Congressional Progressive Caucus facts for kids

The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) is a group of lawmakers in the United States Congress. They are part of the Democratic Party. The CPC focuses on progressive ideas. It started in 1991 and has grown to be one of the largest groups within the Democratic Party in the House of Representatives.

As of July 2025, the CPC has 98 members. This includes 95 voting members in the House, one non-voting delegate, and one senator. It is the second-largest group of Democrats in the House Democratic Caucus. The current leader, called the Chair, is U.S. Representative Greg Casar from Texas. The CPC also has a special group called the Congressional Political Caucus PAC, which helps support candidates.

Quick facts for kids Congressional Progressive Caucus
Abbreviation	CPC
Chair	Greg Casar
Founder	Ron Dellums (D-CA), Lane Evans (D-IL), Tom Andrews (D-ME), Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Maxine Waters (D-CA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
Founded	1991; 34 years ago (1991)
Ideology	Progressivism
Political position	Left-wing
National affiliation	Democratic Party
Colors	Blue Gold
Seats in the Senate Democratic Caucus	1 / 47
Seats in the Senate	1 / 100
Seats in the House Democratic Caucus	94 / 213
Seats in the House	94 / 435
Politics of the United States Political parties

History of the CPC

The CPC was started in 1991 by several U.S. Representatives. These included Ron Dellums, Lane Evans, Thomas Andrews, Peter DeFazio, Maxine Waters, and Bernie Sanders. Many other representatives joined them soon after. Bernie Sanders was the first leader of the CPC.

The people who started the CPC were worried about money problems in the country. They saw a growing gap between rich and poor. They felt the Democratic Party was not doing enough to help. In 1995, the CPC offered its own plan for the country. They called it "The Progressive Promise: Fairness." This plan was a different idea from what the Republican Party was proposing at the time.

Past Leaders of the CPC

Former Chairwoman Pramila Jayapal (2019–2025)

Current Chairman Greg Casar

Here is a list of the people who have led the CPC:

Current Leadership

The CPC has several leaders who help guide the group:

Chair: Greg Casar (from Texas)

Deputy Chair: Ilhan Omar (from Minnesota)

Deputy Chair Ilhan Omar in 2018

Whip: Chuy García (from Illinois)

Whip Chuy Garcia in 2019

Chair Emeriti: Pramila Jayapal (from Washington) and Mark Pocan (from Wisconsin)

Vice Chairs:

• Lloyd Doggett (TX)
• Maxwell Frost (FL)
• Jared Huffman (CA)
• Ro Khanna (CA)
• Morgan McGarvey (KY)
• Delia Ramirez (IL)
• Jan Schakowsky (IL)
• Lateefah Simon (CA)
• Mark Takano (CA)
• Rashida Tlaib (MI)

Executive Board Members at Large:

• Chris Deluzio (PA)
• Veronica Escobar (TX)
• Summer Lee (PA)
• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY)
• Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ)

What the CPC Believes In

The CPC supports many ideas. They want a health care system for everyone, like Medicare for All. They also support laws for a living wage, which means enough money to live on. They want to spend less on the military and have more rules for big companies. They also want to end mass incarceration, fight climate change, change immigration laws, and support reparations.

Economy and Fairness

In 2011, the CPC suggested a "People's Budget." They said it would create a strong economy and lead to a budget surplus by 2021. This means the government would have more money than it spends.

In 2019, the House of Representatives tried to pass a bill called The Raise the Wage Act. This bill would have slowly raised the minimum wage to $15 per hour. The Senate did not vote on it. In 2021, a report said that raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025 would help 17 million workers. However, it might also lead to 1.4 million fewer jobs. Later in 2021, a COVID-19 relief bill included a plan to raise the minimum wage. But this part was removed from the final bill in the Senate.

