The Congressional Constitution Caucus is a

congressional caucus A congressional caucus is a group of members of the United States Congress that meet to pursue common legislative objectives. Formally, caucuses are formed as congressional member organizations (CMOs) through the United States House of Represent ...

made up of 41 members of the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

. The caucus was founded in 2005; it had 37 members the first year it was founded. The group was founded and formerly led by

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

U.S. Representative

Scott Garrett Ernest Scott Garrett (born July 9, 1959) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for , serving from 2003 to 2017. He is a member of the Republican Party. He previously served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1990 to 200 ...

of New Jersey,Ramond Hernandez
Still an Ideological Oddity in New Jersey, but a Rising Force in His Party
''The New York Times'' (April 18, 2011). who sought to push the Republican Party leadership to move increasingly to the

right Rights are law, legal, social, or ethics, ethical principles of Liberty, freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal system, social convent ...

Electoral results

House of Representatives

History

The Caucus was informally created by Representatives

J. D. Hayworth John David Hayworth Jr. (born July 12, 1958) is an American television host and former politician. He served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2007 from Arizona's 5th Congressional District. He curr ...

John Shadegg John Barden Shadegg (; born October 22, 1949) is an American politician and former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1995 until 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district, numbered as the 4th District before the 2000 Censu ...

Sam Brownback Samuel Dale Brownback (born September 12, 1956) is an American attorney, politician, diplomat, and member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party who served as the United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Fr ...

Bob Barr Robert Laurence Barr Jr. (born November 5, 1948) is an American attorney and politician. He served as a federal prosecutor and as a United States House of Representatives, Congressman. He represented Georgia's 7th congressional district as a Re ...

, and

Richard Pombo Richard William Pombo, GOIH (born January 8, 1961) is an American lobbyist for mining and water-management companies and former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, having represented California's 11th congressional ...

in the

104th Congress The 104th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 19 ...

. According to the group, its purpose was to encourage constitutional debate in Congress and the nation and, in time, to restore constitutional government. The Caucus was officially registered as a

Congressional Member Organization A congressional caucus is a group of members of the United States Congress that meet to pursue common legislative objectives. Formally, caucuses are formed as congressional member organizations (CMOs) through the United States House of Represent ...

in 2005 by Congressmen

Virginia Foxx Virginia Ann Foxx ( Palmieri;Foxx, Virginia Ann
. ''Biographical Directory of ...

, and

Rob Bishop Robert William Bishop (born July 13, 1951) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2003 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he became the dean of Utah's congressional delegation after the retirement of O ...

. In a 2006 interview, the three described themselves as leading "...a team dedicated to downsizing the amount of power usurped from the states by the federal government." In 2011, the group's membership grew rapidly following the entrance of new

Tea Party A tea party is a social gathering event held in the afternoon. For centuries, many societies have cherished drinking tea with a company at noon. Tea parties are considered for formal business meetings, social celebrations or just as an afternoon ...

-aligned members elected in the 2010 elections. In 2011, the Caucus and the

Tea Party Caucus The Tea Party Caucus (TPC) was a congressional caucus of conservative members of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives. The Caucus was founded in July 2010 by Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann in coordination w ...

jointly sponsored a closed-door speech to the caucuses by Supreme Court Justice

Antonin Scalia Antonin Gregory Scalia (; March 11, 1936 – February 13, 2016) was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1986 until his death in 2016. He was described as the intellectu ...

on the topic of "separation of powers." At its peak in the 113th Congress, the Congressional Constitution Caucus had 76 members. However, the caucus possessed over 100 members when it existed informally in the 104th Congress.

Ideology and political issues

The members of the Caucus are strongly opposed to the

Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presid ...

(ACA), and are outspoken opponents of the individual health mandate. The group has supported constitutional challenges to the ACA. In 2014, after the

U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (in case citations, D.C. Cir.) is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. It has the smallest geographical jurisdiction of any of the U.S. federal appellate co ...

rejected one such challenge in the case '' Sissel v. United States Department of Health & Human Services'' (ruling that the ACA did not violate the

Origination Clause The Origination Clause, sometimes called the Revenue Clause,Wirls, Daniel and Wirls, Stephen. The Invention of the United States Senate', p. 188 (Taylor & Francis 2004). is Article I, Section 7, Clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution. The clause says ...

of the Constitution), the Caucus issued a statement saying "The judges got it wrong." According to the founders of the Caucus, the main focus of the Caucus is to "ensure the federal government is operating under the intent of the 10th Amendment of our Bill of Rights." The Caucus has worked towards this goal through sponsoring legislation like H.R. 3449, H.R. 1227, and H.R. 1229.

