Mr. Jonas Goes To Washington

Last time Nick Jonas was at the White House, he and his two older brothers and bandmates, Joe and Kevin, rocked out with Malia and Sasha Obama on the night of their father’s inauguration. This time around the youngest Jonas Brother is acting as a lobbyist for diabetes research.

Yesterday Jonas shared a photo op at the White House with President Barack Obama and children living with diabetes before a private meeting at the Capitol Hill office of Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J.

Jonas’ trip to Washington D.C. is personal because he has Type 1 diabetes, a fact he revealed in 2007 while performing at a Diabetes Research Institute fundraiser.

Photo: AP Photo

Nick Jonas of The Jonas Brothers waits to testify on Capitol Hill about Type 1 Diabetes Research.

“I know some people can become star-struck and lose sight of what they’re here for, but if Nick Jonas makes juvenile diabetes a cause that people are more aware of, it’s worth it,” said Ashley Woolos, an American University student and intern in the office of Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass.

“A younger face might bring younger fans and the fact that juvenile diabetes is not just an older persons’ disease.”

Jonas is set to testify today in front of a Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee hearing on federal funding for diabetes research. Boxer Sugar Ray Leonard and actress Mary Tyler Moore are also expected to show their support as witnesses.

The Jonas Brothers, who created the Change for the Children Foundation, are currently touring North America, with European dates to follow. The guys’ fourth CD, Lines, Vines, and Trying Times, was released last week.

Click here for the AP article.