In The News
Biden, McCarthy Work Lawmakers to Pass Deal as Time Runs Short
by Jennifer Jacobs, Erik Wasson, and Billy House
The White House and Republican congressional leaders geared up lobbying campaigns to win approval of a deal to avert a US default as environmentalists, defense hawks and conservative hard-liners condemned concessions. President Joe Biden is personally calling lawmakers to support this bill, while cabinet members and senior White House staff already had called at least 60 House Democrats by early Monday morning, a Democratic official said. “I never say I’m confident about … Continue Reading
May 29, 2023
Kevin McCarthy May Need Democrats to Save Debt Deal From Republicans
by Andrew Stanton
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's plan to raise the federal debt ceiling may need Democratic support to pass a key committee. McCarthy, a California Republican, and President Joe Biden announced a tentative dealover the weekend to raise the $31.5 trillion debt limit for two years while also cutting federal spending. They announced the deal just days before the United States is set to default on its commitments—which experts say would have devastating impacts to the global economy, giving … Continue Reading
May 29, 2023
White House to Dems: The debt deal could have been a LOT worse
by Jennifer Haberkorn, Holly Otterbein, and Adam Cancryn
The White House has a simple message to Democrats skeptical of the debt ceiling agreement the president cut with Speaker Kevin McCarthy: Don’t judge us by what’s included but what we kept out. Top administration officials began fanning out late Saturday evening and all through Sunday to sell the deal, which would suspend the debt ceiling through January of 2025, limit federal spending through the same period, and make changes to government social welfare programs. The calls with … Continue Reading
May 16, 2022
House Dems Have a Mod Squad. Do Voters Have Any Idea?
by A.B. Stoddard
As a daunting November election comes into focus, and the collapse of Build Back Better is disappearing from the rear-view mirror, Democrats are debating how to use their time before likely losing unified control of the federal government. Progressives want President Biden to abandon the legislative process altogether, while another group of House Democrats is urging him to deliver on a campaign promise - to pass as many bipartisan bills as possible. Still clinging to their … Continue Reading
July 26, 2021
Brownfield Ag News: Axne and Bustos to Co-Chair Rural Reinvestment Task Force
by Mark Dorencamp
Two Midwestern Congresswomen have been named chairs of the New Democrat Coalition Rural Reinvestment Taskforce. Cindy Axne of Iowa and Cheri Bustos of Illinois will lead the group, which aims to develop and advance policy solutions that support Rural America. Axne says the task force will ensure rural communities have a seat at the table in Congress, focusing on a wide range of issues like broadband, healthcare, and the impacts of a changing climate. Bustos says rural areas are in need of … Continue Reading
July 26, 2021
Bloomberg Goverment: What to Know in Washington
by Zachary Sherwood and Brandon Lee
Senators negotiating a $579 billion infrastructure package are aiming to finish negotiations early this week, under pressure from colleagues to salvage an August recess and to allow the Senate to turn to preventing a government shutdown and debt ceiling default in the fall. A pending five-week break scheduled to begin Aug. 9 is motivating the 22-member bipartisan group to end dickering over relatively minor components of their plan after Republicans spurned Senate Majority Leader Chuck … Continue Reading
May 03, 2021
ICYMI – NDC Chair DelBene: It’s Time to Take Child Poverty Seriously and Make the Child Tax Credit Permanent via The American Independent
In case you missed it: New Democrat Coalition (NDC) Chair Suzan DelBene (WA-01) penned an op-ed in The American Independent calling for the permanent expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC). A one-year expansion was included in the American Rescue Plan, which was signed into law in March: "A one-year version of our proposal was included in the American Rescue Plan. That's because the New Democrat Coalition, a group of 94 forward-thinking Democrats that I lead in the House, endorsed the … Continue Reading
April 09, 2021
ICYMI: NDC Vice Chair Ami Bera Joins PPI Podcast to Discuss Health Care During Public Health Week
In case you missed it: In honor of National Public Health Week, New Democrat Coalition (NDC) Vice Chair for Outreach Ami Bera M.D. joined the Progressive Policy Institute's (PPI) Radically Pragmatic Podcast. Rep. Bera, a practicing physician, discussed the critical funding provisions in the American Rescue Plan and the state of health care after the COVID-19 pandemic with PPI's Director of Health Care, Arielle Kane. The NDC, which has long advocated for driving down the costs of health care … Continue Reading
March 26, 2021
ICYMI: NDC Launches Immigration Task Force, Announces Endorsement of Two Key Immigration Reform Bills
In case you missed it: The New Democrat Coalition (NDC) launched its Immigration Task Force co-chaired by Reps. Salud Carbajal (CA-24) and Greg Stanton (AZ-09). In its first action of the 117th Congress, the NDC Immigration Task Force Co-Chairs along with NDC Leadership Representative Kathy Manning (NC-06) announced the Coalition's endorsement of two key immigration reform bills: H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act, and H.R. 1603, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. The NDC … Continue Reading
March 17, 2021
Santa Maria Sun: Carbajal Co-Chairs the Recently Launched New Dem Immigration Task Force
by Karen Garcia
The New Democrat Coalition made up of more than 100 Democratic legislators who are committed to pro-economic growth, pro-innovation, and fiscally responsible policies, virtually launched the New Dem Immigration Task Force on March 11. The task force, co-chaired by U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara), is a commitment to building a fair and inclusive immigration system that reflects "American values as a nation of immigrants." U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton (D-Arizona) hosted the virtual … Continue Reading
