE)
 * Office of Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA)
 * Office of Senator Tim Scott (R-SC)

Learn more

 * "ME/CFS Advocacy Week May 2017: 71 Meetings in WashingtonD.C" by Solve ME/CFS Initiative