Rep. Peter Welch and 80 other lawmakers unveiled the first bipartisan plan to emerge from a coalition called “The Problem Solvers.”
The Problem Solvers, whose self-professed goal is to end congressional gridlock, laid out a nine-piece package of legislation Thursday, titled “Make Government Work!”
The group, which began meeting in January, is the byproduct of an earlier bipartisan initiative called No Labels. Billed as bicameral, it’s primarily a House project, with only eight senators on board. The ideological makeup is diverse, however, with 43 Democrats, 37 Republicans, and one Independent. Welch has a list of the members on his website here.
One bill would cut the federal travel budget in half. Another predicates lawmakers’ pay on passing a budget. Another merges the electronic health records of the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The bill in which Welch was most involved seeks to reduce energy costs at federal buildings by hiring private companies to pinpoint inefficiencies.
A New York Times story Wednesday described the initiative as evidence of new “stirrings of cooperation — or at least the desire to cooperate.”
But, the display of across-the-aisle collaboration failed to dazzle others. In an editorial blog post on the New York Times, David Firestone writes, “If the group really wants to solve problems, it might start with a few that actually matter.”
In a news release announcing the legislative agenda, Welch describes the group’s work as being focused on “practical issues.”
“The Problem Solvers are coming together to find common ground. We are building relationships across the aisle and identifying practical issues on which we can make progress for the American people. This is a positive step towards making Congress work again that is rooted in the Vermont tradition of civility, bipartisanship and practicality.”
