Problem Solvers Co-Chairs Fitzpatrick & Suozzi Work to Bridge Partisan Divide

WASHINGTON, DC — In remarks yesterday morning before a breakfast meeting of The Ripon Society and Franklin Center for Global Policy Exchange, U.S. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick and Tom Suozzi discussed the effort they are leading to bridge the partisan divide on Capitol Hill and find common ground on some of the most pressing challenges facing our country.

Fitzpatrick is a Republican who represents the 1st District of Pennsylvania, while Suozzi is a Democrat who represents the 3rd District of New York. Together, they serve as the Co-Chairs of the Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan group of about 50 Members of the House who believe policy should come before politics and the interests of political parties should not come before the interests of the people they represent.

Fitzpatrick opened the discussion by talking about the make-up of the Problem Solvers Caucus, and the collaborative approach shared by all its Members. It is an approach, he says, which is the “key ingredient to success” – not just in Congress, but in life.

“Our group makes the choice to see the world through the other's eyes, even when it's hard to do,” Fitzpatrick said.  “Because that is a foundation of every single successful relationship in life. Not to lecture, but to listen; not to let the perfect be the enemy of the good, but to take 80 percent of something over 100 percent of nothing.  It's a key ingredient to the success of every relationship in our lives. So why should Congress be any different? That's our approach.”

“You look at the sustainable programs that are sort of the undercurrent of American government.  Generally speaking, almost exclusively, they were two-party solutions, and they didn't get uprooted when the pendulum swung back.  So that's why I'm a big believer in this group.”

Fitzpatrick, who was elected to the House in 2016, has served as Republican Co-Chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus since 2021. A former FBI Agent and Federal Prosecutor, he chairs the CIA Subcommittee on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, serves on the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, and is a member of the Ways and Means Committee, where he leads the Working Families Tax Team.

Suozzi agreed, and opened his remarks by talking about the uncertain political environment in America today and the impact being felt at all levels of government.

“This is a really toxic environment that we're in,” he stated. “It's really hard to get people to work together across party lines in this environment.  Everybody is being pulled to their base. And it's very easy for people to take offense. We have to really work at building trust and the relationships necessary for us to have these conversations to work across party lines.

Suozzi, who was also first elected to Congress in 2016, has served as Democratic Co-Chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus since the beginning of this year.  An attorney, CPA, and former mayor of his hometown of Glen Cove, NY, Suozzi – like Fitzpatrick – also serves on the Ways & Means Committee.

“We have meetings scheduled three weeks in a row in July where we're going to be spending a lot more time together. We have seven working groups that are meeting to talk about the issues that are big priorities. For Brian and me, immigration is a very, very big issue,” said Rep. Suozzi. “We think there's a lot of common ground on immigration. So, let's find how we get this done.  It's a lot more complicated than that, but we have common ground that we can easily get amongst ourselves.

“There’s also tremendous energy around permitting reform.  And people are really working very hard on the debt and deficit, because it's really getting out of control.  We have other working groups on national security and mental health and workforce … We’ve got to do the work and sit down and drive through the details and figure out how can we come to common ground in this toxic environment.

Following their opening remarks, the pair was asked a number of questions, including one about the legislative priorities of the Problem Solvers Caucus moving forward this year. Both Fitzpatrick and Suozzi emphasized that real bipartisan progress is possible despite the current political environment.

The Ripon Society is a public policy organization that was founded in 1962 and takes its name from the town where the Republican Party was born in 1854 – Ripon, Wisconsin. One of the main goals of The Ripon Society is to promote the ideas and principles that have made America great and contributed to the GOP’s success. These ideas include keeping our nation secure, keeping taxes low and having a federal government that is smaller, smarter and more accountable to the people.

Founded in 1978, The Franklin Center for Global Policy Exchange is a non-partisan, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization committed to enhancing global understanding of important international issues. The Franklin Center brings together Members of the U.S. Congress and their international parliamentary counterparts as well as experts from the Diplomatic corps, foreign officials, senior private sector representatives, scholars, and other public policy experts. Through regular conferences and events where leading international opinion leaders share ideas, the Franklin Center promotes enlightened, balanced, and unbiased international policy discussion on major international issues.

The Ripon Society is a non-profit corporation organized under the laws of the District of Columbia. It is exempt from federal income taxation pursuant to section 501 (c) (4) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Ripon Society does not make contributions or expenditures to influence elections. In addition, The Ripon Society does not engage in other election activities, including voter registration, voter identification, get-out-the-vote activity, or generic campaign activity, collectively referred to as "federal election activity" in the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002. Donations from corporations, organizations or individuals are accepted.