In The News
'New Democrats' Outnumber Liberals, But Need Pizazz
by Mort Kondracke
The media, perpetually mesmerized by ideologues and charisma, have virtually anointed radical leftist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as the future of the Democratic Party. In fact, it should focus on Rep. Derek Kilmer and the House New Democrat Coalition he chairs. The Progressive Caucus, representing ultra-liberals, numbers 95 representatives. But New Democrats number 101, including most of the 40 newcomers who took seats away from Republicans in 2018 and 21 who won in 2016 Trump districts. … Continue Reading
February 27, 2019
It Takes a Steel Spine to Stand for Moderate Pragmatism in a Polarized Era
by Rep. Ben McAdams
You might not have heard much about us, but the moderates are in the House. The national headlines may make it appear that the only ideas are those of my colleagues on the far left. But that's not reality. The fact is that moderates delivered the House majority in 2018. More than three-quarters of the Democrats who flipped seats in November are now members of the Blue Dog Coalition, the New Democrat Coalition or both - the moderate wing of the party. These are the people who campaigned on … Continue Reading
February 19, 2019
How to Make Manufacturing Cheaper and More Sustainable
by Rep. Haley Stevens
The future of manufacturing remains the compelling question of the 21st-century economy: How will we continue to innovate, create jobs, and ensure regional economic success — all while meeting the pressing needs of environmental sustainability? This race for the success of the U.S. manufacturing sector comes into heightened focus as raw materials become scarcer and more expensive. Meanwhile, the harmful effects of man-made climate change mean manufacturers must reinvent their craft to … Continue Reading
July 26, 2018
Bloomberg: Centrist Democrats Tout Practical Fixes, Not Medicare-for-All
Centrist Democrats Tout Practical Fixes, Not Medicare-for-All Moderates want Democrats to support practical health solutions Move signals little support for bipartisan Obamacare fixes By Alex Ruoff | July 26, 2018 9:02AM ET A coalition of centrist House Democrats is urging colleagues to sign onto an Obamacare-repair bill to show voters their party has practical solutions to the issue of rising health insurance premiums. Members of the New Democrat Coalition sent a letter to their … Continue Reading
June 28, 2018
DelBene: The US must get back in the game on personal data protection via Financial Times
Financial Times Opinion: The US must get back in the game on personal data protection Unless America steps up with its own rules, GDPR will become the global norm By New Democrat Coalition Vice Chair Suzan DelBene (WA-01) Long before I was elected to Congress, when I was starting my career in the tech industry, I believed we had boundless opportunities to improve the lives of millions, if not billions, of people. New breakthroughs were being achieved with each passing day. First, … Continue Reading
May 09, 2018
Working Together on a Permanent Legislative Solution for Dreamers
by Rep. Jim Himes (CT-04)
Washington is broken. That's not a campaign slogan or hyper-partisan rhetoric, that is a fact. While gridlock plagues our system of governance, there are rare occasions when our elected officials rise above the partisan gamesmanship and decide to take bold action. There are issues that shake Congress out of complacency and require urgent collaboration. Providing a permanent legislative solution for Dreamers is one of those issues. That's why our bipartisan coalition has rallied around the … Continue Reading
April 13, 2018
Pro-trade New Democrat Coalition eyes first meeting with Lighthizer
Inside U.S. Trade Pro-trade New Democrat Coalition eyes first meeting with Lighthizer April 11, 2018 Editor's note: This story was updated after initial publication to note that the New Democrat Coalition is seeking a meeting with the U.S. Trade Representative in the coming weeks, not next Wednesday. The New Democrat Coalition, a bloc of pro-trade lawmakers seen as a key source of potential support for new trade deals, is hoping to meet for the first time with U.S. Trade … Continue Reading
March 07, 2018
New Democrat Coalition calls for hearings on Section 232 tariff impacts
New Democrat Coalition calls for hearings on Section 232 tariff impacts March 07, 2018 The pro-trade New Democrat Coalition is urging leaders of key House committees to hold hearings on the potential impacts on the United States of Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, joining the flock of GOP lawmakers who have argued in opposition to global duties. Reps. Ron Kind (D-WI), Rick Larsen (D-WA) and Gregory Meeks (D-NY) are questioning the “process by which the President’s … Continue Reading
March 01, 2018
E&E News: Moderate Dems huddle with White House as outlook dims
Moderate Dems huddle with White House as outlook dims Nick Sobczyk, E&E News reporter Moderate Democrats want the White House to know they're interested in working on infrastructure, even as the congressional outlook dims for President Trump's plan. Members of the New Democrat Coalition yesterday huddled over lunch with D.J. Gribbin, a special assistant to the president who has been serving as the Trump administration's point person on infrastructure. Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), … Continue Reading
December 18, 2017
GOP Tax Reform Plan is Fatally Flawed
by Rep. Derek Kilmer (WA-06)
We desperately need tax reform, but the tax bill Congress is debating isn’t for us. If you’re in the middle class, this isn’t for you. The non-partisan Tax Policy Center estimates the bill the Senate passed would raise taxes on 78 million middle-class families over the next decade. If you care about the nation’s debt, this bill isn’t for you. It creates more than $1 trillion in new debt. That’s a bad deal for our kids, who are the ones who will be stuck with the check. It’s especially steep … Continue Reading
October 25, 2017
Safeguarding Our Economy and Our Future
