I would actually suggest that you do not discuss any policy proposals with these politicians/policymakers/people, as it could be ineffective for the following reasons:
Communicating policy to policymakers is a very specific skillset, and doing it effectively requires lots of practice. It sounds like this isn’t your day to day, so I do not recommend starting with “fairly influential people in American politics”
Pitching policy is much more effective when you have i) established yourself as an expert in the field of that policy, and/or ii) developed deep relationships with the policymakers in question such that they trust your judgement
Oftentimes, it can be less effective to talk to a politician/policymaker directly instead of their staff/offices. I think this is especially the case with proposals that may need more explanation, which seems to be the case for some/many EA proposals
Additionally, there are associated risks such as:
Miscommunicating a policy in a way that turns them off of the policy or issue area
Persuading them that a policy is important, but then they find out about this thing called “EA” or “longtermism” and see negative press pieces about these things. And then they decide not to engage
Instead of pitching a proposal, I might suggest:
Asking for a point of contact in their office/staff: “By the way, I think that given circumstances X, Y issue is really important. I’d love to learn more about how you’re thinking about this, who would be the best person in your office / amongst your staff to talk to? And what is their email address?”
Offering to make an intro to an expert: “By the way, I think that given circumstances X, Y issue is really important. My friend Z has a PhD / works for a think tank / has these relevant qualifications, can I make an intro to you or someone in your office? What’s the best email to reach out to?”
If you really had to pick something, I’d probably try to choose a pandemic prevention policy that’s relatively under-the-radar, has a minimal impact on state/federal budgets, and unrelated to anything that can be easily weaponized (e.g., lab leaks).
I would actually suggest that you do not discuss any policy proposals with these politicians/policymakers/people, as it could be ineffective for the following reasons:
Communicating policy to policymakers is a very specific skillset, and doing it effectively requires lots of practice. It sounds like this isn’t your day to day, so I do not recommend starting with “fairly influential people in American politics”
Pitching policy is much more effective when you have i) established yourself as an expert in the field of that policy, and/or ii) developed deep relationships with the policymakers in question such that they trust your judgement
Oftentimes, it can be less effective to talk to a politician/policymaker directly instead of their staff/offices. I think this is especially the case with proposals that may need more explanation, which seems to be the case for some/many EA proposals
Additionally, there are associated risks such as:
Miscommunicating a policy in a way that turns them off of the policy or issue area
Persuading them that a policy is important, but then they find out about this thing called “EA” or “longtermism” and see negative press pieces about these things. And then they decide not to engage
Instead of pitching a proposal, I might suggest:
Asking for a point of contact in their office/staff: “By the way, I think that given circumstances X, Y issue is really important. I’d love to learn more about how you’re thinking about this, who would be the best person in your office / amongst your staff to talk to? And what is their email address?”
Offering to make an intro to an expert: “By the way, I think that given circumstances X, Y issue is really important. My friend Z has a PhD / works for a think tank / has these relevant qualifications, can I make an intro to you or someone in your office? What’s the best email to reach out to?”
If you really had to pick something, I’d probably try to choose a pandemic prevention policy that’s relatively under-the-radar, has a minimal impact on state/federal budgets, and unrelated to anything that can be easily weaponized (e.g., lab leaks).
I worry a little that if OP pitches policy poorly (or well, but in the wrong context), they might reflect badly on their friend.
But in a situation where the politician’s open to hearing from you, I wouldn’t be especially worried.