Membership

As of the 117th Congress, the Congressional Constitution Caucus has 41 members. 41 in the House, and 0 in the Senate. The current members of the Caucus are listed below, listed by state. Districts Represented by members of the Congressional Constitution Caucus

Districts Represented by members of the Congressional Constitution Caucus

Leadership

*None

Current members

Last updated: January 4, 2021

Former members

*Fmr. Rep.

(AZ-03) - Chose not to run for reelection in 2010, saying he will "pursue iscommitment to fight for freedom in a different venue." *Fmr. Co-Chair Rep.

Marlin Stutzman Marlin Andrew Stutzman (born August 31, 1976) is an American politician who was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Indiana's 3rd congressional district, from 2010 to 2017. A Republican, Stutzman previously served ...

(IN-03) - Was defeated in the 2016 Republican primary for Indiana's Class 3 Senate seat. *Fmr. Rep.

Rodney Alexander Rodney McKinnie Alexander (born December 5, 1946) is an American politician and member of the Republican Party who served as the Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs from September 30, 2013, until June 3, 2014. Previously he w ...

(LA-05) - Was appointed to be Louisiana's Secretary of Veteran's Affairs. *Fmr. Rep. Steve Southerland (FL-02) - Lost Re-election in 2014. *Fmr. Rep.

Spencer Bachus Spencer Thomas Bachus III (born December 28, 1947) is an American politician. He is a former U.S. Representative for the state of Alabama, serving from 1993 to 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he served as ranking member (2007–2011) an ...

(AL-06) - Chose not to run for reelection in 2014. *Fmr. Rep.

Paul Broun Paul Collins Broun Jr. (born May 14, 1946) is an American physician and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2007 to 2015. He is a member of the Republican Party and was a member of the Tea Party Caucus. Broun unsuccessf ...

(GA-10) - Lost the Republican Primary for

Georgia's 10th congressional district Georgia's 10th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Georgia. The district is currently represented by Republican Jody Hice, and includes a large swath of urban and rural territory between Atlanta and Augusta ...

. *Fmr. Rep. John B.T. Campbell III (CA-48) - Retired from Congress. *Fmr. Rep.

Renee Ellmers Renee Louise Ellmers ( Jacisin; born February 9, 1964) is an American registered nurse and politician who was the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2017. She is a member of the Republican Party. Ellmers defeated seven-term Democratic incum ...

(NC-02) - Defeated in the 2016 Republican Primary. *Fmr. Rep. John Fleming (LA-04) - Chose to run for Louisiana Senate. Nominated by

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

to be the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health Technology *Fmr. Rep.

Phil Gingrey John Phillip Gingrey (born July 10, 1942) is an American physician and former politician who served as a U.S. Representative for from 2003 to 2015. He is a member of the Republican Party (GOP). His district comprised the northwestern suburbs o ...

(GA-11) - Ran for Georgia Senate in 2014. *Fmr. Rep.

Tim Huelskamp Timothy Alan Huelskamp (; born November 11, 1968) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2017. Huelskamp, a member of the Republican Party, was rated the least bipartisan member of the House during the 114th ...

(KS-01) - Defeated in the 2016 Republican Primary. *Fmr. Rep.

David Jolly David Wilson Jolly (born October 31, 1972) is an American attorney, former lobbyist and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Florida's 13th congressional district, based in Pinellas County, from 2014 to 2017. A former Republican, ...

(Fl-13) - Vacated his seat to run for Florida Senate. Then dropped out of Senate race to rerun for House seat that he vacated, citing "unfinished business." Then was defeated in the 2016 general election. *Fmr. Rep.

Cynthia Lummis Cynthia Marie Lummis Wiederspahn ( ; born September 10, 1954) is an American attorney and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Wyoming since 2021. A member of the Republican Party, Lummis served as the U.S representative ...

(WY) - Chose not to seek reelection in 2016. *Fmr. Rep.

Mike McIntyre Douglas Carmichael "Mike" McIntyre II (; born August 6, 1956) is an American attorney and politician who was first elected to represent North Carolina's 7th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1996. He served for 18 ...

(NC-07) - Retired from Congress. *Fmr. Rep.

Steve Stockman Stephen Ernest Stockman (born November 14, 1956) is an American politician who is a member of the Republican Party and a convicted felon. He served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 9th congressional district from 1995 to 1997 and for Texas' ...

(TX-36) - Ran for the Texas Senate in 2014. Did not defend his Seat. *Fmr. Rep. John Runyan (NJ-03) - Chose not to run for reelection in 2014, citing frustration with his fellow Republicans over the government shutdown. Was hired by the NFL to be their Vice President of the Policy and Rules Administration. *Fmr. Rep.

Scott Rigell Edward Scott Rigell (born May 28, 1960) is an American businessman and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2017. He declined to run for re-election in 2016, and he left office in January 2017. A Republican, Rig ...

