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Dear New Dems –

It has been the honor of my Congressional career to have served as the Chair of the New Democrat Coalition for the 118th Congress - or as I like to call it, the “Can Do Caucus!” I could not have imagined a better capstone to my time on Capitol Hill than to have led our organization of 100 smart, strategic, and solutions-oriented lawmakers. While the House Republican majority made our work in Washington challenging, they didn’t stop us from getting things done.

New Dems emerged as clear leaders in our successful efforts to pass the National Defense Authorization Act and to fund the government, and championed the issues Americans care about most with initiatives such as our Framework for Commonsense Immigration Reform ([link removed]) , Housing Action Plan ([link removed]) , Jobs Action Plan ([link removed]) and Public Safety Agenda. ([link removed])

Our Coalition will be bigger than ever in the new year, representing over half the entire House Democratic caucus with 110 Members. Of this group, 25 Members are new to Congress. New Dems will remain an influential force while House Republicans barely have an effective governing majority, making it difficult to pass Trump’s extremist project 2025 agenda.

Of course, we could never have made this progress without the help of my fellow New Dem leadership team:
* Rep. Sharice Davids (KS-03) Vice Chair for Member Services
* Rep. Derek Kilmer (WA-06) Vice Chair for Policy
* Rep. Brad Schneider (IL-10) Vice Chair for Communications
* Rep. Salud Carbajal (CA-24) Vice Chair for Outreach
* Rep. Marc Veasey (TX-33) Leadership Member
* Rep. Lori Trahan (MA-03) Leadership Member
* Rep. Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) Leadership Member
* Rep. Susie Lee (NV-03) Whip
* Rep. Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) Freshman Leadership Representative
* Rep. Suzan DelBene (WA-01) Chair Emeritus

New Dems are policy experts and leaders both inside and outside of Congress. This year, each of our Task Force Leaders has come together to find, develop, and advance policies to address our nation’s most pressing challenges, including immigration and border security, economic development, affordable housing, and more.

In the 118th Congress, New Democrat Coalition Policy Task Forces have covered ten essential issue areas:
* Climate Change and Clean Energy Task Force ([link removed])
+ Chair Scott Peters (CA-50), Vice Chairs Sean Casten (IL-06), Eric Sorensen (IL-17), and Susan Wild (PA-07)
* Health Care, Substance Use, and Mental Health Task Force ([link removed])
+ Chair Terri Sewell (AL-07), Vice Chairs Yadira Caraveo (CO-08) and Brittany Pettersen (CO-07)
* Trade Task Force ([link removed])
+ Chair Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07), Vice Chairs Don Beyer (VA-08) and Jimmy Panetta (CA-19)
* Immigration and Border Security Task Force ([link removed])
+ Chair Greg Stanton (AZ-04), Vice Chairs Salud Carbajal (CA-24)and Lou Correa (CA-46)
* Affordable Housing Task Force ([link removed])
+ Chair Norma Torres (CA-35), Vice Chairs Greg Landsman (OH-01), Wiley Nickel (NC-13), and Emilia Sykes (OH-13)
* Workforce Development Task Force ([link removed])
+ Chair Kathy Manning (NC-06), Vice Chairs Val Hoyle (OR-04), Hillary Scholten (MI-03), and Gabe Vasquez (NM-02)
* Economic Growth and Fiscal Responsibility Task Force ([link removed])
+ Chair Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06), Vice Chair Nikema Williams (GA-05)
* Farm Bill Task Force ([link removed])
+ Chair Kim Schrier (WA-08), Vice Chairs Jim Costa (CA-21) and Don Davis (NC-01)
* National Security Task Force ([link removed])
+ Chair Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), Vice Chairs Jason Crow (CO-06), Ed Case (HI-01), and Jared Moskowitz (FL-23)
* AI Working Group ([link removed])
+ Chair Derek Kilmer (WA-06) and Vice Chairs Don Beyer (VA-08), Jeff Jackson (NC-14), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Susie Lee (NV-02), and Haley Stevens (MI-11)

New Dems have served at all levels of Democratic Caucus leadership in the 118th Congress– including Rep. Aguilar as Caucus Chair and New Dem Chair Emeritus Suzan DelBene as DCCC Chair.

