Congressional Hispanic Caucus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chair | Adriano Espaillat (NY–13) |
| Founder | 5 founding members
|
| Founded | December 1976; 49 years ago (1976-12)[1] |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
| National affiliation | Democratic Party |
| Seats in theHouse | 38 / 435 (plus 1 non-voting) |
| Seats in theHouse Democratic Caucus | 38 / 215 (plus 1 non-voting) |
| Seats in theSenate | 4 / 100 |
| Website | |
Official website | |
TheCongressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) is an organization of 42Democratic members of theUnited States Congress ofHispanic and Latino descent.[2][3] The Caucus focuses on issues affecting Hispanics and Latinos in theUnited States. The CHC was founded in December 1976 as a legislative service organization of theUnited States House of Representatives. The CHC is organized as a Congressional Member organization, governed under the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives.
As of the118th Congress, the CHC is composed entirely of Democrats, although at its founding it was a bipartisan organization. Hispanic Republican members of Congress formed theCongressional Hispanic Conference in 2003 after leaving in the late 1990s over policy differences. The CHC has refused to admit Republican members in recent years, denying admission toCarlos Curbelo in 2017 andMayra Flores in 2022.
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus aims to address national and international issues that directly impact the Hispanic community. The function of the CHC is to serve as a forum for the Hispanic Members of Congress to coalesce around a collective legislative agenda. In addition to covering legislative action, the CHC also monitors executive and judicial issues at the federal level.[4]
SenatorCatherine Cortez Masto, aMexican American fromNevada, SenatorBen Ray Luján, aMexican American fromNew Mexico, and SenatorAlex Padilla, aMexican American fromCalifornia, are the current members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus from theSenate. The remaining 38 members are from theHouse.
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) was organized in 1976 byHerman Badillo (NY-21),Baltasar Corrada del Río (PR-AL, member-elect),Kika de la Garza (TX-15),Henry B. González (TX-20) andEdward Roybal (CA-25), to serve as a legislative organization through which legislative action, as well as executive and judicial actions, could be monitored to ensure the needs of Hispanics were being met. It was staffed by Raquel Marquez Frankel, who had grown up in Silver City and Albuquerque, New Mexico, and had become, in 1947, the first Latina to attend theUniversity of New Mexico School of Law.[5] The goal was to work in conjunction with other groups, both inside and outside Congress, to strengthen Federal commitment to Hispanics and heighten the community's awareness of the operation and function of the American political system.
As of 2023, the CHC is composed entirely of Democrats, although at its founding it was a bipartisan organization. The Republican members left in the late 1990s over policy differences and, in 2003, formed their own group, theCongressional Hispanic Conference. In 2017, the Caucus declined to admit Rep.Carlos Curbelo, who would have been the only Republican member. In 2022, Rep.Mayra Flores, a Republican, was denied membership as well.
| Start | End | Chair | District |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 1981 | Edward Roybal | CA-25 |
| 1981 | 1984 | Bob Garcia | NY-21 |
| 1984 | 1985 | Bill Richardson | NM-03 |
| 1985 | 1986 | Marty Martínez | CA-30 |
| 1986 | 1987 | Esteban Torres | CA-34 |
| 1987 | 1988 | Albert Bustamante | TX-23 |
| 1988 | 1989 | Jaime Fuster | PR-AL |
| 1989 | 1991 | Kika de la Garza | TX-15 |
| 1991 | 1993 | Solomon Ortiz | TX-27 |
| 1993 | 1995 | José Serrano | NY-16 |
| 1995 | 1997 | Ed Pastor | AZ-04 |
| 1997 | 1999 | Xavier Becerra | CA-31 |
| 1999 | 2001 | Lucille Roybal-Allard | CA-34 |
| 2001 | 2003 | Silver Reyes | TX-16 |
| 2003 | 2005 | Ciro Rodriguez | TX-23 |
| 2005 | 2007 | Grace Napolitano | CA-38 |
| 2007 | 2009 | Joe Baca | CA-43 |
| 2009 | 2011 | Nydia Velázquez | NY-12 |
| 2011 | 2013 | Charlie Gonzalez | TX-20 |
| 2013 | 2015 | Rubén Hinojosa | TX-15 |
| 2015 | 2017 | Linda Sánchez | CA-38 |
| 2017 | 2019 | Michelle Lujan Grisham | NM-01 |
| 2019 | 2021 | Joaquin Castro | TX-20 |
| 2021 | 2023 | Raul Ruiz | CA-36 |
| 2023 | 2025 | Nanette Barragán | CA-44 |
| 2025 | present | Adriano Espaillat | NY-13 |
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 | This"criticism" or "controversy" sectionmay compromise the article'sneutrality. Please helpintegrate negative information into other sections or removeundue focus on minor aspects throughdiscussion on thetalk page.(January 2019) |
