Congressional Constitution Caucus

Last updated

Congressional Constitution Caucus
ChairmanNone
Founders Scott Garrett
Virginia Foxx
Rob Bishop
FoundedJanuary 3, 2005 (2005-01-03) [1]
Political position Right-wing
Seats in the Senate
0 / 100
Seats in the House
26 / 435
Website
Official Caucus Website

The Congressional Constitution Caucus is a congressional caucus made up of 41 members of the United States Congress. The caucus was founded in 2005; [2] it had 37 members the first year it was founded.

Contents

The group was founded and formerly led by Republican U.S. Representative Scott Garrett of New Jersey, [3] [4] who sought to push the Republican Party leadership to move increasingly to the right. [3]

Electoral results

House of Representatives

Election yearOverall seatsRepublican seats±
2004
37 / 435
37 / 232
2012
76 / 435
76 / 234
+39
2016
68 / 435
68 / 241
-8
2018
40 / 435
40 / 199
-28
2020
26 / 435
26 / 212
-14

History

The Caucus was informally created by Representatives J. D. Hayworth, John Shadegg, Sam Brownback, Bob Barr, and Richard Pombo in the 104th Congress. According to the group, its purpose was to encourage constitutional debate in Congress and the nation and, in time, to restore constitutional government. [5]

The Caucus was officially registered as a Congressional Member Organization in 2005 by Congressmen Scott Garrett, Virginia Foxx, and Rob Bishop. In a 2006 interview, the three described themselves as leading "...a team dedicated to downsizing the amount of power usurped from the states by the federal government." [6]

In 2011, the group's membership grew rapidly following the entrance of new Tea Party-aligned members elected in the 2010 elections. [3] In 2011, the Caucus and the Tea Party Caucus jointly sponsored a closed-door speech to the caucuses by Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on the topic of "separation of powers." [7]

At its peak in the 113th Congress, the Congressional Constitution Caucus had 76 members. However, the caucus possessed over 100 members when it existed informally in the 104th Congress. [5]

Ideology and political issues

The members of the Caucus are strongly opposed to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and are outspoken opponents of the individual health mandate. [8] The group has supported constitutional challenges to the ACA. In 2014, after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia rejected one such challenge in the case Sissel v. United States Department of Health & Human Services (ruling that the ACA did not violate the Origination Clause of the Constitution), [9] the Caucus issued a statement saying "The judges got it wrong." [10]

According to the founders of the Caucus, the main focus of the Caucus is to "ensure the federal government is operating under the intent of the 10th Amendment of our Bill of Rights." The Caucus has worked towards this goal through sponsoring legislation like H.R. 3449, H.R. 1227, and H.R. 1229. [6]

Membership

As of the 117th Congress, the Congressional Constitution Caucus has 41 members. 41 in the House, and 0 in the Senate. The current members of the Caucus are listed below, listed by state. [11]

The Districts of Caucus Members (as of the 114th Congress) are highlighted in red. Please note: Only Districts within the House of Representatives are shown. Senate Districts are excluded. Districts Represented by members of the Congressional Constitution Caucus.png
The Districts of Caucus Members (as of the 114th Congress) are highlighted in red. Please note: Only Districts within the House of Representatives are shown. Senate Districts are excluded.
A map of Caucus member states as of the 115th Congress. 115th Congress- Con. Const. Caucus States.jpg
A map of Caucus member states as of the 115th Congress.

Leadership

Current members

Alabama

Arizona

California

Colorado

Florida

Indiana

Kentucky

Missouri

Michigan

New York

Nebraska

Ohio

North Carolina

Pennsylvania

South Carolina

Texas

Utah

Virginia

Washington (state)

Last updated: January 4, 2021

Former members

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