Problem Solvers Caucus
| Problem Solvers Caucus | |
| House | |
 | |
| Leadership: | •Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) •Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) |
| Established | 2013 |
| Members | 46 (as of February 2019) |
| Website | Problem Solvers Caucus |
The Problem Solvers Caucus is a congressional caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives that aims to support what the group considers to be bipartisan solutions to legislative and policy issues.
History
The Problem Solvers Caucus began as an initiative of the group No Labels, which was founded in 2013 to develop a bipartisan strategic agenda for federal legislation. In the group's announcement of the Problem Solvers Caucus, No Labels co-chair Jon Huntsman said, "The members of this new caucus are heeding the call of millions of Americans who want a new politics of problem solving in our government. It’s a bold move and a challenge to the way business is typically done in Washington. Our country needs more leaders like these willing to rise above the partisanship and get things done."[1]
In an opinion piece describing No Labels, co-chairs Huntsman and Joe Lieberman described the Problem Solvers Caucus as "dozens of members of Congress, fostering collaboration and teamwork across party lines. These members of Congress have listened to the message, liked what they heard and are committed to an elevated level of cross-party cooperation."[2]
Work
National Strategic Agenda
In its first years, the Problem Solvers Caucus worked closely but independently of the organization No Labels to develop what it called the National Strategic Agenda, a set of policy items they considered to be a common set of goals that most citizens would support lawmakers pursuing. The agenda's items were:[2]
- Create 25 million new jobs over the next 10 years.
- Secure Social Security and Medicare for another 75 years.
- Balance the federal budget by 2030.
- Make America energy secure by 2024
Healthcare proposals, 2017
In August 2017, the Problem Solvers Caucus addressed debates over how to proceed on legislative efforts concerning the Affordable Care Act. The group decided that instability in the individual marketplace was the issue that needed addressing and proposed three broad measures for healthcare legislation, according to an opinion piece by Rep. Ryan Costello (R-Pa.):[3]
- "First, end the uncertainty surrounding the federal government’s Cost Sharing Reduction payments (CSRs). ... Our proposal would remove the uncertainty surrounding this issue by vesting it as part of the legislative appropriations process and remove it from purely executive prerogative."
- "Second, let’s refocus the broader debate on health care to encourage innovation and enhance flexibility at the state level. ... Our proposal provides direct and technical corrections to facilitate this innovation without sacrificing critical patient protections for preexisting conditions or essential health benefits. We can encourage states to continue to lead by adopting innovative policies that meet the needs of their unique populations. It need not be by federal agency fiat."
- "Third, many of the provisions of the ACA have negatively impacted job creators — and, in fact, many workers — without an appreciable impact on affordable access to care. ... Our proposal creates a dedicated 'stability fund' that states can use to reduce premiums and limit losses for providing coverage — especially for those with preexisting conditions."
Members
116th Congress
As of March 2020, the following individuals were members of the Problem Solvers Caucus:[4]
Democrats
- Ben McAdams (Utah)
- Anthony Brindisi (N.Y.)
- Josh Harder (Calif.)
- Salud Carbajal (Calif.)
- Elaine Luria (Va.)
- Kendra Horn (Okla.)
- Elissa Slotkin (Mich.)
- Jim Costa (Calif.)
- Joe Cunningham (S.C.)
- Debbie Dingell (Mich.)
- Vicente González (Texas)
- Josh Gottheimer (N.J.)
- Susie Lee (Nev.)
- Daniel Lipinski (Ill.)
- Stephanie Murphy (Fla.)
- Tom O'Halleran (Ariz.)
- Jimmy Panetta (Calif.)
- Scott Peters (Calif.)
- Dean Phillips (Minn.)
- Max Rose (N.Y.)
- Bradley Schneider (Ill.)
- Kurt Schrader (Ore.)
- Darren Soto (Fla.)
- Abigail Spanberger (Va.)
- Tom Suozzi (N.Y.)
Republicans
- Mark Amodei (Nev.)
- Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.)
- Mike Gallagher (Wis.)
- Don Bacon (Neb.)
