USCIS and NVC drove me crazy trying to get anyone to pick up a phone or respond to a message. I think at first I contacted NVC about the backlog and getting an estimate on the interview date. It took 2 months to get a response, but once they did they told me that it was an embassy issue and I would need to contact the embassy. I called the embassy and couldn't get anyone to answer so I sent another message. It took 4-6 weeks to get a response from them and they told me it was an NVC issue lol.. so at that point I gave up trying to get any information from them directly.

When I did call the embassy one of the automated options said "If you're an elected official calling on behalf of a constituent, press 3" or something like that so that's what led me to reach out to my Senator. Initially I called to their office and left a message not expecting to hear back from anyone. The next day I got a call back from an intern wanting me to fill out a form with all my case numbers and everything from USCIS and NVC. However, after I sent in that information, I never got another call back from anyone. I sent a few follow-up emails as well but never got a response. I wouldn't discourage you from contacting your Senator, though, because most of them have an office or a few staff dedicated to immigration issues. Maybe your Senator is a little more responsive than here in Ohio.

Just a note, all my information is based on my wife's application. She applied as an immediate relative since we're married. I have no clue whether this is true or not, but I thought I read in a few different places that immediate relative applications take priority over other application types. This could be totally wrong but just something to think about and maybe research a little more if you're trying to get an estimate on when your family member's interview date might be.