New Dems Elected or Appointed to House Democratic Leadership for the 118th Congress:
* House Democratic Caucus Chair: Rep. Pete Aguilar (CA-33)
* Democratic Policy & Communications Committee Co-Chairs: Reps. Veronica Escobar (TX-16) & Lori Trahan (MA-03)
* DCCC Chair: Suzan DelBene (WA-01)
* Caucus Leadership Representative: Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-51)
* Battleground Leadership Representative: Rep. Abigail Spanberger (VA-07)
* Chief Deputy Whips: Reps. Terri Sewell (AL-07), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Colin Allred (TX-32), Sharice Davids (KS-03), Deborah Ross (NC-02), Marilyn Strickland (WA-10)
* Steering and Policy Committee Co-Chair: Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25)
* Steering and Policy Committee Members: New Dem Chair Annie Kuster and Reps. Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Angie Craig (MN-02), Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), Josh Harder (CA-09), Steven Horsford (NV-04), Nikema Williams (GA-05), and Hillary Scholten (MI-03).

As 2025 quickly approaches, so does a new Congress. I couldn’t be happier to pass the torch to a fantastic new NDC Leadership team led by incoming Chair Brad Schneider, Vice Chairs Nikki Budzinski, Salud Carbajal, Josh Harder, Haley Stevens, and Marc Veasey, Whip Marilyn Strickland, and Leadership Members Jennifer McClellan and Andrea Salinas. I’m also excited to welcome 25 new Members, including Member-elect Kristen McDonald Rivet, who will serve as our Freshmen Leadership Representative.

NDC Leadership in the 119th
* Chair:
+ Rep. Brad Schneider (IL-10)
* Vice Chairs:
+ Rep. Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) – Vice Chair for Policy
+ Rep. Salud Carbajal (CA-24) – Vice Chair for Outreach
+ Rep. Josh Harder (CA-09) – Vice Chair for Member Services
+ Rep. Marc Veasey (TX-33) – Vice Chair for Communications
+ Rep. Haley Stevens (MI-11) - Appointed Vice Chair
* Freshman Leadership Representative:
+ Representative-Elect Kristen McDonald Rivet (MI-08)
* Whip:
+ Rep. Marilyn Strickland (WA-10)
* Leadership Members at Large:
+ Rep. Jennifer McClellan (VA-04)
+ Rep. Andrea Salinas (OR-06)

While I may be retiring at the end of this Congress, I won’t be going far and will plan to be cheering and supporting New Dems in the years to come.

I have full faith the New Democrat Coalition will build on the work we accomplished in the 118th Congress to lead from the center, work across the aisle, and fight against extremism and for our values. The Trump administration and Republican Congress will be pushing far-right policies that harm the American people, and it will be New Dems who will stand up to them when we need to and work with them when we can find common ground and get things done. As always, New Dems will do what we do best, roll up our sleeves to make lives better for the American people today.

Onward!

Ann McLane Kuster

Fast Facts:
* Hosted Nearly 30 Weekly New Dem Member Lunch Meetings in 2024
* Notable Guests:
+ Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm
+ Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra
+ Surgeon General Vivek Murthy
+ National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Director Laurie Locascio
+ Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries
+ President of Planned Parenthood Alexis McGill Johnson
+ DoorDash CEO Tony Xu
+ Former CEO of Microsoft Steve Ballmer
* New Dems sent 11 letters and issued two endorsement slates in 2024, endorsing 25 New Dem-led bills.
* Hosted over 100 briefings and meetings for Members and Staff, including on the economy, housing affordability, artificial intelligence, national security, public safety, and the border.
* New Dems were hard at work serving our Members in 2024. Throughout the year, we:
+ Shared more than 15 amendment, bill, and letter ideas with offices;
+ Provided more than 10 resource packets for legislative items on the floor;
+ Held more than 20 one-on-one consultations with New Dem offices on constituent correspondence;
+ Had more than 500 New Dem mentions in press clips in outlets like CNBC, ABC, Fox, and CNN.

