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Winning Over the New Congress: How Government Affairs Teams Can Build Stronger Relationships
by Camille Tuutti, FiscalNote
Discover strategies to build and nurture relationships with members of Congress, with tips from government affairs professionals to help maximize your impact.
The 119th Congress is a battlefield. With a razor-thin majority in the House and divided Republicans, legislative priorities are lagging. Uncertainty surrounding executive action contributes to the gridlock. If you want your issues to be heard, you need a plan quickly. Expect budget battles, tax disputes, and spending confrontations to dominate early agendas. Committee assignments will determine who wields power and what receives attention.
The fight between Congress and the White House over spending adds even more chaos. For the first time since the early 1970s, the executive branch is systematically rejecting Congress’ spending decisions, says Molly E. Reynolds, senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution.
“When President Nixon did that in the early ‘70s, Congress responded by passing the Impoundment Control Act, which is the law that we have now that governs how this is supposed to work,” she says.
With a closely divided House and vacant seats, every vote matters more than ever. This gives smaller organizations and lesser-known companies an opportunity to influence policy, especially if they have a strong presence in the district, says Adam Hughes, a federal government process expert and the president and co-founder of GovNavigators, a government affairs and consultancy firm.
The key is engaging with influential lawmakers and staff now.
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What Lawmakers Will Focus on First
New members are expected to focus on labor, health care, non-competes, and paid leave — all with bipartisan history, says Chatrane Birbal, vice president of policy and government relations at HR Policy Association.
However, committee assignments and personal interests ultimately shape the priorities of individual lawmakers, according to Jason Briefel, partner and director of government and public affairs at Shaw Bransford & Roth, P.C. Issues related to their districts, constituents, or experiences capture and hold attention more easily.
Birbal emphasizes that the old playbook is no longer effective. With such narrow margins, even ordinary members can sway the vote. Today’s freshmen could chair a key committee tomorrow. You can’t afford to overlook anyone — every office could become a vital ally.
Simultaneously, the broader political landscape complicates every conversation. Reynolds notes that outreach now occurs against the backdrop of ongoing procedural battles, particularly the Department of Government Efficiency’s aggressive push to cut waste and regulations.
That uncertainty, particularly regarding whether the executive branch will honor approved spending, adds another layer of risk to every policy discussion, Reynolds says.
‘There’s a lot of partisan pressure, especially on the Republican side, to fall in line behind [Donald] Trump or the Trump administration,” she says. Understanding those political incentives, especially for new Republicans, is essential when shaping your outreach and messaging.
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Strategies to Build and Nurture Relationships
Relationships make or break your influence in the 119th Congress. Here’s how to start strong:
You cannot assume that new staff members know who you are. Even well-known brands should start with the basics, according to Hughes. Every interaction should establish the foundation for a long-term relationship, rather than just checking a box. Each point you make must demonstrate how you can assist the member, rather than solely focusing on your own desires.
The goal isn’t just the first meeting; it’s to become the trusted contact lawmakers and staff rely on for fast, credible information, Briefel says. Even if your issue isn’t urgent today, building trust now makes future outreach easier.
Briefel recommends making your issue personal: Connect it directly to the lawmaker’s district, voters, and personal priorities. Be the go-to expert for clear, usable insight they can apply right away. Adapt to their schedules; virtual meetings are now routine, but in-person still matters. “Find the time to get up there and sit down with that person and talk to them face to face,” Briefel says. “It will go a long way to building those relationships out.”
For Birbal, visuals leave a lasting impression. She recommends introducing your organization early with a clear letter or a creative infographic showing who you are, where you operate, and your focus. “Usually, if you remember nothing else, you'll at least remember our brand and the image from there, our willingness to conduct an in-person or a virtual briefing on all of the topics,” she says.
One-size-fits-all messaging squanders time and alienates potential allies. Birbal says government affairs teams need to research each member’s background and tailor outreach. A former corporate executive sees your issues differently than someone with deep union ties. Treating all offices the same guarantees missed opportunities.
Tactics to Make Your Message Stand Out
To get results, you need to target the right decision-makers, Briefel says. Focus on members whose district, personal experience, or committee assignments align with your issues. “We don’t come into new congresses with a plan to see every single member on a committee,” he says. “Now, we look at the rosters and say, ‘well, that subset of them look like they could be more useful to us.’”
Staff can matter more than the members themselves. Junior staff often drive legislation, prep members for meetings, and act as the first filter for outside input. Ignoring or treating them like gatekeepers is a losing strategy. “Don't be snooty if you meet with a 25-year-old; 25-year-olds on the Hill have a lot of power and control, and you want to make sure that you're taking them just as seriously as if you were meeting with the senator who has been on the Hill for 40 years,” Hughes says.
Before every interaction, know your objective. Are you trying to advance legislation, shape broader conversations, or counter a narrative? Your goal defines how you approach both members and staff. If your goal is shaping the conversation, your job is to arm members and staff with sharp, easy-to-use counterpoints, and expand the dialog beyond your immediate policy ask.
Sometimes, controlling the conversation matters more than changing the policy itself, Briefel says. In a polarized Congress, influencing the public and internal narrative can be just as valuable as drafting legislative text.
Relationship-building gets even harder with so many leadership roles unfilled or temporarily held. Briefel says you’ll have to depend on your past connections and proactive outreach to fill the gaps.
Engage early, even if all you hear is “not now, but soon.” That still tells you more than silence, Briefel says.
Reynolds adds that procedural rules, especially around budget reconciliation, will further limit what Republicans can pass on party-line votes. You need to factor that into your legislative and messaging strategies.
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Closing the Deal
If you want to shape policy in the 119th Congress, act now. Identify key players, adapt to the moving landscape, and stay ahead of fights before they erupt. If your strategy isn’t clear, focused, and adaptable, you’ll lose ground quickly.
The margin for error is slim, and Hughes warns against assuming party affiliations guarantee support. Generic emails and info dumps will likely be ignored. Effective government affairs teams tailor every message to match each office’s interests, priorities, and political reality. They also resist chasing headlines and reacting to every executive action.
If you wait until power shifts, you’ve already lost, Birbal says. Build relationships with both parties so you’re ready no matter who’s in charge. “You should be in a position next year after midterms where you can build upon the existing relationship and actually be in a better place than you were at the beginning of a new Congress,” she says. “Otherwise, you're constantly reinventing the wheel.
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