Problem Solvers Caucus

Problem Solvers Caucus
Co-ChairsJosh Gottheimer (D)
Brian Fitzpatrick (R)
FoundedJanuary 23, 2017; 7 years ago (2017-01-23)
IdeologyCentrism[1]
Bipartisanship[2]
Political positionCenter[3]
Colors  Red and   Blue
Seats in House Democratic Caucus
32 / 213
Seats in House Republican Caucus
27 / 217
Seats in the House[a]
59 / 435
Website
problemsolverscaucus.house.gov

The Problem Solvers Caucus is a group in the United States House of Representatives that has included members equally divided between Democrats and Republicans, with the Caucus' stated goal of fostering bipartisan cooperation on key policy issues. The group was created in January 2017 as an outgrowth of meetings held by political organization No Labels as early as 2014.[4] It is co-chaired by Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) as of 2021.[5]

History

[edit]
Problem Solvers Caucus hosting a press conference in 2020

The Problem Solvers Caucus developed over time as an outgrowth of informal meetings organized by group No Labels. No Labels spent years on Capitol Hill working to get members in a room to talk with colleagues from the other party. These informal "get to know you" meetings led to more substantive cooperation across the aisle, including the introduction of nine bipartisan bills to reduce government waste and inefficiency, and the introduction of the No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013[6][7] and the Medicare "doc fix" in 2015.[citation needed]

Over time, No Labels continued to organize members into a more cohesive group and eventually branded the group the "Problem Solvers" and recruited its first two co-chairs, Rep. Reid Ribble (R-WI) and Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR).[8] This group of members organized by No Labels also signed a resolution (H.R. 207) calling for both parties to unify behind a National Strategic Agenda with four goals: job creation, balancing the budget, securing Medicare and Social Security, and energy security.[9]

Then co-chairs Reed and Gottheimer said in 2017, "We all knew the partisanship in Washington had gotten out of control and felt the need to create a bipartisan group committed to getting to 'yes' on important issues. We have agreed to vote together for any policy proposal that garners the support of 75 percent of the entire Problem Solvers Caucus, as well as 51 percent of both the Democrats and Republicans in the caucus."[10][better source needed] To ensure party balance, a new member can only join the caucus when a member of the opposing party joins at the same time.[11]

Healthcare reform

[edit]

During the week of August 4, 2017, the 43-member House Problem Solvers Caucus released a compromise to shore up the struggling insurance exchanges. The proposal focused on the skyrocketing cost of individual health insurance premiums. At the time, the Trump administration considered suspending cost-sharing payments that defray out-of-pocket payments like deductibles and co-payments, a move which insurers said could cause premiums to rise by 15 percent or more.[12]

The second part of the Problem Solvers plan would have provided relief to help states deal with the high cost of pre-existing and chronic conditions. The relief is provided through a dedicated stability fund that states could use to reduce premiums and limit losses for providing coverage for these high-cost patients. The third part of the plan provides relief to certain businesses from the mandate that they provide insurance to full-time employees. It also defines "full time" as a 40-hour workweek to discourage businesses from manipulating employees' weekly hours to skirt the mandate.[10]

The plan would have also eliminated the Medical Device Tax, an excise charge of 2.3 percent, which opponents claim is passed onto consumers and reduces funds for research and development.[12]

Congressional rules reform

[edit]

After the 2018 midterm elections, the Problem Solvers Caucus and House Democratic Leadership negotiated a package that reformed the rules of the House. The Washington Post's Editorial Board predicted that those new rules should "ease consideration of bipartisan amendments, create a 'consensus calendar' to reserve time for bills with wide bipartisan support and make it harder for extremists on the House’s wings to threaten to oust the speaker."[13] Some on the left argued against the changes saying they would essentially weaken Speaker Pelosi and the Democrats in the House.[14][15]

COVID-19 relief

[edit]

In September 2020, the Problem Solvers released their "March to Common Ground" COVID-19 relief package, an outline for a Congressional bipartisan compromise that showed that members of both parties were willing to listen to each other in order to craft legislation.[16]

Capitol riot and reaction

[edit]

On May 18, 2021, the Problem Solvers Caucus endorsed bipartisan legislation to investigate the attack on the Capitol.[17] However, the next day only 18 of 28 Republican Problem Solvers voted in support of creating a bipartisan commission to lead the investigation.[18]

