Press Releases
New Democrat Coalition Leaders Send Letter to Senate on ESEA
Washington, DC - Yesterday leaders of the New Democrat Coalition sent a letter to Senate leaders outlining priorities as the Senate debates reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The letter, led by the Co-Chairs of the 21st Century Education, Immigration, and Workforce Task Force, commends the drafters for finding common ground on the Every Child Achieves Act (ECAA) while also calling for improvements in several critical areas. Said the leaders in the letter, "while … Continue Reading
July 01, 2015
New Dem Chairman Calls for “Yelp for Government”
New Dem Chairman Calls for "Yelp for Government" Chairman Kind Urges Transparency and Accountability in Letter to GSA Washington, DC - Earlier this week New Democrat Coalition Chairman Ron Kind sent a letter to the General Services Administration urging it to come to an agreement with Yelp to integrate user reviews of government agencies. In the Coalition's American Prosperity Agenda, announced earlier in the year, the group of 46 pro-innovation lawmakers called for a Yelp for Government to … Continue Reading
June 25, 2015
New Democrat Coalition Chairman’s Statement on Trade Package
Washington, DC - Today, due to the leadership of members of the New Democrat Coalition, the House of Representatives passed Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and the extension of many trade preferences, including the African Growth & Opportunity Act. With the passage of TAA now Trade Promotion Authority will be signed into law. New Democrat Coalition Chairman Ron Kind (WI-3) released the following statement: "I commend my colleagues in both parties for their tireless efforts to pass this … Continue Reading
June 24, 2015
New Democrat Coalition Leadership Urges Colleagues to Support Upcoming Trade Adjustment Assistance and Preferences Bill
Washington, DC - Today, Leaders of the New Democrat Coalition strongly urged their colleagues to support the reauthorization of the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers (TAA) program and the extension of many trade preferences, including the African Growth & Opportunity Act. These have been long held and unifying priorities for the Democratic party. "On a level playing field American workers can out-compete anyone in the world," said the New Democrat Coalition Leaders. "Trade … Continue Reading
June 18, 2015
New Democrat Coalition Members Instrumental in Passing Trade Promotion Authority
Washington, DC - Today, twenty members of the New Democrat Coalition worked together to push Trade Promotion Authority forward. Every member of the 28 pro-trade democrats who voted in favor today also voted in favor of TPA last week. U.S. Rep. Ron Kind (WI-3), Chairman of the New Democrat Coalition released the following statement on the passage of Trade Promotion Authority: "I commend my colleagues in both parties for their tireless efforts to pass this legislation. I also would like to … Continue Reading
June 16, 2015
New Democrat Coalition Weighs in on Implementation of WIOA
Washington, DC - Yesterday 33 members of the House New Democrat Coalition sent a letter to Secretary of Labor Tom Perez outlining key priorities for implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The letter, led by the Co-Chairs of the 21st Century Education, Immigration, and Workforce Task Force, calls for the Secretary to take steps to support robust career pathways, better align business and community needs, and streamline the use of data at the federal and state … Continue Reading
June 04, 2015
New Democrat Coalition Members Send Letter to SEC Chair on Equity Market Structure
Washington, DC - Earlier this week, members of the New Democrat Coalition Financial Services Task Force sent a letter to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Mary Jo White to highlight areas of equity market structure that would benefit from empirically-driven reforms to enhance transparency for investors and better facilitate capital formation. The letter, led by Rep. Bill Foster (IL- 11), calls for the SEC to take steps to bring oversight of the markets up to speed with modern … Continue Reading
May 19, 2015
New Democrat Coalition Members Offer Amendment to Boost Research Funding
Washington, D.C. - Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-CT), Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA), and Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA), three leading Members of the New Democrat Coalition, announced their plan to offer an amendment to the America COMPETES Act to increase research funding across the board by 3.5% annually for two years and give the National Science Foundation flexibility in prioritizing research grants to follow the science, not the politics on Capitol Hill. In the Coalition's American Prosperity Agenda, … Continue Reading
May 05, 2015
Kind to Speaker Boehner: Bring Long-Term Surface Transportation Bill to House Floor
Washington, D.C. - Congressman Ron Kind (WI-03), Chair of the New Democrat Coalition, joined House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05), Ranking Member on Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Peter DeFazio (OR-04), Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus G. K. Butterfield (NC-01), Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Judy Chu (CA-27), Co-Chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus Keith Ellison (MN-05) and Raúl Grijalva (AZ-03), Co-Chair of the Blue Dog … Continue Reading
April 22, 2015
New Democrat Coalition Statement on Legislation to Strengthen America’s Cybersecurity
The leaders of the 46-strong New Democrat Coalition's National Security Task Force released the following joint statement on the Protecting Cyber Networks Act and the National Cybersecurity Protection Advancement Act: "These bills make it harder for cyber thieves, hackers, and state-sponsored terrorists to breach our cybersecurity system and swipe Americans' personal information. Their attacks cost American businesses - large and small - billions of dollars a year and serve as an impediment … Continue Reading
April 20, 2015
New Democrat Coalition Members’ Statement on Introduction of Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015