On January 31, 2007, a story on thePolitico.com website reported that Rep.Joe Baca had called Rep.Loretta Sanchez a "whore" in a conversation withSpeaker of the California AssemblyFabian Núñez, prompting Sanchez to resign from the CHC. Rep. Baca has denied this charge,[9] but two other CHC members,Linda Sánchez (Loretta's sister) andHilda Solis, expressed support for Loretta Sanchez.[10] In the case of Solis, Baca called her "a kiss-up to SpeakerNancy Pelosi," for which he apologized to Solis both privately and publicly.[11]
A year prior to the "whore" incident, the CHC'spolitical action committee gave $3,000 to Baca's children's campaigns for state offices in California. Although Baca recused himself from the decision to make the contributions, six members of the caucus criticized the decision, saying that CHC's PAC should support only federal candidates. Consequently, on November 15, 2006, when Joe Baca was elected chair of the CHC, Solis and the Sanchez sisters challenged his election, saying that the voting should have been done by a secret ballot.[11]
On Monday, April 2, 2007, CongresswomanLinda Sánchez closed her offices in honor ofCésar Estrada Chávez Day, a state holiday in California (which fell on a Saturday that year). CHC chair Baca made the following comment on Sánchez's decision to close the office: "I believe the best way to observe César Estrada Chávez Day is not by taking the day off from work or school."[12] On April 12, Linda Sánchez announced that she had suspended her membership in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, citing "a need for structural reforms to ensure that the caucus is more equitable and inclusive of all its members." She specifically stated that her decision "was not based on personal animus directed at Baca."[13]
On June 30, 2013, CongressmanFilemon Vela Jr. resigned from the CHC, citing opposition to the Senate immigration bill which the CHC endorsed, saying: "Opponents of serious immigration reform are extracting a pound of flesh in this process by conditioning a pathway to citizenship on the construction of more ineffective border fence."[14][15]
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus has received support over the years from Mexican billionaireRicardo Salinas Pliego andAzteca America.[16] Andres Ramirez, a Nevada political consultant, andKevin de León, the President Pro Tempore of the California State Senate, have worked together to route money from Azteca America to various caucus groups and political campaigns, as Pliego is a known rival toCarlos Slim, whom both de Leon and Ramirez have attacked through the use of phony groups such as "Two Countries One Voice". Ramirez has appeared at functions for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.[17] The effort to recruit past students and fellows involved in programs of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus has caused some political bloggers to speculate over the effort by California State Senator de Leon and his colleague California StateSenator Jim Beall to use their legislative staffs, some of whom have been involved in programs of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, to take over several local groups of California Democratic Party State Central Committee delegations for the purpose of establishing control for de Leon and his allies.[18]
In November 2017, the caucus refused to admit Republican congressmanCarlos Curbelo, who would have been the only Republican in the caucus.[19] In October 2022, it also denied admission to Republican congresswomanMayra Flores, who was the first Mexican-born congresswoman.[20]
In October 1981, theHouse Committee on House Administration drafted new regulations stipulating that fundraising activities were to be moved off all government premises. Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus decided to maintain a legislative support organization onCapitol Hill, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and moved the non-profit, fundraising organization, today known as theCongressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, Inc. to a new residence.[21]
TheCHC BOLD PAC (officially theCommittee for Hispanic Causes-BOLD PAC and sometimes referred to as simplyBOLD PAC) is the Congressional Hispanic Caucus' political arm, endorsing Democratic and especially Hispanic candidates.[22][23]Ruben Gallego was the chair of the group until 2023,[24] the current chair isLinda Sánchez.[25] The group raised $8.7 million during the2018 election cycle.[26]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Chairs of theCongressional Hispanic Caucus | ||
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