Problem Solvers Caucus

Problem Solvers Caucus
Name	Problem Solvers Caucus
Formation	2017
Type	Congressional caucus
Location	Washington, D.C.
Leaders	Co-chairs
Members	Bipartisan group of U.S. Representatives

Contents

Problem Solvers Caucus The Problem Solvers Caucus is a bipartisan group in the United States House of Representatives associated with members from the Democratic Party (United States), the Republican Party (United States), the Congress of the United States, and staff with backgrounds from institutions such as the Brookings Institution, the Heritage Foundation, the AARP, and the National Republican Congressional Committee. It aims to foster cross-party collaboration among legislators influenced by figures like Nancy Pelosi, Kevin McCarthy, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and advisors from the Carter Center and the Koch Network.

Overview

The caucus situates itself within the legislative ecosystem alongside groups like the Blue Dog Coalition, the House Freedom Caucus, the New Democrat Coalition, the Tuesday Group, and the Republican Main Street Partnership, and it interacts with committees such as the House Committee on Ways and Means, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, the House Committee on Appropriations, the Senate Committee on Finance, and the House Committee on the Judiciary. Members frequently engage with policy organizations including the American Enterprise Institute, the Center for American Progress, the Cato Institute, the RAND Corporation, and the Council on Foreign Relations to craft proposals that respond to issues raised by constituencies in districts represented near cities like New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and Phoenix.

The caucus was formed in the aftermath of the 2016 United States House elections and drew on lessons from bipartisan efforts in periods involving leaders such as John Boehner, Steny Hoyer, Tip O'Neill, Newt Gingrich, and reform movements echoing the work of commissions like the Bipartisan Policy Center and the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. Founding members included Representatives who had previously worked with institutions like the Clinton Foundation, the Bush Institute, the Kennedy School, the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and the Brookings Institution and who sought to replicate cooperative models seen in historic agreements such as the Tax Reform Act of 1986 and the Balanced Budget Act of 1997.

Membership spans lawmakers from districts across states including California, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, and Georgia, and individual members often have prior affiliations with organizations like the Federal Reserve Board, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Small Business Administration. The caucus is organized with co-chairs and a steering committee reminiscent of structures used by groups including the House Democratic Caucus, the House Republican Conference, the Senate Democratic Leadership, and the Senate Republican Leadership, and it coordinates meetings in venues such as the Capitol Hill offices, the Rayburn House Office Building, and policy forums at the Kennedy Center and the Aspen Institute.

The caucus has promoted legislative bargaining on topics related to taxation, infrastructure, healthcare, and immigration, drawing on comparative policy studies from the OECD, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and academic work from institutions like Harvard University, Yale University, Stanford University, Columbia University, and Princeton University. Its initiatives often reference statutes and programs such as the Affordable Care Act, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, the Interstate Highway System, the Clean Air Act, and the Immigration and Nationality Act, while engaging stakeholders including the Chamber of Commerce, the AFL–CIO, the United States Conference of Mayors, and state governments like those of California and Texas.

The caucus facilitated negotiations that influenced bipartisan proposals resembling elements of the No Child Left Behind Act, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and members have been central to discussions around budget deals, continuing resolutions, and emergency appropriations during crises involving events like Hurricane Katrina, the Great Recession, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Its role in bridging divides is compared to historic bipartisan moments such as the passage of the Social Security Act, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the GI Bill, and its membership has engaged with media organizations like The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, and Fox News to publicize proposals.

Critics from groups including the Progressive Democrats of America, the Tea Party movement, the Democratic Socialists of America, and commentators associated with outlets such as Mother Jones, National Review, The Intercept, The Weekly Standard, and Vox argue that the caucus sometimes compromises core party priorities, echoes strategies used by lobbyists from firms linked to Goldman Sachs, ExxonMobil, PhRMA, UnitedHealth Group, and that its deals can mirror outcomes criticized in reports by the Government Accountability Office and the Congressional Research Service. Controversies have arisen when members took positions aligned with recommendations from advocacy groups like the Heritage Action for America or the Center for American Progress Action Fund, prompting debate similar to disputes over past bipartisan coalitions such as the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act negotiations.