Members of the New Democrat Coalition released the following statement in reaction to the release of the 'Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015:" "A big question we must answer is whether the United States will continue to lead in the global economy. We will carefully examine and weigh the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act to ensure that it reflects a better, smarter approach to 21st century global trade-one that is strong on … Continue Reading
April 09, 2015
New Democrat Coalition: ESEA Compromise a Step Forward
Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) and Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX), two leaders of the New Democrat Coalition's 21st Century Education, Immigration, and Workforce Task Force, released the following statement on the compromise reached between Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Sen Lamar Alexander (R-TN) to update the Elementary and Secondary Education Act for the first time in over a decade: "We applaud the efforts of Sen. Murray and Sen. Alexander to work across the aisle and produce compromise legislation … Continue Reading
March 24, 2015
New Democrat Coalition Chairman, Health Care Task Force Co-Chairs Issue Statement on Bipartisan SGR/CHIP Package
New Democrat Coalition Chairman Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) and Health Care Task Force Co-Chairs Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA), Annie Kuster (D-NH) and Kurt Schrader (D-OR) issued the following statement on the bipartisan SGR/CHIP legislative package before the House: "As we made clear in the Coalition's American Prosperity Agenda, Congress must prioritize policies that give everyone a shot at the American dream by preserving quality health care options for every American. A key component of that is finally … Continue Reading
March 23, 2015
New Democrat Coalition Chairman Rep. Ron Kind Recognizes 5th Anniversary of Affordable Care Act
La Crosse, WI - New Democrat Coalition Chairman U.S. Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) made the following statement recognizing the fifth anniversary of the passage of the Affordable Care Act: "Five years in, we continue to see the positive impacts the ACA is having on America's health system" said Rep. Kind. "With over 16 million uninsured Americans gaining health insurance, the latest reduction in the cost projection, and the roughly 1 trillion dollars saved on Medicare spending, we're making great … Continue Reading
March 04, 2015
New Democrat Coalition Unveils American Prosperity Agenda
New Democrat Coalition American Prosperity Agenda Tomorrow’s middle-class prosperity depends on what we do today. America’s promise has always been the possibility of opportunity and a better life. Here, any of us can dare to start a small business and watch it thrive. Here, our children can study hard, attend college, and achieve their goals. In America, all of us should have the opportunity to earn a living, own a home, put away something for retirement, and pursue dreams big and … Continue Reading
March 01, 2015
New Democrat Coalition Works to Bring Innovative, Common-Sense Solutions to Nation’s Schools
New Democrat Coalition Members worked across the aisle this week to find bipartisan, common-sense ideas to improve America's schools and extend opportunity to every American. The pragmatic lawmakers' strategy contrasted sharply with the hyperpartisan Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) pulled from the floor this week. "We need an approach to education that uses high-quality, proven models of education to put students first," said Co-Chair of the New Dem Task Force on 21st Century … Continue Reading
January 21, 2015
New Democrat Coalition Chairman Statement on the President’s State of the Union Address
Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI), Chairman of the House New Democrat Coalition, issued the following statement on the State of the Union Address this evening: "There are many bold, bipartisan ideas that President Obama and Speaker Boehner can agree on in this address. I share many of the goals outlined in the agenda, such as investing in next-generation infrastructure, expanded trade that raises standards for workers and businesses, and comprehensive immigration reform. These efforts are a wise next step … Continue Reading
January 07, 2015
New Democrat Coalition Leaders Urge Passage of TRIA Reauthorization
Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), a Vice-Chair of the New Democrat Coalition, and Rep. John Carney (D-DE), the New Democrat Coalition's Whip and Co-Chair of the Coalition's Financial Services Taskforce, released the following statement urging the passage of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization (TRIA): "It is unfortunate that the Senate was unable to reauthorize TRIA following the House's bipartisan action in December. More than a decade after the tragedy of September 11, 2001, terrorism … Continue Reading
January 06, 2015
New Democrat Coalition Chairman Congratulates New Members on Swearing-In
Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI), Chairman of the New Democrat Coalition, released the following statement following the swearing-in of Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA), Rep. Brad Ashford (D-NE), Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), Rep. Gwen Graham (D-FL), and Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-NY) to the 114th Congress today: "I congratulate Pete, Brad, Don, Gwen and Kathleen on being sworn in to the House of Representatives," Chairman Kind said in a statement. "As proud New Democrat Coalition Members, we will work with our colleagues … Continue Reading
December 12, 2014
New Democrat Coalition Leaders React to Passage of CRomnibus Measure
The leadership of the House New Democrat Coalition released the following statement in response to the passage of the "CRomnibus" measure to keep the government open: "When we work together on shared, bipartisan priorities instead of riders designed to appeal to a narrow, ideologically-driven base, we can achieve real results for the American people," the statement read. "There's as much to like about this bill as there is cause for concern. We are pleased, for example, that the Majority is … Continue Reading