Ousting of McCarthy

[edit]

After the 2023 October Continuing Resolution was passed on September 30, 2023, Congressman Matt Gaetz presented the motion to vacate against Speaker Kevin McCarthy on October 3, in which all Democrats voted to vacate alongside eight Republicans. Republican members of the Problem Solvers Caucus criticized their Democratic counterparts for not defending McCarthy after he passed a bipartisan bill, considering it an undermining of bipartisanship credibility, although Nancy Mace, a Republican member of the Problem Solvers Caucus herself, also voted alongside Democrats to remove McCarthy.[19][20] Within the caucus, the Republican argument that defending the Speaker would protect the institution was met with the Democratic rebuttal that McCarthy refused to certify the 2020 election. The schism formed from this event persisted long after the vote, with the caucus acting only in small groups rather than as a 64-member bloc for bipartisan issues. Republican members were looking at removing Democratic members who did not cross the aisle often enough, while Democratic members believed the caucus were not doing enough to combat the far-right influence in the general GOP.[21]

119th Congress

[edit]

After the results of the 2024 United States House of Representatives elections showed the 119th United States Congress will have an even narrower Republican majority than the 118th had, the group met as a whole for the first time in a year.[22]

List of co-chairs

[edit]
Start End Democratic Co-Chair Republican Co-Chair
2013 2015 Kurt Schrader (D-OR) Reid Ribble (R-WI)
2015 2017 Tom Reed (R-NY)
2017 2019 Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ)
2019 2021
2021 present Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA)

Membership

[edit]
Problem Solvers Caucus in the 118th United States Congress:
  Democratic Problem Solvers caucus member
  Republican Problem Solvers caucus member

This group includes 59 members as of May 16, 2024: 32 Democrats and 27 Republicans.[23]

Democrats

[edit]

Republicans

[edit]

Former members

[edit]

Democrats

[edit]
In office
[edit]
No longer in the House of Representatives
[edit]

Republicans

[edit]
In office
[edit]
No longer in the House of Representatives
[edit]

Media coverage

[edit]

The New York Times reported in May 2023 that the Democratic wing of the caucus is in "open revolt" over No Labels' progress in pursuing a third-party presidential ticket for 2024.[50]

Tom Reed, former Republican co-chair said in 2019, "The Problem Solvers Caucus has been finding itself in the middle of several key battles and make common cause with its natural Senate allies".[51]

Mark Pocan, a former caucus member and co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, a left-leaning organization, said in 2018 that he was "duped" by No Labels and the PSC, saying that rather than "breaking gridlock", it was "a fast track for special interests and lobbyists."[52]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ 2 members non-voting in the full house
  2. ^ New Progressive, caucuses with Republicans
  3. ^ a b Non-voting member of the full house