March 12, 2021
Santa Barbara News-Press: Task Force, Carbajal Endorse Immigration Reform
by Grayce McCormick
The New Democrat Coalition Task Force, which is co-chaired by U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, held a Zoom press conference Thursday to endorse two new immigration reform bills reintroduced to the U.S. House of Representatives. The Dream and Promise Act of 2021 would: grant Dreamers conditional permanent resident status for 10 years if they meet certain requirements such as being 18 years old or younger when they entered; grant individuals who have had temporary protected status or … Continue Reading
March 12, 2021
Santa Barbara Independent: Carbajal, New Dems Coalition Endorse Immigration Reform
by Delaney Smith
Democrat Salud Carbajal, Santa Barbara’s representative in Congress, endorsed two pieces of immigration reform legislation Thursday. Carbajal endorsed the bills as co-chair of the New Democrat Coalition Task Force, a group of 94 Democrats who are committed to pro-economic growth, pro-innovation, and fiscally responsible policies. Carbajal’s coalition endorsed the Dream and Promise Act, which will provide a path to citizenship for DACA recipients, and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, … Continue Reading
March 03, 2021
ICYMI: NDC Chair DelBene, NDC Rep. Strickland Join NewDEAL Leaders to Discuss COVID-19 Relief for Communities
New Democrat Coalition (NDC) Chair Suzan DelBene (WA-01) and NDC Rep. Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) joined New DEAL Leaders Mayor Cassie Franklin (Everett, WA), Senator Marko Liias (Majority Floor Leader, D-Lynnwood), and NewDEAL Communications and Policy Director, Jonathon Dworkin, to discuss the NDC's role in advancing critical state, local, and tribal funding in the American Rescue Plan to support the local and national response to COVID-19. NDC Chair DelBene addressed the urgent need to pass … Continue Reading
February 05, 2021
ICYMI: NDC Chair Suzan DelBene Joins PPI Podcast with President Will Marshall
New Democrat Coalition (NDC) Chair Suzan DelBene (WA-01) joined Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) President Will Marshall's podcast to discuss her leadership of the Coalition, the NDC's 100 Day Agenda, and the urgent need to pass relief for the American people. NDC Chair DelBene spoke on the NDC's 100 Day Agenda: "We recently released our 100 Day Agenda and put four key pillars in place that are driving our work. One is ending the pandemic and getting people back to work. One is modernizing … Continue Reading
January 29, 2021
ICYMI: Politico Morning Trade: New Dems' Trade Agenda
by Steven Overly
The New Democrat Coalition (NDC) released its First 100 Day Agenda to take actionable steps to end the pandemic, create jobs, and solve the challenges of the 21st century. The NDC will fight for durable progress on our nation's most pressing issues, including ending the pandemic, spurring equitable economic growth and opportunities, tackling climate change, modernizing our infrastructure, protecting and expanding affordable health care, restoring global leadership, defending our democracy, and … Continue Reading
September 24, 2020
E&E News: Centrist Democrats Endorse Six More Climate Bills
by Emma Dumain
The centrist New Democrat Coalition is adding six more bills to its slate of endorsed proposals to combat and respond to climate change. There's little chance that any of these measures will move by themselves before the year's end, with the legislative calendar rapidly closing amid the November elections. And while elements of some of these proposals have already been incorporated into the massive energy package the House is expected to pass later today, the underlying bill is being opposed … Continue Reading
September 18, 2020
ICYMI: The New York Times: No, the Democrats Haven't Gone Over the Edge
The New Democrat Coalition (NDC), chaired by Rep. Derek Kilmer (WA-06), is the largest ideological House Democratic caucus at 104 Members strong. With 42 freshman, New Dem Members are the majority makers in the 116th Congress. The NDC are forward-thinking Democrats committed to identifying pragmatic, pro-growth, and innovative policy solutions to the challenges we face as nation. As reported by David Brooks at The New York Times: "You've probably heard of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, but you … Continue Reading
September 17, 2020
The New York Times: No, the Democrats Haven’t Gone Over the Edge
by David Brooks
Credit...Susan Walsh/Associated Press You've probably heard of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, but you may not have heard of Derek Kilmer. Kilmer grew up in a timber region in Washington State that had seen many of its logging jobs disappear. First at Princeton, then getting a Ph.D. at Oxford, he studied how towns recover from deindustrialization. He went back home to help his community recover economically and now represents that community in Congress. Kilmer is the chairman of the largest … Continue Reading
September 15, 2020
Politico: Dems Seize On Reports of Political Interference at HHS
by Melanie Zanona
... Leaders of the centrist New Democrat Coalition emphasized yesterday that they want to vote on additional relief measures before the October recess, making it fresh on voters' minds. The House last passed a massive coronavirus package back in May. "We've asked both Speaker Pelosi and Leader Hoyer to come and give us an update," Rep. Derek Kilmer, chairman of the coalition, told reporters. "We want a deal that's on a robust, comprehensive package. And barring that, we'd like the House to … Continue Reading
September 15, 2020
Roll Call: House Democrats Worry Last Legislative Message Before Election Lacks COVID Relief
by Lindsey McPherson
With only 11 legislative days scheduled before the November election, House Democrats are fretting about the possibility of going home to voters without any additional COVID-19 assistance enacted into law. The concerns are more about wanting to get aid into the pockets of struggling Americans as soon as possible than the optics of not securing relief before voters head to the polls, but the latter is starting to weigh on some members as hopes of a bipartisan deal have faded over the past … Continue Reading