Equipping Leaders to Champion Family Medicine Policy Priorities at Home
August is quickly approaching, and so too is the famous August Recess – a time when members of Congress return to work in their home districts. This month-long break presents a prime opportunity for advocacy, as lawmakers are more accessible for meetings, site visits and community events. As we build on the momentum from the 2025 Family Medicine Advocacy Summit (FMAS), the AAFP member advocacy team is launching a strategic August Recess activation for Advocacy Ambassadors to ensure our voices continue to resonate with lawmakers during this critical time.
In 2025, the Congressional August Recess, officially referred to as a State Work Period, is scheduled Monday, Aug. 4–Monday, Sept. 1 (Labor Day) for both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
We’ll be discussing the August Recess Activation Plan with Advocacy Ambassadors during their Q2 meeting on Wednesday, July 23 at 8:00 p.m. ET. If you’re interested in attending, please register here.
Activating Advocacy Ambassadors
To support this effort, Ambassadors will be equipped with a comprehensive “Advocacy-at-Home Toolkit” designed to make district-level engagement seamless and effective. The toolkit includes:
- An overview of the August recess and its strategic importance
- Tips for scheduling and conducting impactful meetings
- Guidance on participating in town halls
- Infographics and data from the Congressional Management Foundation
- Contact information for lawmakers’ schedulers and District Directors
- Email templates for requesting meetings and inviting lawmakers for site visits
Establishing Policy Priorities
Through careful thought and consideration, the AAFP has chosen three policy priorities for the 2025 August Recess, including:
Protecting and Expanding Telehealth Access
Telehealth has become a vital tool for maintaining access to care, especially in rural and underserved communities. Temporary Medicare flexibilities – such as allowing care from home, permitting audio-only visits, and expanding provider eligibility – have improved access, reduced no-show rates, and supported continuity of care. With these provisions set to expire in 2025 and early 2026, Congress must act to make them permanent to ensure equitable access for all Medicare beneficiaries.
Securing Long-term Funding for Primary Care Programs
The Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) program trains primary care residents in community-based settings like Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), helping address physician shortages in high-need areas. These training sites are supported in part by the Community Health Center Fund, which is also in need of long-term reauthorization.
Additionally, the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) helps place primary care, behavioral health, and dental providers in Health Professional Shortage Areas through loan repayment and scholarship incentives. This program helps improve access to care for over 21 million patients annually.
Unfortunately, all three of these programs are set to expire on September 30. Sufficient, long-term funding for THCGME, the CHC fund, and NHSC is essential to ensure program stability, support workforce development, and expand access to care in underserved communities.
Strengthening Federal Health Care Investment Through Appropriations
The federal government is a critical funding source for many health care programs, including those that increase the physician workforce and improve the delivery of high-quality patient care. Unfortunately, the Fiscal Year 2026 President’s Budget request proposes cutting or eliminating altogether important primary care workforce programs, such as Area Health Education Centers and Primary Care Training and Enhancement.
Further, it dramatically reduces funding for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which does extensive scientific research and promotes improvements in clinical and health system practice. It is also the federal agency that supports the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Protecting these investments are essential to building a community-rooted physician workforce and advancing the best possible patient care nationwide.
Strengthening the Message Through Practice Visits
The toolkit encourages Ambassadors to invite lawmakers to visit their practice sites – a powerful way to personalize policy discussions. To help Ambassadors connect these visits to the specific policy priorities, we recommend developing:
- A one-pager specific to your state that highlights the key issues
- Talking points that link personal stories to national policy priorities
- A follow-up email template to reinforce the message and maintain momentum