Looking Ahead: 2024 Elections

After the 2024 elections, the new CPC leader, Greg Casar, talked about why some people were unhappy with the Democratic Party. He said problems like the 2008 housing crash and rising rents made people upset. He believes that instead of blaming new immigrants for high rents, people should focus on large companies that buy up homes and raise prices. Casar said the Democratic Party needs to explain better how they are fighting for everyday people. He wants the CPC to show that big corporations, not regular people, are often the cause of economic problems.

Health Care for Everyone

The Medicare for All Act is a bill that aims to create a health care system for everyone in the U.S. It was first introduced in 2003. In 2019, Representative Pramila Jayapal introduced a similar, more detailed bill. This system would mean the government pays for most medical care. This would reduce the need for private health insurance. The system would be paid for by taxes and by saving money on health care costs.

In 2019, the CPC also worked with other Democratic leaders on a bill to lower drug prices. This bill, called the Elijah Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, passed in the House of Representatives. However, the Senate did not vote on it.

Protecting Health Choices

In 2022, a bill called the Women's Health Protection Act was introduced. This bill aimed to protect the right to make personal health choices. It passed in the House of Representatives but did not pass in the Senate.

Fighting Climate Change

In 2019, a plan called the Green New Deal was proposed. This plan aimed to fight climate change and also create jobs and reduce economic inequality. The name "Green New Deal" comes from the "New Deal" from the 1930s. That was a set of programs by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to help the country during tough economic times. The Green New Deal combines those ideas with modern solutions like renewable energy. This plan did not pass in the Senate.

Supporting Equal Rights

In 2022, the Respect for Marriage Act was introduced. This law aimed to protect marriage rights for all couples, including same-sex and interracial couples. It passed in the House of Representatives with support from both Democrats and some Republicans. The Senate also passed the bill later that year. This law made sure that religious organizations would not be forced to provide services for marriages if it went against their beliefs.

Foreign Policy Views

Israel and Humanitarian Aid

Some members have left the CPC because of disagreements about supporting Israel in the Gaza conflict. However, many CPC members, including Summer Lee and Greg Casar, want to pass a law that would stop the U.S. from giving weapons to countries that block humanitarian aid.

Ukraine Conflict

In October 2022, some CPC members asked the Biden administration to try and find a peaceful solution to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. They also wanted to continue supporting Ukraine with money and military help. After some criticism, the letter was quickly taken back. The leaders explained that the letter was old and released by mistake, and that they strongly support Ukraine.

How the CPC Has Grown

Congressional Progressive Caucus members in the 118th United States Congress

This table shows how many members the CPC has had in the Senate and House of Representatives over the years:

Election year	Senate			House of Representatives
	Democratic Caucus	±	%	Democratic Caucus	±	%
2010	2 / 53		3.8%	77 / 193		39.9%
2012	1 / 55	1	1.8%	68 / 200	9	34.0%
2014	1 / 46		2.2%	68 / 188		36.2%
2016	1 / 48		2.1%	78 / 193	10	40.4%
2018	1 / 47		2.1%	96 / 233	18	41.2%
2020	1 / 50		2.0%	95 / 220	1	43.2%
2022	1 / 51		2.0%	100 / 213	5	46.9%
2024	1 / 47		2.13%	96 / 215	4	44.7%

Who Are the Members?

All members of the CPC are either from the Democratic Party or work closely with them. In the 119th Congress, there are 96 declared progressive members. This includes 94 voting representatives, 1 non-voting delegate, and 1 senator.

Senate Members

House Members

Groups Connected to the CPC

The CPC works with other groups. One is the Congressional Political Caucus PAC, which helps raise money for candidates. In 2018, the caucus also created the Congressional Progressive Caucus Center and the Progressive Caucus Action Fund. These groups help share ideas and work on policy plans with other organizations that support the CPC's goals.

See Also

• Blue Dog Coalition
• Democratic Socialists of America
• Factions in the Democratic Party (United States)
• New Democrat Coalition
• Progressive Democrats of America
• Republican Main Street Partnership
• Republican Governance Group
• Problem Solvers Caucus
• The Squad (United States Congress)
• Progressivism in the United States