Across the country, talk of cutting Medicare and Medicaid has created a political firestorm – and some politicians say it’s necessary to balance the federal budget.

We couldn’t disagree more.

Medicare and Medicaid provide a safety net for our most vulnerable community members – including children, pregnant women, seniors and people with disabilities – and more Americans than ever rely on the coverage they provide. Medicaid provides stable health coverage and services for 11% of Asian Americans and 14% of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. In addition, over 14% of Asian seniors rely on Medicare and Medicaid for health coverage.

To call your Representative, follow these simple steps:

Call the United States Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121. It is best to call in the morning Eastern Time to avoid problems because of different time zones between your state and Washington, D.C.

When the switchboard operators answer, ask to be connected to the office of your Representative.

In order to speak with your Representative’s office, you will need to give the operator your zip code. In some cases, there are more than one congressional districts within a zip code, so you may need to give the operator your full address to determine the correct Representative.

The operator will then connect you to your Representative’s office.