* New Dems fought to lower costs across the board for the American people in 2024, from advocating for affordable housing and tax cuts ([link removed]) for families to broadband access ([link removed]) and improving key supply chains ([link removed]) .
* In March, the Affordable Housing Task Force, led by Chair Norma J. Torres (CA-35), unveiled ([link removed]) its Housing Action Plan ([link removed]) , a comprehensive roadmap for Congress and the Administration to build more homes and lower costs nationwide. Throughout the year, New Dems have worked in Congress and met with stakeholders ([link removed]) to advance the proposals in the Action Plan.
+ Since the Action Plan’s release, the Biden-Harris Administration has announced several actions ([link removed]) that adopt New Dem recommendations to increase the housing supply, reform permitting and zoning laws, boost federal financial incentives, and expedite manufactured housing ([link removed]) development to lower the cost of housing.
+ New Dems also led a letter to the Navy Federal Credit Union ([link removed]) to demand answers about alleged racially discriminatory lending practices preventing Black and Latino mortgage applicants from getting ahead.
* In August, New Dems celebrated the announcement ([link removed]) of $184 million in funding for six awardees of the Recompete Program, which was established after New Dem Vice Chair Derek Kilmer (WA-06) and New Dems pushed to establish the program through the CHIPS and Science Act. The six awardees receive implementation grants of up to $40 million to invest in their communities, create jobs, and help foster long-term economic prosperity.

* In early 2024, New Dems worked tirelessly to advance bipartisan border security and immigration reform legislation, led by Immigration and Border Security Task Force Chair Greg Stanton (AZ-04) and Vice Chair Salud Carbajal (CA-24), repeatedly putting pressure ([link removed]) on Congressional Republicans.
* Shortly after Congressional Republicans rejected the bipartisan and bicameral effort, the New Dem Immigration and Border Security Task Force released ([link removed]) its Framework for Commonsense Immigration Reform ([link removed]) to secure the border, bolster the U.S. economy and workforce, improve pathways to legal status, and help address the asylum system. Since its release, New Dems have used the Framework to guide the Coalition’s efforts.
* In June, New Dem leaders commended ([link removed]) the Biden-Harris Administration’s executive order to bar migrants who cross the Southern Border unlawfully from receiving asylum, in line with the Framework.
* Throughout the year, New Dems consistently ([link removed]) demonstrated ([link removed]) support ([link removed]) for protecting DACA recipients and expanding legal pathways for Dreamers.

* In 2024, New Dems prioritized supporting U.S. allies and providing humanitarian aid through supplemental funding legislation.
* For months, New Dems held firm and called on ([link removed]) House Republicans to put political games aside and bring forth ([link removed]) Senate legislation to supply Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan and deliver humanitarian relief to civilians in Gaza and elsewhere.
* New Dems quickly supported ([link removed]) the supplemental funding bills once released, and provided the decisive votes to advance them to the Senate and eventually President Biden’s desk.
* The National Security Task Force, led by Chair Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), sent a leader to Armed Services Committee leadership outlining the Coalition’s key priorities for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) ([link removed]) in May.
* New Dems countered extremism during the defense authorization and appropriations process:
+ Following a vote on the House floor in June, New Dems rebuked ([link removed]) House Republicans’ far-right amendments to the NDAA, which attacked reproductive healthcare, the LGBTQI+ community, and historically marginalized groups.
+ New Dem Chair Kuster and Task Force Chair Strickland alsorejected ([link removed]) House Republicans’ poison-pill-filled MilCon-VA appropriations bill.

* In 2024, New Dems led the conversation in the House on bipartisan permitting reform to unlock U.S. energy potential and accelerate clean energy deployment, using the Climate Change and Clean Energy Task Force’s six key permitting reform priorities ([link removed]) as a roadmap.
* Led by Task Force Chair Scott Peters (CA-50), New Dems commended actions by the Department of Energy ([link removed]) , the Council on Environmental Quality ([link removed]) , and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) ([link removed]) that incorporated recommendations from the Task Force’s permitting priorities.
+ The various reforms announced this year will help reduce regulatory hurdles for clean energy projects, accelerate getting clean energy onto the grid, upgrade electrical transmission and grid resiliency, quickly deploy IRA-funded clean energy projects, address cost allocation for interstate transmission, and more.
* New Dems spearheaded permitting conversations in the House, and engaged with partners in the Senate to encourage progress ([link removed]) on a bipartisan deal.
* In April, the Task Force celebrated ([link removed]) the Biden-Harris administration’s announcement of $20 billion in grants to eight recipients from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which New Dems fought to create through the Inflation Reduction Act.
* In September, the House passed the Senate version of the Building Chips in America Act ([link removed]) . Its House companion was endorsed ([link removed]) by the Task Force in 2023 and originally authored by Task Force Chair Peters and New Dem Member Colin Allred (TX-32).

