The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) is the single largest partisan caucus in the United States House of Representatives, and works together to advance progressive issues and causes. The CPC was founded in 1991 by the independent Congressman Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who remains a member as Senator. It represents about a third of the House Democratic Caucus (with 72 members). Of the twenty standing committees of the House, eleven are chaired by members of the CPC.
Ideology
According to their website, the CPC advocates "universal access to affordable, high quality healthcare," fair trade agreements, living wage laws, the right of all workers to organize into labor unions and engage in strike actions and collective bargaining, the abolition of significant portions of the USA PATRIOT Act, the legalization of gay marriage, strict campaign finance reform laws, a complete pullout from the war in Iraq, a crackdown on free trade and what they see as corporate welfare, an increase in income tax on the wealthy, tax cuts for the poor, and an increase in welfare spending by the federal government.
Supporting organizations
An array of national progressive organizations will work to support the efforts of the caucus, including the Institute for Policy Studies, The Nation Magazine, Moveon.org, National Priorities Project, Jobs with Justice Campaign, Peace Action, Americans for Democratic Action, and Progressive Democrats of America. Also co-sponsoring the kickoff event were the NAACP, ACLU, Progressive Majority, League of United Latin American Citizens, Rainbow/Push Coalition, National Council of La Raza, Hip Hop Caucus, Human Rights Campaign, Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs, and the National Hip Hop Political Convention. The CPC has long maintained cordial ties with the Democratic Socialists of America, which hosted its website during the 1990s.
Directors
- Bill Goold, Executive Director
Current members
Arizona
- Ed Pastor (AZ-4)
- Raul Grijalva (AZ-7)
California
- Lynn Woolsey (CA-6) - Co-Chair
- George Miller (CA-7) - Chairman, House Education and Labor Committee
- Barbara Lee (CA-9) - Co-Chair
- Tom Lantos (CA-12) - Chairman, House Foreign Affairs Committee
- Pete Stark (CA-13)
- Michael Honda (CA-15)
- Sam Farr (CA-17)
- Henry Waxman (CA-30) - Chairman, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
- Xavier Becerra (CA-31)
- Hilda Solis (CA-32)
- Diane Watson (CA-33)
- Maxine Waters (CA-35)
- Laura Richardson (CA-37)
- Linda Sanchez (CA-39)
- Bob Filner (CA-51) - Chairman, House Veterans Affairs Committee
Connecticut
- Rosa DeLauro (CT-3)
Florida
- Corrine Brown (FL-3)
Georgia
- Hank Johnson (GA-4)
- John Lewis (GA-5)
Hawaii
- Neil Abercrombie (HI-1)
- Mazie Hirono (HI-2)
Illinois
- Bobby Rush (IL-1)
- Jesse Jackson, Jr. (IL-2)
- Luis Gutierrez (IL-4)
- Danny Davis (IL-7)
- Jan Schakowsky (IL-9)
- Phil Hare (IL-17)
Iowa
- Dave Loebsack (IA-2)
Maryland
- Elijah Cummings (MD-7)
Massachusetts
- John Olver (MA-1)
- Jim McGovern (MA-3)
- Barney Frank (MA-4) - Chairman, House Financial Services Committee
- John Tierney (MA-6)
- Ed Markey (MA-7)
- Mike Capuano (MA-8)
Michigan
- Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (MI-13)
- John Conyers (MI-14) - Chairman, House Judiciary Committee
Minnesota
- Keith Ellison (MN-5)
Mississippi
- Bennie Thompson (MS-2) - Chairman, House Homeland Security Committee
Missouri
- William Lacy Clay, Jr. (MO-1)
- Emanuel Cleaver (MO-5)
New Jersey
- Donald Payne (NJ-10)
New Mexico
- Tom Udall (NM-3)
New York
- Jerry Nadler (NY-8)
- Yvette Clarke (NY-11)
- Nydia Velazquez (NY-12) - Chairwoman, House Small Business Committee
- Carolyn Maloney (NY-14)
- Charles Rangel (NY-15) - Chairman, House Ways and Means Committee
- Jose Serrano (NY-16)
- John Hall (NY-19)
- Maurice Hinchey (NY-22)
- Louise Slaughter (NY-28)
North Carolina
- Mel Watt (NC-12)
Ohio
- Marcy Kaptur (OH-9)
- Dennis Kucinich (OH-10) - Candidate for President of the United States
- Stephanie Tubbs Jones (OH-11) - Chairwoman, House Ethics Committee
Oregon
- Peter DeFazio (OR-4)
Pennsylvania
- Bob Brady (PA-1)
- Chaka Fattah (PA-2)
Tennessee
- Steve Cohen (TN-9)
Texas
- Sheila Jackson-Lee (TX-18)
- Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30)
Vermont
- Peter Welch (VT)
Washington
- Jim McDermott (WA-7)
Wisconsin
- Tammy Baldwin (WI-2)
- Gwen Moore (WI-4)
Non-voting
- Madeleine Bordallo (Guam)
- Donna Christian-Christensen (Virgin Islands)
- Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC)
Senate member
- Bernie Sanders (VT)
Former members
- Sherrod Brown (OH-12) - Elected to Senate
- Lane Evans (IL-17) - Retired from Congress
- Cynthia McKinney (GA-4) - Lost Congressional Seat
- Major Owens (NY-11) - Retired from Congress
- Nancy Pelosi (CA-8) - Left Caucus when Elected House Minority Leader
- Paul Wellstone (MN Senate) - Died in plane crash in 2002
