Press Releases
Today, Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX) and Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL), co-chairs of the Blue Dog Task Force on National Defense, sent a letter to the Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, Rep. Michael McCaul, calling for public hearings focused on domestic terrorism related to white supremacist groups.
Today, the fiscally-responsible Democratic Blue Dog Coalition announced that it has endorsed H.J. Res. 107, Balanced Budget Amendment, which was authored and introduced by Rep. Stephanie Murphy, co-chair for the Blue Dog Task Force on Fiscal Responsibility. Rep. Murphy was the first House Democrat to introduce a Balanced Budget Amendment during the 115th Congress.
Tonight, when the House of Representatives considers H.R. 3219, Make America Secure Appropriations Act, 2018, it will also vote on 72 amendments to the bill. Two of those amendments, added by members of the House Freedom Caucus, are intended to significantly weaken the Congressional Budget Office (CBO)—a nonpartisan organization that provides a crucial check on both Republican and Democratic policymakers in Washington.
Today, H.R. 3364, the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, passed the U.S. House of Representatives, 419-3. This bill includes Blue Dog-endorsed legislation designed to combat terrorism financing. The legislation, written by Blue Dog Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), establishes a whole-of-government strategy to combat the financing of terrorism.
The fiscally-responsible Blue Dog Coalition has endorsed the H.R. 1779, No Budget, No Pay Act, authored by Blue Dog Congressman Jim Cooper (D-TN) and co-sponsored by several other Blue Dog members. No Budget, No Pay would stop congressional pay if Congress fails to pass America's budget bills on time.
A longtime advocate for congressional reform, Rep. Cooper first introduced the No Budget, No Pay Act in 2011 after a constituent in Nashville, Tennessee, asked why Congress is allowed to miss budget and tax deadlines while the public has no such luxury.
The fiscally-responsible Blue Dog Coalition has endorsed "Solutions Over Politics," a five-part proposal of ways to stabilize the individual health insurance market and improve the Affordable Care Act. The proposal was spearheaded by Blue Dog member Congressman Kurt Schrader (OR-05) less than two weeks ago.
The fiscally-responsible Blue Dog Coalition has endorsed two pieces of legislation authored by Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN) in an effort to stop gerrymandering and to reveal the secret congressional redistricting process to all Americans. This has been a longstanding priority of the Blue Dogs during times of both Democratic and Republican majorities in Congress.
Today, the co-chairs of the fiscally-responsible Democratic Blue Dog Coalition—Reps. Jim Costa (D-CA), Henry Cuellar (D-TX), and Daniel Lipinski (D-IL)—released the following statement in response to the House Republican 2018 budget resolution:
Yesterday, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released the June 2017 Budget and Economic Outlook. According to the CBO, in fiscal year 2017, the budget deficit will total $693 billion, or 3.6 percent of the GDP—$134 billion more than prior estimates and the highest projection since 2012. America's debt will grow from $14.3 trillion today to $25.5 trillion by 2027—and in 10 years, the nation's debt will be 91 percent of the GDP.
Today, the co-chairs of the fiscally responsible Blue Dog Coalition—Reps. Jim Costa (D-CA), Henry Cuellar (D-TX), and Daniel Lipinski (D-IL)—announced the Blue Dog Task Forces for the 115th Congress.