* In 2024, New Dems worked to improve physical and mental health outcomes for the American people, lower costs, and protect fundamental freedoms.
* Led by Chair Annie Kuster (NH-02), New Dems continued efforts to advance the cause of reproductive freedom, consistently reaffirming ([link removed]) the Coalition’s staunch support ([link removed]) for the Women’s Health Protection Act and codifying the protections of Roe v. Wade.
* In August, New Dems celebrated Medicare’s successful negotiations ([link removed]) to lower the cost of 10 prescription drugs selected for the first round of negotiations. The price negotiations were made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act, which New Dems championed in the 117th Congress.
* New Dems also furthered our work on mental health, including by holding a roundtable ([link removed]) in May with experts and stakeholders.

* Throughout House Republicans’ partisan FY2024 appropriations process, which saw bills come to a vote nearly six months late, New Dems held firm in our commitment to avoiding a shutdown, adhering to the terms of 2023’s Fiscal Responsibility Act, and maintaining stability and certainty for the American people.
* Following the release ([link removed]) of the government funding package, New Dem leadership voiced early support ([link removed]) and provided the key votes to get it across the finish line.
* New Dems secured huge wins for their constituents ([link removed]) in the FY2024 government funding bills, from improving vital infrastructure, building affordable housing, and bolstering public safety initiatives to supporting cancer research, workforce development, and education.
* During the FY2025 appropriations process, New Dem Members led a total of 63 New Dem signers onfour separate letters to the House Appropriations Committee ([link removed]) outlining the Coalition’s priorities related to immigration and border security, public safety, agriculture and rural development, and affordable housing.
* New Dems helped negotiate a deal on a Continuing Resolution to prevent a shutdown in December. When House Republicans went back on their word and destroyed the deal, New Dems held firm and forced Speaker Johnson to abandon the demands of the President-Elect.
* In the end, New Dems and House Democrats provided the overwhelming majority of votes to prevent the House Republican shutdown ([link removed]) right before the holidays.

Artificial Intelligence
* In 2024, the New Dem AI Working Group continued to build on the foundation it established in 2023.
* In March, Working Group Chair Derek Kilmer (WA-06) and Vice Chair Haley Stevens (MI-11) led 38 New Dems in a letter to the Biden-Harris Administration ([link removed]) supporting President Biden’s AI Executive Order and encouraging further action to expand and enhance the AI workforce.
* The Working Group also endorsed ([link removed]) 10 bipartisan, New Dem-led AI bills ([link removed]) that would help ensure the responsible development and deployment of AI technologies.
* The Working Group has also met with many key AI stakeholders and regulators, including a CODEL ([link removed]) to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) led by Vice Chair Stevens in July.

Strengthening our Workforce
* In September, the New Dem Workforce Development Task Force, led by Chair Kathy Manning (NC-06), unveiled ([link removed]) its Jobs Action Plan ([link removed]) . The Action Plan lays out a series of recommendations for both Congress and the Administration to break through major barriers that contribute to the ongoing workforce shortage.

Farm Bill
* New Dems have worked to find bipartisan consensus ([link removed]) on a crucial Farm Bill extension throughout 2024.
* In September, New Democrat Coalition Farm Bill Task Force Chair Kim Schrier (WA-08) and Vice Chairs Don Davis (NC-01) and Jim Costa (CA-21) sent a letter ([link removed]) to House and Senate leadership, and House and Senate Agriculture Committee leadership calling for Congress to pass a strong, bipartisan Farm Bill before the end of 2024.

Trade
* In April, New Democrat Coalition Trade Task Force Chair Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) and New Dem Rep. Brittany Pettersen (CO-07) co-led the introduction of the Pink Tariffs Study Act ([link removed]) , legislation to examine the prevalence and impact of “pink tariffs,” which may directly contribute to women paying more for everyday goods than men.

Public Safety
* In 2024, New Dems focused on sidelining culture wars and remaining laser-focused on actually making American communities safer. In July, New Dems unveiled ([link removed]) an endorsement slate of 15 New Dem-led public safety bills focused on increasing resources for law enforcement agencies, cracking down on gun violence, improving community violence prevention initiatives, getting illicit drugs out of our communities, and more.

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New Dems Are Laser-Focused on Fighting Crime ([link removed])
By Greg Landsman (OH-01) in FOX News
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America Has a Housing Problem. New Dems have a Solution. ([link removed])
By Norma J. Torres (CA-35) in The Hill
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Republicans Neglect the Border, But Can't Ignore National Security ([link removed])
By Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) in FOX News
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America is Facing a Workforce Crisis. Immigration is the Answer ([link removed])
By Greg Stanton (AZ-04) and Salud Carbajal (CA-24) in Newsweek
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