PAAIA’s 2025 Capitol Hill Days: Advocating for the Iranian American Community on Capitol Hill
From April 2nd to April 4th, 2025, members of the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA) gathered in Washington, D.C., for our annual Capitol Hill Day (CHD) events and meetings. Iranian American leaders from across the country met with over 20 Members of Congress and their staff to advocate for legislative priorities impacting our community, including internet freedom in Iran and the Temporary Family Visitation Act.
During this year’s Capitol Hill Days, PAAIA Members met with :
- Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Rand Paul (R-KY), James Lankford (R-OK), Ashley Moody (R-FL), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ)
- Representatives Stephanie Bice (R-OK), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Virginia Foxx (R-NC), Tom Cole (R-OK), Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ), Mike Haridopolos (R-FL), Mike Kennedy (R-UT), Brad Knott (R-NC), Mark Messmer (R-IN), Aaron Bean (R-FL), Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA), Zach Nunn (R-IA), Scott Franklin (R-FL), and Cory Mills (R-FL)
PAAIA members delivered policy briefs and personal stories emphasizing the importance of travel and family visitations, protecting and supporting the people of Iran access to the internet, but also how we can support, protect, and spotlight the Iranian American community we have here at home. how we can support, protect, and spotlight the Iranian American community we have here at home.
“Our meetings were almost all with senators and congressional members, and we relayed our asks with clarity. I was especially impressed with the depth of knowledge of Dr. Neda Bolourchi and Morad Ghorban, whose fluency in each bill and policy gave us the ability to answer questions in real time.” – Roxanne Varzi, PAAIA Member
We extend our sincerest thanks to all members, speakers, and partners who helped make this year’s Capitol Hill Days a success. The impact of our collective voice continues to grow—and we look forward to building on this momentum to advance meaningful policy change.
