News & Updates from the Blue Dogs

WASHINGTON—Today, Rep. Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11), Chair of the Blue Dog Coalition's Task Force on National Security, issued the following statement on House passage of the bipartisanNational Commission to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol Complex Act:"On January 6, a domestic terrorist attack was conducted against the United States of America with the political motivation of preventing the certification of the results of a free and fair election—the cornerstone of American democracy.

WASHINGTON—Today, Rep. Tom O'Halleran (AZ-01), the Blue Dog Coalition's Co-Chair for Communications, issued the following statement on President Biden's meeting with House and Senate leadership of both parties:"The Blue Dogs commend President Biden for his continued efforts to bring both parties together to negotiate a bipartisan, bicameral deal for infrastructure legislation. We urge President Biden to continue these talks as long as Republicans continue to act in good faith in the negotiations.

WASHINGTON—Today, the Blue Dog Coalition announced that Andy LaVigne has joined the Coalition's staff as Executive Director. LaVigne previously served as the Political Director for the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF). He will work alongside Brooke Lillard, who has served as the Coalition's Communications Director over the past four years, and Krista Wunsche, who has served as the Coalition's Policy Coordinator for the past year."Andy is no stranger to the Blue Dog community.

WASHINGTON—Today, the Blue Dog Coalition announced its policy task forces for the 117thCongress. The task forces oversee policy development for the Coalition, which will deliver on their promise of a positive agenda to produce pragmatic, commonsense solutions that move our country forward and address the needs of every community, from rural and tribal communities to metropolitan areas."Our Coalition is policy- and results-driven",said Rep.

WASHINGTON—Today, Rep. Tom O'Halleran (AZ-01), the Blue Dog Coalition's Co-Chair for Communications and Outreach, issued the following statement in response to President Joe Biden's address to the joint session of Congress:"As our nation builds back from the pandemic, we commend President Biden's focus on investing in our future. We must pursue bipartisan, bicameral results that create good-paying jobs, strengthen the middle class, invest in rural America, and ensure everyone pays their fair share and gets a fair shake.

WASHINGTON—Today, the Democratic Blue Dog Coalition announced it has welcomed freshmanRepresentative Carolyn Bourdeaux (GA-07)to its ranks. In total, the Blue Dog Coalition has 19 members."We're proud to welcome Congresswoman Bourdeaux to the Blue Dog Coalition,"said Rep. Tom O'Halleran (AZ-01), Blue Dog Co-Chair for Communications and Outreach."Congresswoman Bourdeaux has come to Congress with the purpose to serve her district first and pursue pragmatic, bipartisan solutions to get things done for her constituents.

WASHINGTON—Last week, the Blue Dog Coalition's Co-Chair for Policy, Rep. Ed Case (HI-01), delivered remarks before the House Budget Committee to call for a fiscally responsible budget.KEY EXCERPT:"Paying for progress is not stopping progress. We have time and again proven that progress and fiscal responsibility are not mutually exclusive, as demonstrated most tellingly by the paid-for Affordable Care Act. And we have proven that we can take the difficult decisions on spending constraints and revenue enhancement necessary to do so.

WASHINGTON—Today, the Co-Chairs of the fiscally-responsible Blue Dog Coalition—Reps. Stephanie Murphy (FL-07), Ed Case (HI-01), Tom O'Halleran (AZ-01), and Kurt Schrader (OR-05)—sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, and House Committee on Rules Chairman Jim McGovern calling for the following: 1) adherence to the letter and spirit House rules that encourage regular order, such as requiring a committee hearing and mark up, and allowing for reasonable floor amendments, and 2) a score from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) or Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) with adequate time for review prior to a floor vote on legislation.

WASHINGTON—Today, the Blue Dog Coalition, which focuses on issues related to national security, announced its endorsement of the bipartisanCommission on Domestic Terrorism Act of 2021, which would create an independent, bipartisan commission and be modeled after the 9/11 Commission to investigate the federal government's failure to more broadly respond to the threat of domestic terrorism over the past two decades.

