New Dems Announce New Coalition Leadership: Rep. Crowley Elected Coalition Chairman

Washington, D.C. - Today, the New Democrat Coalition, the largest moderate coalition in the U.S. House of Representatives, announced the election of its new leadership. Following the appointment of former Representative Ellen O. Tauscher to the State Department, the Coalition voted unanimously today in support of electing Representative Joseph Crowley (NY-07) to succeed Rep. Tauscher as Chair of the Coalition and re-elected Representatives Melissa Bean (IL-08), Ron Kind (WI-03), Allyson Schwartz (PA-13) and Adam Smith (WA-09) to continue serving as Vice-Chairs. Representative Bean will also assume the duties of the Coalition Whip, a position formerly held by Representative Crowley.

 

"I am honored to be elected by my colleagues as Chair of the New Democrat Coalition," said Congressman Joseph Crowley (NY-07). "The New Dems bring a diversity of real-world experience to Congress and our members will be a critical part of the bold reforms undertaken by the Democratic Congress - reforming our health care system, tackling climate change, and modernizing our financial regulatory system. I look forward to serving the Coalition alongside the Vice Chairs of our organization and to working with the House leadership, full caucus and President to move our party's agenda forward."

"As our new chair, Joe will bring his energy and work ethic to continuing the NDC's dialogue with leadership and the White House for consideration of our pro-growth initiatives and concerns," Congresswoman Melissa Bean (IL-08) said. "I look forward to working with him in his new role and, following him as whip, will be relying on his insights and strong relationships with individual members and the broader caucus."

"Under Rep. Crowley's leadership, I am confident the New Dems will continue to make tremendous progress," said Congressman Ron Kind (WI-03). "Rep. Crowley is a proven leader with a keen ability for bringing people together. His leadership will provide a seamless transition for the coalition and will undoubtedly help us work through this year's aggressive agenda. I look forward to working together with Chair Crowley and the other vice chairs to ensure our influential role in Democratic politics in maintained for years to come."

"I congratulate my colleague Joe Crowley.  His tremendous commitment to the New Dems and dedicated work ethic will serve New Dems well. As Congress moves ahead this year on key initiatives affecting every family and every business in America, such as health care reform, energy, and economic policies, New Dems are taking a vocal and visible leadership role in pushing for innovative, effective, forward-thinking policies that strengthen America in the 21st century global economy." Said Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz (PA-13).

"Congressman Crowley has been a friend and a colleague for years and I believe he is the right person to lead the New Democrat Coalition," said Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09). "He will provide the firm, pragmatic leadership that the New Dem Coalition needs to tackle all the challenges our country faces and I look forward to continue working with him in his new role as Chair of the New Democrat Coalition."

The New Democrat Coalition, made up of 68 members, including 32 Members elected since 2006, is committed to playing a significant role as Congress and the President work to enact policies that aim to rebuild our economy, improve our energy and health care systems, reform our financial system, and maintain our national security and economic competitiveness.  The New Dems will continue their work through 5 policy taskforces, made up of members with real world experience and a keen understanding of the topics at hand: Energy, Financial Services, Health Care, Innovation & Competitiveness, and Trade.

Co-Chaired by Rep. Ron Klein and Rep. Debbie Halvorson, the New Dems Energy Task Force will continue working to enact common-sense energy policies to build a clean energy future that will support economic growth, national security, innovation and entrepreneurship. 

The Financial Services Task Force, led by Co-Chairs Rep. Melissa Bean and Rep. Jim Himes, has a record of advocating for reforms to our financial system that would restore market stability and confidence.  Pleased to join the President for his announcement of financial reforms, the New Dems are dedicated to developing and implementing comprehensive regulatory reform policies.

Led by Rep. Allyson Schwartz, Rep. Jason Altmire and Rep. Lois Capps, the Health Care Task Force has been actively involved in the ongoing Health Reform discussions and looks forward to ensuring reform legislation addresses the need to contain health care costs, improves patient care, reforms the private insurance marketplace, harnesses innovation to control costs and provides stability for American families and businesses.  

The Innovation and Competitiveness Task Force, led by Rep. Ron Kind and Rep. Rush Holt, is committed to enacting policies that invest in innovation and technology, and ensure an equitable tax code to maintain our nation's competitiveness and leadership. 

Chaired by Rep. Adam Smith, the New Dem Trade Task Force is dedicated to implementing trade policies that allow the U.S. to maintain its competitiveness in the global marketplace, keep US workers gainfully employed, and expand productivity and access to global markets. 

The New Democrat Coalition is comprised of members committed to enacting policies that empower the U.S. to grow economically, maintain its competitiveness in the global marketplace, continue to be the world's leaders in innovation and technological advancement, and strengthen our economic and national security. The Coalition is dedicated to providing the leadership necessary to implement policies that will ensure that America maintains its prosperity and global leadership.

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