KISSIMMEE, Fla. — There is seemingly a new battle between Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill every day, so you might be surprised to learn that a group of them meet often to try and pass bills, together.
They are known as the House Problem Solvers Caucus, made up of an equal split of Republican and Democratic lawmakers, who say they are “tired of the obstructionism in Washington where partisan politics is too often prioritized over governing and what is best for the country.”
Two members of the caucus are from Florida, U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Miami) and U.S. Rep. Darren Soto (D-Kissimmee); the latter sat down with 10 Tampa Bay to talk about their role.
“There are 435 of us in the House, you can’t get things done alone, you need a coalition,” Soto said, who adds despite differences its important to come together on certain issues. “You have to compartmentalize. You may disagree one day on an issue, where you start to work with that person on another day because the American people expect that of us. It’s something I feel very strongly about.”
Soto has been a member of the caucus all three terms he's served in the House. The caucus has had success working to craft major pieces of legislation that eventually were signed into law, things like COVID relief, the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the PACT Act, which helped veterans get access to much-deserved healthcare.
“We've basically filled in the gap and no man's land in the area where the parties are apart, but are getting close that we can possibly get a major deal,” Soto explained. "Each member of the Congress has to decide which values are just not compromisable and which we can negotiate on, and you work on those together."
Working together may be crucial this year with a split Congress and some vital bills set to be on the table.
“We have to resolve the debt ceiling issue, we have to pass an appropriations package to meet the nation's needs. We have to pass a National Defense Authorization Act to care for our military in the defense of our nation. The Farm Bill is up this term; so these are issues that we need to advance forward and the Problem Solvers will be there to help make that happen,” Soto added.
10 Tampa Bay also reached out to Rep. Salazar's office to request an interview.