(VA-02) - Retired from Congress. *Fmr. Rep.

Alan Nunnelee Patrick Alan Nunnelee (October 9, 1958 – February 6, 2015) was an American businessman and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 until his death in 2015. Previously he served in the Mississippi State Senate, represen ...

(MS-01) - Died in office after undergoing surgery for a brain tumor. *Fmr. Rep.

Curt Clawson Curtis Jay Clawson (born September 28, 1959) is an American politician who served as the United States representative for Florida's 19th congressional district from 2014 to 2017. He is the former chief executive of Hayes Lemmerz, a Michigan-based ...

(FL-19) - Chose not to run for reelection in 2016, citing the death of his mother as the main cause. *Fmr. Rep. John Kline (MN-02) - Chose not to run for reelection in 2016. *Fmr. Rep. Joe Pitts (PA-16) - Chose not to run for reelection in 2016. *Fmr. Rep.

Rich Nugent Richard B. "Rich" Nugent (born May 26, 1951) is an American retired law enforcement officer and former United States Congressman. He is a member of the Republican Party. He is a former Sheriff of Hernando County, Florida. On November 2, 2010, Ri ...

(FL-05) - Chose not to run for reelection in 2016. *Fmr. Rep.

Randy Neugebauer Robert Randolph "Randy" Neugebauer (born December 24, 1949) is an American politician who was the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for , having served from a special election in Texas' 19th congressional district specia ...

(TX-19) - Chose not to run for reelection in 2016. *Fmr. Rep. Jeff Miller (FL-01) - Chose not to run for reelection in 2016. *Fmr. Rep.

Candice Miller Candice Sue Miller ( née McDonald; born May 7, 1954) is an American politician serving as the Public Works Commissioner of Macomb County, Michigan since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, Miller previously served as the U.S. representati ...

(MI-10) - Did not seek re-election in 2016 and resigned her seat in the House on December 31, 2016, in order to take office as Macomb County Public Works Commissioner the next day. *Fmr. Rep.

Mike Pompeo Michael Richard Pompeo (; born December 30, 1963) is an American politician, diplomat, and businessman who served under President Donald Trump as director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 2017 to 2018 and as the 70th United State ...

(KS-04) - Nominated by

to be the

Director of the Central Intelligence Agency The director of the Central Intelligence Agency (D/CIA) is a statutory office () that functions as the head of the Central Intelligence Agency, which in turn is a part of the United States Intelligence Community. Beginning February 2017, the D ...

. *Fmr. Rep. Tom Price (GA-06) - Nominated by

to be the 23rd

Secretary of Health and Human Services The United States secretary of health and human services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all health matters. The secretary is ...

. *Fmr. Rep.

Mick Mulvaney John Michael Mulvaney (born July 21, 1967) is an American politician who served as director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) from February 2017 until March 2020, and as acting White House Chief of Staff from January 2019 until March ...

(SC-05) - Nominated by

to be the Director of the

Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). OMB's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, but it also examines agency programs, pol ...

. *Fmr. Rep.

(NJ-05) - Lost re-election in 2016; nominated by

to be the head of the Export-Import Bank. *Fmr. Rep.

Jason Chaffetz Jason E. Chaffetz (; born March 26, 1967) is an American retired politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2009 until his resignation in 2017. He chaired the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform from 2015 until 2017. Ch ...

(UT-03) - Resigned on June 30, 2017. *Fmr. Rep.

(VA-02) *Fmr. Rep.

Lynn Jenkins Lynn Haag Jenkins (born June 10, 1963) is an American politician and lobbyist who served as the U.S. representative for , in office from 2009 to 2019. She previously served as Kansas State Treasurer from 2003 to 2008, in the Kansas House of Repre ...

(KS-02) - Chose not to run for re-election in 2018. *Fmr. Co-Chair Rep.

(UT-01) Chose not to run for re-election in 2018. *Sen.

Cory Gardner Cory Scott Gardner (born August 22, 1974) is an American attorney, lobbyist, and politician who served as a United States senator from Colorado from 2015 to 2021. A Republican, he was the U.S. representative for Colorado's 4th congressional dis ...

(R-CO) – only caucus member in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

and he lost reelection *Rep. Steve Southerland (FL-02) *Rep.

(NC-07) *Rep.

(TX-19) *Rep.

Pete Olson Peter Graham Olson (born December 9, 1962) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2009 to 2021. His district included much of southern Houston, as well as most of the city's southwestern suburbs such as Katy, ...

(TX-22)

References

External links

Official website
{{Ideological caucuses in the U.S. Congress Ideological caucuses of the United States Congress United States House of Representatives Conservative organizations in the United States