Briefings, Hearings, and the Art of Crafting Memos
After getting
situated my first week on the Hill, I began to attend briefings and hearings.
It was amazing! I loved the grandiose rooms in which the events were held, the
senior Members of Congress whose remarks I was able to hear, and the plethora
of free food. Attending hearings and briefings has been one of my favorite
parts of my internship.
The first hearing
I attended was definitely the most impactful one. On February 25th, I attended the Legislative
Presentation of the Disabled American Veterans to the Joint House and Senate
Veterans' Affairs Committees. The event was powerful and moving. The room was
filled to capacity, and at least three hundred of those in attendance were
members of the Disabled American Veterans organization. It was an honor to be
in a room surrounded by brave men and women who stood up for our country. The
main purpose of the hearing was for the Disabled American Veterans to emphasize
to Congress the need to pre-appropriate funding for Veteran Affairs. National
Commander Joseph W. Johnston’s closing remarks remain with me. He said “ We
were there when our nation counted on us, and you can still count on us. That’s
why this nation will never be overrun by enemy forces.” His words filled me
with such a strong desire to support his petition, and I left hoping that
Congress would increase the budget allocated to Veteran Affairs.
Another event that
left me feeling as if Congress should allocate funds for their proposed
legislation was a Briefing on the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act, or
the ABLE Act. The purpose of the briefing was to inspire interns and Hill
staffers to encourage their Member of Congress to Support the ABLE Act. The
ABLE Act seeks to “to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for
the tax treatment of ABLE accounts established under State programs for the
care of family members with disabilities” (Govtrack.us). In essence, the ABLE
Act would provide the funding necessary for continued research towards improved
treatment and possible cures for muscular dystrophy and Duchenne’s disease. Although
persuasive, this briefing was one of my least favorite. The stories shared were
far too depressing for me.
One of the main
reasons interns attend briefings is so the legislative assistants can get the information
presented without having to attend the event. They get the information from the
memos interns write. Crafting memos is truly an art form. In order to prepare
Congressional briefings, experts in their respective fields prepare for weeks,
sometimes months, by gathering and interpreting years’ worth of research. Then,
they compress their data into several handouts and remarks that last anywhere
between forty minutes to an hour. Lastly, they spend ten to thirty minutes
answering questions from the well-read and well-informed audience. In order to
write a memo, I must then condense all that information into a one page double
spaced memo. Writing memos that reflect both the main ideas and the most
crucial details is a careful balance, and one that I’ve gotten very good at
maintaining.
Receptions, Mixers, and Coffees
Spend more than
twenty minutes on the Hill, and you will undoubtedly hear the imperative to
“network, network, network!” As a newcomer, it may seem odd at first, but soon
you will understand what people mean when they say “this city runs on
relationship.” Those relationships often get their start at networking events
such as mixers, happy hours, and receptions. Luckily for me, Capitol Hill
provides almost infinite opportunities to network.
Attending
receptions has been one of my favorite after-work activities. Again, the free
food is always a great perk, but that is far from being the best part. When I
attended the 90th anniversary celebration of the State Department’s
American Foreign Service Association, I met former Ambassador Laura Kennedy.
When I attended the Cuban National Council awards reception, I met
Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. Later that week, I had lunch in her office
with a member of her staff. When I volunteered at the National Council of La
Raza annual gala, I ran into and briefly chatted with current US Ambassador to
the Organization of American States, Carmen Lomellin. Capitol Hill receptions
range widely in purpose, attendance, and even dress code. However, each event provides
invaluable opportunities to meet people and is a stepping stone towards
building relationships with them.
The next step in
building a relationship is the follow-up. Following up with people you meet at
a mixer, happy hour, reception, or any other event is vital to surviving DC. In
this “town,” as the locals call it, who you know is extremely important. The
entire city is filled with brilliant, motivated, ambitious people in all walks
of life. Having a stellar résumé is rarely enough to get a decent job. Knowing
where and when to apply is the key. Therefore, building relationships with
people who might be able to help in your career is a common goal here. Those
kind of transactional relationships have been my least favorite thing about
life in DC.
Although not
required by my internship program, networking is strongly encouraged. I was not
as diligent about building those relationships as I could have been, but I
justify it because I have one more year left of my undergraduate studies left. However,
the real reason why I was not too motivated to “build relationships” by
networking is because I do not believe real relationships are built that way. Meeting
somebody at an event, following up with them on an informational interview, and
then staying in touch via email does not sound like a meaningful connection to
me. Many people dedicate themselves to expanding their network, and having
coffee with as many people as they can. I, however, decided that instead of
building a weak, albeit expansive, network is not how I want to do things.
Instead, I dedicated myself to strengthening existing ties, and carefully
nurturing new ties. I did so by reconnecting with former colleagues and
employers, and by building meaningful relationships with only a select few number
of new people I’ve met. As a result, I feel confident that although my circle
of acquaintances did not grow as much as some of the other interns’ did, my
circle of professional and academic references did grow. In the long run, I
think the people with whom I built actual meaningful relationships, not DC
“meaningful relationships,” are the ones who will be invested in my success.
Conclusion
As
my twelve weeks as a Capitol Hill intern begin to wrap up, it’s hard to believe
I almost turned down the opportunity. Accepting it has been one of the best
decisions I’ve made thus far. I think about all the things I didn’t get to do.
I didn’t go to Gettysburg, I didn’t get a White House tour, and I didn’t meet
my goal of visiting two museums per week. However, with an opportunity as
amazing as this one has been, dwelling on what I didn’t do is silly. Reflecting
on what I did do is awe inspiring.
I
was at an intern for the Washington, DC office of Congressman Joe Garcia. I
attended the National Council of La Raza 2014 Awards Gala, an event that made
headlines. I toured the Organization of American States. I guided constituent
tours of the United States Capitol Building. I accessed restricted areas of the
Capitol building complex. I introduced my congressman before he addressed the
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. I attended a film screening in the
Capitol Visitor Center with Representative Tony Cardenas. I participated in a
higher education summit and listened to the remarks of Congressman Ruben Hinojosa,
Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
Most
importantly, however, I was immersed in a world I did not know existed. I had
heard about politics of Washington, but I was still astounded about some of the
things I witnessed. I had heard about the constant after-work happy hour
events, but I never expected to be turning down requests almost daily. But the good will always outweigh the bad. I
was surrounded by amazing hardworking individuals who are all seeking to
improve the world. Some of there were politicians and Hill staffers. Others ran
nonprofit organizations. Others were involved in the private sectors. Yet they
all had a zest for life and a motivation to use their skills to advance the
welfare of others. My Capitol Hill experience has been utterly rewarding and
life changing. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
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