WASHINGTON—Today, Rep. Tom O'Halleran (AZ-01), the Blue Dog Coalition's Co-Chair for Communications, issued the following statement on House passage of H.R. 1319,American Rescue Plan Act of 2021:"Today is a good day for the American people. Assistance is on the way for families struggling to keep food on the table or pay another month's rent. With the passage of the American Rescue Plan today and President Biden's announcement that there will be enough vaccines for all Americans by this summer, an end to this nightmare is almost in sight.

WASHINGTON—Today, the House passed a Blue Dog Coalition-backed redistricting reform measure as part of H.R 1, For the People Act. Included in H.R. 1 is language that is very similar to Rep. Jim Cooper’s John Tanner Fairness and Independence in Redistricting Act, which eliminates partisan gerrymandering from the congressional redistricting process by requiring each state to establish an independent, bipartisan redistricting commission to redraw congressional district lines once every 10 years that reflect contiguous communities.

WASHINGTON—Today, the Blue Dog Coalition, which focuses on issues related to national security, announced its endorsement of two bills to help combat the threat of domestic terrorism and protect our nation’s classified information from those who participated in the January 6 attack on the United States Capitol and members of the QAnon conspiracy movement.

WASHINGTON—Yesterday, the Co-Chairs of the Blue Dog Coalition—Reps. Stephanie Murphy (FL-07), Ed Case (HI-01), Tom O’Halleran (AZ-01), and Kurt Schrader (OR-05)—sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Lead Chuck Schumer calling for a vote on a standalone bill focused on the vaccine development and distribution portion of President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, which calls for $20 billion in funding from Congress. This vote would take place while Congress continues to craft and move forward with a comprehensive COVID-19 relief package as fast as possible.

WASHINGTON—Today, Rep. Tom O'Halleran (AZ-01), the Blue Dog Coalition's Co-Chair for Communications and Outreach and a former police officer, issued the following statement on the death of Officer Brian Sicknick, a twelve-year veteran of the U.S. Capitol Police, who died on January 7, 2021 due to injuries sustained while serving in the line of duty to defend the U.S. Capitol complex on January 6, 2021:

WASHINGTON—Today, the Democratic Blue Dog Coalition announced its leadership for the 117thCongress. The Coalition has a total of 18 members, representing districts from Maine to Hawaii, who are dedicated to the organization's longstanding policy focus of fiscal responsibility, a strong national defense, and a pragmatic approach to governance.The Blue Dog Coalition's leadership for the 117thCongress will include the following:

WASHINGTON—Today, the leaders of the Blue Dog Coalition sent a letter to House Budget Committee Chairman John Yarmuth on the Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) rule in response to H.Res. 8, which was passed by the House of Representatives.Specifically, the letter was signed by Reps. Stephanie Murphy (FL-07), Tom O'Halleran (AZ-01), Ed Case (HI-01), and Kurt Schrader (OR-05).See below for the full text:Dear Chairman Yarmuth:

WASHINGTON—Yesterday, members of the Democratic Blue Dog Coalition sent a letter to President-elect Joe Biden calling on the incoming Administration to prioritize bipartisan legislation that pertains to the COVID-19 pandemic response and the economic recovery. In that letter, the Blue Dogs also highlighted their policy priorities going into the 117thCongress, which include the following: 1) COVID-19 crisis relief, 2) job creation, 3) government reform, 4) holding foreign adversaries to account, and 5) fiscal responsibility.

WASHINGTON—Today, Rep. Lou Correa (CA-46), Co-Chair for Communications of the Blue Dog Coalition, issued the following statement on House passage of the fifth bipartisan COVID-19 relief package, which includes a number of the Blue Dog Coalition's priorities:

WASHINGTON—Today, Rep. Lou Correa (CA-46), the Blue Dog Coalition's Co-Chair for Communications, issued the following statement in response toreportsof an imminent deal on a fifth COVID-19 relief package:

WASHINGTON—Today, Rep. Lou Correa (CA-46), the Blue Dog Coalition's Co-Chair for Communications, issued the following statement regarding the ongoing negotiations for a fifth COVID-19 relief package:"Now is the time for everyone in Washington to put politics aside and come to a bipartisan, bicameral agreement to deliver relief and necessary resources as quickly as possible. Our constituents deserve results—not partisan nonsense.