- Dusty Johnson (S.D.)
- David Joyce (Ohio)
- John Katko (N.Y.)
- Pete Stauber (Minn.)
- Bryan Steil (Wis.)
- Anthony Gonzalez (Ohio)
- Tom Reed (N.Y.)
- Lloyd Smucker (Pa.)
- Glenn Thompson (Pa.)
- Fred Upton (Mich.)
- Jaime Herrera Beutler (Wash.)
- Steve Watkins (Kan.)
- Will Hurd (Texas)
- Bill Johnson (Ohio)
115th Congress
March 2018
According to the website of Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.), the Problem Solvers Caucus had 48 members as of March 5, 2018. A full list of members was not available at that time. On December 21, 2017, Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) issued a press release announcing the introduction of HR 4695. In that press release, the following representatives were identified as members of the Problem Solvers Caucus:[5][6][7]
Democrats
- Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.)
- Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.)
- Ami Bera (D-Calif.)
- Jim Costa (D-Calif.)
- Elizabeth Esty (D-Conn.)
- Daniel Lipinski (D-Ill.)
- Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.)
- Rick Nolan (D-Minn.)
- Tom O'Halleran (D-Ariz.)
- Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.)
- Scott Peters (D-Calif.)
- Bradley Schneider (D-Ill.)
- Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.)
- Darren Soto (D-Fla.)
- Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.)
- Peter Welch (D-Vt.)
Republicans
- Tom Reed (R-N.Y.)
- Ryan Costello (R-Penn.)
- Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.)
- Charles W. Dent (R-Penn.)
- John Faso (R-N.Y.)
- Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Penn.)
- John Katko (R-N.Y.)
- Leonard Lance (R-N.J.)
- Glenn Thompson (R-Penn.)
- Dave Trott (R-Mich.)
February 2017
In a letter from the Problem Solvers Caucus to President Trump in February 2017, the Problem Solvers Caucus listed 35 members, 18 Republicans and 17 Democrats:[8]
Democrats
- Jim Costa (D-Calif.)
- Charlie Crist (D-Fla.)
- Elizabeth Esty (D-Conn.)
- Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas)
- Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.)
- Daniel Lipinski (D-Ill.)
- Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.)
- Richard Nolan (D-Minn.)
- Tom O'Halleran (D-Ariz.)
- Scott Peters (D-Calif.)
- Jared Polis (D-Colo.)
- Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.)
- Bradley Schneider (D-Ill.)
- Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.)
- Darren Soto (D-Fla.)
- Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.)
- Peter Welch (D-Vt.)
Republicans
- Mike Coffman (R-Colo.)
- Ryan Costello (R-Pa.)
- Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.)
- Charlie Dent (R-Pa.)
- Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.)
- Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.)
- Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.)
- Bill Johnson (R-Ohio)
- David Joyce (R-Ohio)
- John Katko (R-N.Y.)
- Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.)
- Tom MacArthur (R-N.J.)
- Patrick Meehan (R-Pa.)
- Tom Reed (R-N.Y.)
- Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.)
- Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.)
- Fred Upton (R-Mich.)
- David Young (R-Iowa)
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Problem Solvers Caucus'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ No Labels, "No Labels Applauds Creation Of Congressional 'Problem Solvers Caucus,'" July 16, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 CNN, "A plan for the next president," June 17, 2015
- ↑ Arizona Daily Sun, "Three ideas from the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus," August 12, 2017
- ↑ Problem Solvers Caucus, "Featured Members," accessed March 6, 2020
- ↑ Note that this is not necessarily an exhaustive list of caucus members.
- ↑ Josh Gottheimer, New Jersey's 5th District, "BIPARTISAN GROUP OF PROBLEM SOLVERS CAUCUS MEMBERS INTRODUCE COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH CARE BILL TO STABILIZE THE INDIVIDUAL MARKETPLACE," December 21, 2017
- ↑ Congressman Tom Reed, New York's 23rd District, "Problem Solvers Caucus," accessed March 5, 2018
- ↑ Office of Rep. Josh Gottheimer, "Bipartisan Letter to President Trump," accessed February 8, 2017
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