This article needs additional citations for verification .(August 2021) |
Republican Study Committee | |
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Chair | Kevin Hern |
Founded | 1973 |
Ideology | |
Political position | Center-right [2] to right-wing [3] |
National affiliation | Republican Party |
Colors | Red |
Seats in the House Republican Conference | 177 / 220 [a] |
Seats in the House | 177 / 435 [a] |
Website | |
rsc-hern | |
This article is part of a series on |
Conservatism in the United States |
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The Republican Study Committee (RSC) is a congressional caucus of conservative members of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives. [4] In November 2022, Representative Kevin Hern of Oklahoma was elected as the chair of the RSC, [5] effective as of January 2023. [6]
Although the primary functions of the RSC vary from year to year, it has always pushed for significant cuts in non-defense spending, [7] advocated socially conservative legislation, [8] and supported the right to keep and bear arms. [9] It has proposed an alternative budget every year since 1995. [10] In 2007, in conjunction with the unveiling of its "Taxpayer Bill of Rights", [11] it presented an alternative budget resolution that it claimed would balance the budget within five years without increasing income taxes. [12] [13]
Entering the 118th United States Congress, the RSC was the largest ideological caucus in Congress of either party. [14]
The RSC's legislative initiatives are detailed in the American Taxpayer Bill of Rights, [15] unveiled in March 2007. [16]
The RSC was founded in 1973 by Paul Weyrich and other conservative activists to keep a watch on the House Republican leadership, which they saw as too moderate. Their formation mirrored the rise of the Democratic Study Group, a liberal force in the Democratic Caucus founded in 1959. The group's first chairman was Phil Crane of Illinois.
The group briefly dissolved in 1995 when Newt Gingrich abolished it and other similar groups [17] after the Republicans won control of the House for the first time in 40 years. It was soon resurrected as the Conservative Action Team (CATs) by Dan Burton of Indiana (the last chair of the original RSC), Sam Johnson of Texas, John Doolittle of California and Ernest Istook of Oklahoma. These four founders alternated as chairs throughout the following two Congresses until David McIntosh of Indiana became chair in 1998.
Paul Teller spent over ten years as Executive Director of RSC. He was fired in December 2013 by Steve Scalise for divulging member conversations. [18] Teller had been working with two outside groups in opposition to a budget deal forged by Paul Ryan and Patty Murray. [19]
The RSC membership list is available on the group's website. [20] It counts former Vice Presidents Mike Pence, Dan Quayle and Dick Cheney and former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay among its former members. In addition, at least two sitting senators—John Boozman (AR) and Roger Wicker (MS)—were members of the RSC while serving in the House. At least three former governors–Pence (IN), Butch Otter (ID) and Bobby Jindal (LA)—were also members.
On June 16, 2010, the committee issued a press release critical of the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama for negotiating an agreement with energy company BP to waive the $75 million federal limit on oil company liability for oil spills. The statement called the agreement requiring BP to set aside $20 billion to pay damage claims for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill a "Chicago-style political shakedown" by the White House. [25]
In July 2013, the Republican Study Committee barred The Heritage Foundation employees from attending its weekly meeting in the Capitol, reversing a decades-old policy, over disagreements about the farm bill. [26]
In June 2015, the Republican Study Committee reacted to the Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage, calling it "a loss for democratic self-government" and stating "we should work to promote the truth of marriage between a man and a woman." [27]
In 2021, their policy positions included maintaining the Hyde Amendment, constructing a wall on the southern border, and ending perceived censorship of conservative-leaning content. [28]
The Republican Study Committee publishes its membership on its website. [29] Currently, 17 members are also known to be part of the Freedom Caucus, which does not officially publish membership lists.
Non-voting members
*Also a member of the Freedom Caucus.
The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) is made up of Black members of the United States Congress. Representative Steven Horsford from Nevada, the current chairperson, succeeded Joyce Beatty from Ohio in 2023. Although most members belong to the Democratic Party, the CBC founders envisioned it as a non-partisan organization, and there have been several instances of bipartisan collaboration with Republicans.
