2017 ME/CFS Advocacy Week

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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.[1]

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.[2][3]

Talks and interviews[edit | edit source]

Emily Taylor of Solve ME/CFS Initiative, Melanie Duff, Senator Ed Markey, Tess Balzer, and Laura Bucholtz
Senator Ed Markey, Jennifer Brea, Zaher Nahle, and Carol Head

Washington, DC face-to-face meetings[edit | edit source]

The following Senators and Congresspersons were visited by ME/CFS advocates in 2017:[4]

  • 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)

See also[edit | edit source]

Learn more[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ http://solvecfs.org/reporting-back-mecfs-advocacy-week-may-2017/
  2. ↑ http://solvecfs.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/MECFS-Briefing-Flyer_Invitation_042517.pdf
  3. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Najd5O7usnQ
  4. ↑ "ME/CFS Advocacy Week May 2017: 71 Meetings in WashingtonD.C. - Solve ME/CFS Initiative". Solve ME/CFS Initiative. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
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