The coalition is known as “The No Label Problem Solvers’ and it currently has 81 members. About half are Republicans and half are Democrats.
Welch and Republican Rep. Chris Gibson of New York State are the group’s co chairmen.
If all we are doing is shouting partisan barbs back and forth and not getting things done it is bad for the country - Rep. Peter Welch
Welch says the coalition is needed because Congress has broken down into a highly partisan institution where virtually nothing gets done:
“Our job is to make policy that help people back home in Vermont and around the country be successful in doing their job,” said Welch. “And if all we’re doing is shouting partisan barbs back and forth and not getting things done it’s bad for the country.”
When Welch was Senate President in Vermont a number of years ago, he worked together with Republican Governor Jim Douglas to create the Catamount Health Care program. He says that effort is a model for this new coalition.
“And we talked together and we said you know we’re both right if you want to have access you’ve got to control costs,” said Welch. “So there’s often times truth on both sides and taking an ideological position that it’s my way or the highway or having this illusion that there is quote “an answer” is a prescription for failure.”
Rep. Chris Gibson has served in the military for most of his adult life. In 2010, Gibson was elected to Congress from a district in New York’s Hudson River Valley.
“Coming here to Congress I have been frustrated from time to time that we are not getting some very important missions done,” said Gibson.
Gibson says things are so bad that both Republican and Democratic leaders actually discourage their members from co-sponsoring bills with representatives of the other Party.
“Neither of those circumstances is helpful,” said Gibson. "So it’s disappointing because certainly we’re sent here to represent the three-quarters of a million people roughly that we each serve and we have to fight through the hyper partisanship.”
Gibson says the design of Congressional districts is the central problem leading to gridlock.
“Over 95 percent of the members of Congress will not face a competitive election in the fall but they could face a competitive election in the spring if they’re viewed as coming to the center,” said Gibson. “This a problem here in the Congress we have folks dug in on the far left and the far right.”
The No Labels Coalition is working to pass 9 bills this year including legislation that eliminates Congressional pay if the House and Senate fail to pass a budget on time.