The Republican Main Street Partnership is a nonprofit organization that raises funds to support politicians in the moderate wing of the Republican Party. The Republican Main Street Partnership does not advocate for legislation but offers networking and mentorship opportunities and provides a forum for discussion. The Partnership is affiliated with a super PAC called Defending Main Street. The Partnership is also affiliated with the Republican Main Street Caucus, a Republican congressional member organization that takes pragmatic conservative positions.
In the United States House of Representatives, the two major political parties maintain policy and steering committees. Their primary purpose is to assign fellow party members to other House committees, and they also advise party leaders on policy.
Paul Scott Teller is the executive director of Advancing American Freedom in Washington DC, Mike Pence's advocacy organization. Teller previously served under President Donald Trump as Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs, as well Director of Strategic Affairs for Vice President Mike Pence. Earlier, Teller had been chief of staff for Texas Senator Ted Cruz and executive director of the United States House of Representatives Republican Study Committee.
The Congressional Taiwan Caucus is a Congressional Member Organization in the United States Congress with 144 members. The caucus focuses exclusively on improving US–Taiwan relations.
The Congressional Western Caucus is a caucus within the United States House of Representatives composed of 62 members. Although it has historically been bipartisan, it is currently composed almost exclusively of Republicans. It was founded by then-representatives James V. Hansen (R-Utah), Bob Stump (R-Arizona), Joe Skeen and Barbara Vucanovich (R-Nevada) in 1993 during the 103rd United States Congress. Despite its name, the Congressional Western Caucus has members from outside the Western United States, including as far east as New York City and Puerto Rico.
The U.S. Congressional International Conservation Caucus, founded in September 2003, is a bipartisan congressional organization with the conviction that “the United States of America has the opportunity, the obligation and the interests to advance the conservation of natural resources for this and future generations,” and a commitment to promote U.S. leadership in public/private conservation partnerships worldwide.
The Republican Governance Group, originally the Tuesday Lunch Bunch and then the Tuesday Group until 2020, is a group of moderate Republicans in the United States House of Representatives. It was founded in 1994 in the wake of the Republican takeover of the House; the Republican House caucus came to be dominated by conservatives. It is considered a center to center-right congressional caucus, with its members primarily from competitive House districts.
From October 1 to October 17, 2013, the United States federal government entered a shutdown and curtailed most routine operations because neither legislation appropriating funds for the fiscal year 2014 nor a continuing resolution for the interim authorization of appropriations for fiscal year 2014 was enacted in time. Regular government operations resumed October 17 after an interim appropriations bill was signed into law.
The Amash–Conyers Amendment was a proposal to end the "NSA's blanket collection of Americans' telephone records", sponsored by Justin Amash and John Conyers in the US House of Representatives. The measure was voted down, 217 to 205.
The Congressional Arts Caucus is a registered Congressional Member Organization for the US House of Representatives in the 115th Congress.
The U.S.–Japan Caucus is a bipartisan congressional member organization within the United States Congress made up of over 100 members of the United States House of Representatives who work to strengthen and maintain U.S.–Japanese relations.
The Congressional Veterinary Medicine Caucus is a Congressional Member Organization within the United States Congress and is officially recognized by the Committee on House Administration.
The Congressional Constitution Caucus is a congressional caucus made up of 41 members of the United States Congress. The caucus was founded in 2005; it had 37 members the first year it was founded.
The Second Amendment Caucus, also known as the House Second Amendment Caucus, is a congressional caucus consisting of conservative and libertarian Republican members of the United States House of Representatives who support Second Amendment rights.
On January 3, 2019, the first day of the 116th United States Congress and two months after the 2018 U.S. House elections, the incoming members of the U.S. House of Representatives held an election for speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. This was the 126th U.S. speaker election since the office was created in 1789.
The count of the Electoral College ballots during a joint session of the 117th United States Congress, pursuant to the Electoral Count Act, on January 6–7, 2021, was the final step to confirm then President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election over President Donald Trump.
The Conservative Climate Caucus is a caucus within the United States House of Representatives composed of 81 members, all of the Republican Party. It was founded by Representative John Curtis (R-Utah) in 2021 during the 117th United States Congress. The caucus's self-declared purpose is to "Educate House Republicans on climate policies and legislation consistent with conservative values".
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