Problem Solvers Caucus Co-Chairs Request Meeting with President Trump on Key Bipartisan Priorities

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Problem Solvers Caucus Co-Chairs Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01) and Tom Suozzi (NY-03) sent a letter  to President Trump requesting a meeting to discuss opportunities for bipartisan compromise on immigration, permitting reform, and the national debt.

"[These are] three issues where we see both the opportunity and the need for comprehensive bipartisan solutions," Reps. Fitzpatrick and Suozzi write. "The American people are tired of gridlock in Washington. They want Republicans and Democrats to work together to solve problems."

In their letter, the Co-Chairs credit President Trump for restoring order to the border, while emphasizing that bipartisan legislation is still needed to permanently secure the border, fix the asylum system, and establish legal pathways for essential workers. They also advocate for permitting reform to cut red tape and speed up the construction of new infrastructure and energy projects. Finally, they call for the creation of a bipartisan fiscal commission to address the growing national debt.

“I’ve spent my time in Congress working to bring people together—because real progress doesn’t happen at the extremes; it’s forged in the center. That’s the very mission of the Problem Solvers Caucus: to bridge divides, restore trust, and deliver results that matter, ” said Problem Solvers Caucus Co-Chair Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01). “In a time of deep challenge and division, we see a real opportunity—to lead with unity, govern with patriotic common sense, and reaffirm that what binds us as Americans will always be stronger than what divides us. We look forward to working with the President to seize that opportunity and meet this moment together.”

“For my whole career in politics, starting as mayor of my hometown, my philosophy has been simple: I’ll work with anyone of any political party, so long as they’re acting in good faith to get things done for the people they represent,” said Problem Solvers Caucus Co-Chair Congressman Tom Suozzi (NY-03). “Rep. Fitzpatrick and I represent narrowly divided districts —last November, my constituents elected both me and President Trump. Americans are clear that they want reasonable people, no matter their party, at the table to find solutions on these critical issues of immigration, permitting reform, and the national debt.”

At the beginning of the 119th Congress, the Problem Solvers Caucus convened working groups  to identify two-party solutions to the critical challenges identified in this letter. The working groups are meeting regularly to develop comprehensive proposals that can secure broad bipartisan support.

The full text of the letter can be found here and below:

Dear Mr. President,

As the Co-Chairs of the Problem Solvers Caucus, we lead a bipartisan group of nearly 50 Members of the House of Representatives focused on finding common ground on the key issues facing our nation. We meet regularly to discuss opportunities for bipartisan compromise and to develop legislation that both parties can agree on and vote for. In that spirit, we are writing to request a meeting with you to discuss three issues where we see both the opportunity and the need for comprehensive bipartisan solutions: immigration, permitting reform, and the national debt.

The Members of the Problem Solvers Caucus are:

Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ)                                                                             Jared Golden (D-ME)                                                                       Mike Lawler (R-NY)

Josh Harder (D-CA)                                                                                   Hilary Scholten (D-MI)                                                                    Don Davis (D-NC)

Jimmy Panetta (D-CA)                                                                              Debbie Dingell (D-MI)                                                                     Chuck Edwards (R-NC)

Jim Costa (D-CA)                                                                                       Haley Stevens (D-MI)                                                                       Greg Landsman (D-OH)

David Valadao (R-CA)                                                                               Angie Craig (D-MN)                                                                          Emilia Sykes (D-OH)

Salud Carbajal (D-CA)                                                                              Don Bacon (R-NE)                                                                             David Joyce (R-OH)

Young Kim (R-CA)                                                                                     Susie Lee (D-NV)                                                                               Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA)

Scott Peters (D-CA)                                                                                  Steven Horsford (D-NV)                                                                   Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA)

Jeff Hurd (R-CO)                                                                                       Chris Pappas (D-NH)                                                                         Rob Bresnahan Jr. (R-PA)

Brittany Pettersen (D-CO)                                                                      Donald Norcross (D-NJ)                                                                    Dan Meuser (R-PA)

Gabe Evans (R-CO)                                                                                  Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ)                                                                     Dusty Johnson (R-SD)

Darren Soto (D-FL)                                                                                 Tom Kean Jr. (R-NJ)                                                                             Henry Cuellar (D-TX)

Maria Salazar (R-FL)                                                                               Nick LaLota (R-NY)                                                                             Blake Moore (R-UT)

James Moylan (R-GU)                                                                             Andrew Garbarino (R-NY)                                                                 Jen Kiggans (R-V A)

Ed Case (D-HI)                                                                                         Tom Suozzi (D-NY)                                                                             Ben Cline (R-V A)

Brad Schneider (D-IL)                                                                            Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY)                                                                  Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA)       

                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Bryan Steil (R-WI)

Immigration: Your Administration took immediate action to secure our southern border, driving the numbers of illegal crossings to historic lows. We thank you for restoring order to the border, and we believe you deserve credit for delivering on this campaign promise. But there is still more work to do. It will take bipartisan legislation to permanently secure the border, fix the overwhelmed asylum system, and ensure that essential workers in fields like agriculture, healthcare, and hospitality can continue to contribute to our economy. We all agree the immigration system is broken — let’s work together to find a lasting solution.

Permitting Reform: Our outdated permitting system delays crucial infrastructure and energy projects that we need to compete globally, slowing our country’s growth and raising energy costs. We need to cut red tape and make it easier and faster to build in America. Both parties acknowledge this problem and are ready to solve it. We came close to a comprehensive permitting reform deal at the end of the 118th Congress, and we are confident we can find a way to get to yes this time around.

National Debt: You have made fiscal responsibility one of your top priorities — and for good reason. Our national debt poses a long-term threat to our economy, forcing potentially devastating cuts to programs like Social Security and Medicare and leading to higher taxes. While cutting wasteful spending is a start, we will need to take a comprehensive look at both sides of the balance sheet — spending and revenue — in order to solve this problem. We propose establishing a fiscal commission: a bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers and experts working together to develop a plan to stabilize our nation’s finances. By acting responsibly now, we can avoid even tougher decisions in the future.

The American people are tired of gridlock in Washington. They want Republicans and Democrats to work together to solve problems. We look forward to the opportunity to meet with you to discuss how we can deliver the bipartisan solutions our country wants and needs.

Sincerely,

                                            Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA)                                                                                              Thomas R. Suozzi (D-NY)

                                   Problem Solvers Caucus Co-Chair                                                                           Problem Solvers Caucus Co-Chair