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Nilsen, Ella (November 26, 2018). "Nancy Pelosi's Problem Solvers Caucus problem, explained". Vox. Archived from the original on April 7, 2019. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  2. ^ Laslo, Matt (April 20, 2019). "U.S. House Democrats say squabbles are healthy sign as they move past 100 days". WHYY-TV. NPR. Archived from the original on August 5, 2019. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  3. ^ "Centrist lawmakers band together to demand House reforms for the next speaker". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 5, 2019. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  4. ^ "No Labels Applauds Creation of Congressional 'Problem Solvers Caucus'". Archived from the original on 2016-03-28.
  5. ^ "Our Co-Chairs". Problem Solvers Caucus. 5 June 2019. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  6. ^ "Members of Congress introduce bipartisan legislation as the 'Problem Solvers'". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2017-10-14. Retrieved 2021-07-17.
  7. ^ Camp, Dave (2013-02-04). "H.R.325 – 113th Congress (2013–2014): No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013". www.congress.gov. Archived from the original on 2021-07-17. Retrieved 2021-07-17.
  8. ^ Cusack, Bob (2014-07-16). "New congressional caucus disavows 'kindergarten-style theatrics'". The Hill. Archived from the original on 2021-07-17. Retrieved 2021-07-17.
  9. ^ Reed, Tom (2015-04-21). "H.Res.207 – 114th Congress (2015–2016): Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding establishing a National Strategic Agenda". www.congress.gov. Archived from the original on 2021-07-17. Retrieved 2021-07-17.
  10. ^ a b Gottheimer, Josh; Reed, Tom (2017-08-04). "Let's Stop the Bickering and Fix the Health Care System". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2017-08-13. Retrieved 2017-08-12.
  11. ^ Blanco, Adrian; Sotomayor, Marianna; Dormido, Hannah. "Meet 'the five families' that wield power in McCarthy's House majority". The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 May 2023. Established in 2017, its membership is quite exclusive because a lawmaker can only be accepted if a member from the opposing party joins at the same time. Sixty-three members now make up the group after 12 Republicans joined this term.
  12. ^ a b Gottheimer, Josh; Reed, Tom (2017-08-04). "Opinion | Let's Stop the Bickering and Fix the Health Care System". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2020-06-22. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
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  17. ^ "Problem Solvers Caucus Endorses Bipartisan Legislation to Investigate Jan. 6 Attack on U.S. Capitol | Problem Solvers Caucus". Problemsolverscaucus.house.gov. 2021-05-18. Archived from the original on 2022-02-06. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
  18. ^ "Roll Call 154 | Bill Number: H. R. 3233". Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Clerk.house.gov. May 19, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-05-19. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
  19. ^ Juliegrace, Sarah (2023-10-03). "House bipartisan caucus risks collapse after McCarthy ouster". Axios. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
  20. ^ Kayanja, Ian (2023-10-04). "Rep. Nancy Mace defends vote to oust Kevin McCarthy: 'I owe nobody in D.C. anything'". WCIV-ABC News. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  21. ^ Beavers, Olivia; Wu, Nicholas (2024-03-09). "House centrists in both parties see their influence sapped by bitter internal tension". Politico. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  22. ^ Diaz, Daniella (December 5, 2024). "The Problem Solvers vs. their own problems". Politico.
  23. ^ "Problem Solvers Caucus Announces Membership and Executive Council for the 118th Congress". House.gov. 8 March 2023. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
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  27. ^ "Rep. Kendra Horn discusses losing the race for Oklahoma's 5th Congressional District". Koco. Archived from the original on November 21, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  28. ^ "Anti-abortion Democrat Rep. Dan Lipinski Loses Primary". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original on 2020-03-18. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  29. ^ "Ben McAdams Concedes to Burgess Owens". The Washington Times. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  30. ^ Eric Bradner; Terence Burlij. "Dem's retirement gives Republicans a pickup opportunity". CNN. Archived from the original on 2018-11-22. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
  31. ^ Schneier, Matthew (2019-01-09). "Colorado's Got a Gay Governor. Who Cares?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2020-06-09. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
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  34. ^ Romero, Simon (2018-11-12). "Kyrsten Sinema Declared Winner in Arizona Senate Race". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2020-06-25. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
  35. ^ "Problem Solvers Caucus creates problem for Nancy Pelosi". 2018-11-24. Archived from the original on 2021-03-08. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
  36. ^ Swanson, Ian (2018-11-06). "Coffman loses GOP seat in Colorado". The Hill. Archived from the original on 2020-11-07. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
  37. ^ Pramuk, Jacob (2018-03-26). "Republican Rep. Ryan Costello will retire, making it tougher for GOP to hold House majority". CNBC. Archived from the original on 2020-09-20. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
  38. ^ Harder, Amy (7 November 2018). "Carlos Curbelo, Republican leader on climate, loses tight Florida race". Axios. Archived from the original on 2020-08-14. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
  39. ^ Cheney, Kyle; Schneider, Elena (17 April 2018). "Dent resigns, to leave Congress next month". Politico. Archived from the original on 2022-03-01. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
  40. ^ Foderaro, Lisa W. (2018-11-07). "Antonio Delgado Upsets John Faso as 3 House Republicans Fall to N.Y. Democrats". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2020-05-24. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
  41. ^ Cochrane, Emily. "Will Hurd, Only Black Republican in House, Is Retiring From Congress". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 2, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
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  50. ^ Weisman, Jonathan (2023-05-19). "'No Labels' Eyes a Third-Party Run in 2024. Democrats Are Alarmed". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
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  52. ^ Pocan, Rep Mark (2018-12-04). "'No Labels' Needs A Warning Label". HuffPost. Archived from the original on 2018-12-04. Retrieved 2018-12-05.
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