The Downside Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan coalition of Home lawmakers that steadily works throughout the aisle, is requesting a gathering with President Trump to debate immigration, allowing reform and the nationwide debt.
Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.), the co-chairs of the caucus, despatched a letter to Trump on Monday, specializing in the trio points after the faction earlier this yr arrange working teams to handle these and extra. Nearly 50 lawmakers signed the request.
“As the Co-Chairs of the Problem Solvers Caucus, we lead a bipartisan group of nearly 50 Members of the House of Representatives focused on finding common ground on the key issues facing our nation,” the pair wrote. “We meet regularly to discuss opportunities for bipartisan compromise and to develop legislation that both parties can agree on and vote for.”
“In that spirit, we are writing to request a meeting with you to discuss three issues where we see both the opportunity and the need for comprehensive bipartisan solutions: immigration, permitting reform, and the national debt,” they added.
The Hill reached out to the White Home for remark.
The request for a gathering comes after Republicans on Capitol Hill handed their “big, beautiful bill,” which contained a lot of Trump’s home priorities. It prolonged the 2017 Trump tax cuts, did away with some taxes on ideas and social safety, accredited $150 billion for the border and rolled again some green-energy tax credit, amongst different priorities. To pay for the bundle, lawmakers made deep cuts to Medicaid.
The measure is estimated to add $3.4 trillion to the deficit over the subsequent decade, in keeping with the Congressional Finances Workplace. Fitzpatrick, who represents a purple district, was considered one of two Republicans — together with Rep. Thomas Massie (Ky.) — to vote towards the laws.
On the problem of the debt, the Downside Solvers Caucus is proposing making a bipartisan, bicameral fiscal fee that might work “to develop a plan to stabilize our nation’s finances.” The co-chairs stated “cutting wasteful spending is a start,” however extra must be carried out.
“[W]e will need to take a comprehensive look at both sides of the balance sheet — spending and revenue — in order to solve this problem,” they wrote.
On immigration, the letter praised Trump for reducing the variety of unlawful border crossings to an historic low — “We thank you for restoring order to the border, and we believe you deserve credit for delivering on this campaign promise” — however the group is looking for bipartisan laws to proceed addressing the state of affairs on the border.
“But there is still more work to do,” the co-chairs wrote. “It will take bipartisan legislation to permanently secure the border, fix the overwhelmed asylum system, and ensure that essential workers in fields like agriculture, healthcare, and hospitality can continue to contribute to our economy. We all agree the immigration system is broken — let’s work together to find a lasting solution.”
Republicans final yr blocked a bipartisan border safety deal, after Trump, whereas on the marketing campaign path, urged GOP members to torpedo the hassle. The bundle, which had been the product of months of painstaking negotiations, included $6.8 billion for U.S. Customs and Border Safety, $7.6 billion for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and $4 billion for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Companies.
It additionally would have given the president, on the time Joe Biden, the power to close down the border if the day by day crossing common exceeded 4,000.
And on allowing reform, the group is urgent to land a bipartisan deal to speed up infrastructure initiatives within the U.S.
“Permitting reform” refers to efforts to hurry up the approval course of for power and different infrastructure initiatives — usually on the expense of environmental evaluations. Republicans have lengthy sought to chop down environmental evaluations and authorized challenges on environmental grounds, and to hurry up timelines for approving oil, gasoline and nuclear initiatives. Lately, some Democrats have additionally embraced the thought as they search to hurry up timelines for getting extra renewable energy constructed and positioned on the grid.
The letter references an effort over the last Congress spearheaded by Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and then-Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.), which did not attain the purpose of an settlement.
The plan would have been anticipated to bolster each fossil fuels and renewable power. Their laws superior by means of committee in a bipartisan 15-4 vote, but it surely was by no means taken up for a full vote by Home or Senate management amid disagreements together with GOP reticence to hurry up approvals for brand new energy traces, which might be anticipated to assist renewable power.
“Our outdated permitting system delays crucial infrastructure and energy projects that we need to compete globally, slowing our country’s growth and raising energy costs,” the letter reads. “We need to cut red tape and make it easier and faster to build in America. Both parties acknowledge this problem and are ready to solve it.”
“We came close to a comprehensive permitting reform deal at the end of the 118th Congress, and we are confident we can find a way to get to yes this time around,” it provides.
Rachel Frazin contributed.
