MS Activists meet with Congressman Adam Smith

Advocacy director Jim Freeburg, Congressman Adam Smith, and MS activist Simone Thompson

Monday morning, MS activists met with Congressman Adam Smith, from Washington's 9th congressional district. Congressman Smith has been a long-time supporter of the MS community - not only is he a member of the Congressional MS Caucus, but he's also a strong supporter for increased funding of MS research and many of our priority issues. 

When we met with Congressman Smith, he shared some of his personal connections to people living with MS and it was great to hear that he is keeping up on some of the new MS research that's happening within his district. He's definitely an engaged and informed representative of his community! 

MS activist Simone Thompson shared her story with the Congressman and encouraged him to keep up the good work. We reiterated our priority issues - funding for the National Institutes of Health, the primary government backer of medical research, and a funding stream within the Department of Defense for MS research. The meeting was especially timely given Congress's budget agreement this week - we need to make sure that all of Congress knows the importance of funding medical research.

Congressman Smith appreciated our visit and left us with a request that we keep raising awareness of MS activism within his district. That's something we can and will do. Stay tuned for more details about how you can be involved in MS activism.