How to submit testimony for the Congressional Record
The answer
You do not need to be invited to testify in person to get a written statement into the official hearing record. Committees can and do accept written "statements for the record" from individuals and organizations who submit through the committee's own process, and the House and Senate Appropriations Committees specifically invite the public to apply for "public witness" hearings or submit written testimony. The honest grade is moderate. Getting your statement into the permanent Congressional Record, searchable later on congress.gov, is a realistic and achievable goal for most people willing to do the legwork. Actually shaping the committee's decision is a different, much less certain outcome, and as with direct contact generally, a specific and substantive statement is taken more seriously than a generic one1. Rules for submission vary by committee, so there is no single uniform process2.
Before you go
- Identify the specific committee and specific hearing your statement is relevant to. Check congress.gov for scheduled hearings by committee.
- Contact that committee's clerk or staff directly to ask their specific procedure for "statement for the record" submissions. Deadlines are often tight, sometimes 24-48 hours around the hearing date.
- Ask whether they require electronic submission, a specific format, or a specific number of copies. This varies committee to committee.
- If you want to testify live rather than submit in writing, ask specifically about the Appropriations Committee's public witness process, House and Senate, one of the few standing mechanisms open to ordinary citizens without a formal invitation.
The mechanics
- Find the relevant committee and its next scheduled hearing on your topic via congress.gov or the committee's own website.
- Call or email the committee clerk's office, usually listed on the committee website, and ask their specific rules for submitting a statement for the record.
- Draft your statement in the format requested, usually electronic, often with a required cover page or word/page limit.
- Submit by the stated deadline. Committee rules frequently require submission well before the hearing itself, not after.
- Confirm receipt if possible and ask for a copy of the confirmation or a reference number.
What to say
Specific and substantive beats generic, especially here since this becomes a permanent, searchable public record.
Statement for the Record: [Hearing title, date, Committee]
Submitted by: [name, relevant affiliation or expertise]
I am submitting this statement in connection with the [date]
hearing on [topic]. [Your direct connection to the topic.] My
position: [clear statement]. Supporting facts: [data, documented
personal or professional experience].
Avoid generic praise or opposition without reasoning. Committee staff assembling the record are looking for substance they can point to, not sentiment.
What happens next
Your statement, once accepted, is entered into the hearing record and later published, searchable permanently on congress.gov as part of that hearing's official record. Members and staff may or may not read it closely depending on volume and topic salience. There is no guarantee of a reply or acknowledgment beyond the record entry itself. If your statement raises a specific factual or legal point that the committee later addresses in its report or in follow-up legislation, that is the clearest indirect sign it had impact, but this is not tracked or guaranteed.
Does it work
Getting into the record is achievable and permanent. Changing the outcome is not guaranteed, and specific, substantive statements are what get taken seriously. See does-calling-congress-do-anything.
Take action
/engage can help you find the right committee, its clerk contact, and a statement template.