by Reps. Derek Kilmer (WA-06), Kathleen Rice (NY-04), and Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05)
Recent high-profile cyber incidents including the Russian interference in the 2016 election, the breach at Equifax that compromised the personally identifiable information (PII) of 145.5 million people, email database breaches, and the rise of Ransomware have shown the very real consequences of cyber threats. Technology touches nearly every aspect of our daily lives for the better, but cyber threats have evolved alongside new innovations. It's time to do more to secure our nation, families and … Continue Reading
October 05, 2017
Preparing Americans For The Workforce of Tomorrow, Today
by Reps. Jim Himes (CT-04) and Bill Foster (IL-11)
The concept of work looms large in the American imagination. Whether it was the workers who laid the first railroad tracks or took shifts at our first factories, workers transformed the American economy into the envy of the world. Work provides a paycheck, status and dignity. In the 21st century, technology and globalization have forever changed the workplace and the social contract. Unfortunately, the laws and traditions that help workers have not. Work is changing faster than ever. In the … Continue Reading
September 27, 2017
Democrats and Republicans Now Have a Chance to Work Together to Improve the ACA
by Rep. Jim Himes (CT-04)
This week, Republicans once again threatened to rip away the promise of affordable quality health care for American families. The Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson amendment was irresponsible, harmful and the wrong approach to solving the issue at hand. Now, more than ever, there is an urgent need for bipartisan cooperation to improve the Affordable Care Act. In recent months, Democratic energy has been intensely focused on opposing the almost fanatical efforts to tear down the Affordable Care … Continue Reading
September 25, 2017
We Must Work Across Party Lines to Restore Investment in NIH
by Rep. Scott Peters (CA-52)
Some issues aren't partisan. Whether you're a Republican, Democrat, independent or anything in between, your family and friends have been touched by disease. That is why the Tuesday Group, a caucus of moderate House Republicans, and the New Democrat Coalition, a coalition of moderate House Democrats, are working together to support funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH is America's medical research agency and the largest funder of biomedical research in the world. But … Continue Reading
July 12, 2017
Exclusive: House Democrats introduce new plan to fix Obamacare
by Sarah Kliff
A small group of Democratic legislators will do something unusual Wednesday morning: hold a press conference to talk about the parts of Obamacare that are broken. Ten House Democrats will unveil a new plan to fix Obamacare, highlighting the parts of the law that have struggled to work and offering modest steps to improve them. The proposal includes more funding to help insurance plans cover the sickest patients, along with possibly changing the timing of the open enrollment season in … Continue Reading
June 22, 2017
Dems ramp up post-Paris messaging, action plans, via E&E News
In the wake of President Trump's announcement that he would pull the U.S. out of the global Paris Climate Agreement, it is, more than ever, up to state and local leaders to address the devastating impact of climate change and keep the country on track to meeting our promises to the world. New Democrat Coalition Leadership Member Scott Peters (CA-52), a former environmental attorney and leader on this issue in both local government and the U.S. House of Representatives, and Phoenix Mayor Greg … Continue Reading
April 29, 2017
What Moderate Lawmakers Like Us Hope to Do in the Next 100 Days
by Rep. Jim Himes (CT-04)
Jim Himes, a Democrat from Connecticut, is chair of the New Democrat Coalition in the House. Charlie Dent, a Republican from Pennsylvania, is co-chair of the House’s Tuesday Group. On this 100th day of the Trump administration, partisan prisms will predictably provide audiences with radically different images: One side will paint a picture of a strong and decisive administration “Making America Great Again,” another of a flip-flopping and divisive group of neophytes who … Continue Reading
March 01, 2017
The New Democrat Coalition’s Take on the Road Ahead
by Rep. Jim Himes (CT-04)
The Democratic Party is as far out of power as it has been for generations. The Republican Party suffered a takeover by a brash New Yorker now tweeting his way through an unsuccessful Presidential roll out. Our colleagues on the other side of the aisle are finding themselves restrained by the challenges of actually governing. It turns out that repealing the Affordable Care Act, quickly balancing the budget and tearing up the Iran deal are all harder, and less wise, than promised. Several … Continue Reading
February 28, 2017
Vox: Moderate Dems send letter pleading with Trump: “we implore you to begin focusing”
Today the New Democrat Coalition Leadership team sent a letter to President Trump urging him to do his job so Congressional lawmakers can start doing theirs. Jeff Stein, Congressional Reporter at Vox, notes that New Democrats are usually the most eager to work with Republicans but warn that President Trump is becoming impossible to work with. Moderate Dems send letter pleading with Trump: “we implore you to begin focusing” Updated by Jeff Stein Feb 28, 2017, 9:50am EST Nine of … Continue Reading
February 10, 2017
New Democrat Coalition likely to push for multilateral approach to trade via Inside Trade
New Democrat Coalition likely to push for multilateral approach to trade Reps. Rick Larsen (DWA) and Gregory Meeks (DNY), cochairs of the moderate New Democrat Coalition's new task force on trade issues, told Inside U.S. Trade that a trade agenda for the coalition is in the works and stressed the group's support for a multilateral approach to agreements, which has been disdained by the Trump administration. “I still am a firm believer in multilateral trade deals. I think it's significant … Continue Reading