BLUE DOG ACTION FUND POLICY

Blue Dog Action Fund advances policies that rise above partisan division to improve the lives of everyday Americans.

We promote policies to empower working people and rural communities, make government more representative and accountable, use taxpayer dollars responsibly, and prioritize safety and security – at home and abroad. 

Empowering Working People and Rural Communities

Working people and rural communities deserve a government that has their back. For too long, their voices have been pushed aside while the system caters to special interests. We listen to all Americans, respect the trades, and support policies to cut government red tape, strengthen workers’ rights, and return agency and self-determination to people and their communities. 

• Cutting Red Tape on Child Care Providers Act of 2025: Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03), Rep. Jared Golden (ME-02), Rep. Adam Gray (CA-13), Rep. Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), and Rep. Lou Correa (CA-46) introduced this bipartisan bill to cut red tape so child care providers can serve nutritious food options without getting caught up in unnecessary government regulations. In some states, regulations require providers to undertake expensive kitchen upgrades or install extra sinks just to cut up an apple or banana.

• Protect America's Workforce Act: Rep. Jared Golden (ME-02), Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03), Rep. Sanford Bishop (GA-02), Rep. Jim Costa (CA-21), Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04), Rep. Adam Gray (CA-13), Rep. Lou Correa (CA-46), Rep Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Rep. Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), and Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34) introduced this bipartisan bill to reverse a 2025 executive order that took away collective bargaining rights for 67 percent of the federal workforce. This bill would restore those rights, ensuring federal workers can bargain for higher wages, better benefits, and safer workplaces.

• REPAIR Act: Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03) introduced this bipartisan bill to make sure vehicle owners and small repair shops can access the repair and diagnostic data they need to fix their vehicles. Currently, vehicle owners and small repair shops must pay a fee for that data, making it difficult or costly for owners to fix their own vehicles or take it to a trusted local shop.

• Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025: Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03), Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04), and Rep. Adam Gray (CA-13) introduced this bipartisan bill with Rep. Doug LaMalfa (CA-01) to extend Secure Rural Schools (SRS) funding through 2026, helping rural communities keep schools open, maintain roads, and support emergency services. 

Making Government More Representative and Accountable

We’re working to build a government that listens to everyday people, especially those who’ve been left out and pushed aside by partisan politics. We support policies that make our government more representative and give power and agency back to people.

Our focus is on making sure public officials are working in the public interest, pushing for reforms that hold leaders accountable to people, not to political parties, special interests, or their own ambitions.

1. Establishing the Select Committee on Electoral Reform: Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03) and Jared Golden (ME-02) introduced this resolution to create a bipartisan committee in the House of Representatives tasked with taking a close look at how we vote in this country and reforms to make our democracy work better for all people, including independent redistricting commissions, instant-runoff voting, multimember districts, and expanding the size of the House. If passed, this committee would explore systemic changes to help reduce political division, give more people a voice, and make Congress more representative of the country.

2. Let America Vote Act: Rep. Jared Golden (ME-02) and Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-02) introduced this bipartisan bill with Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01) to make sure that independent voters can vote in any election funded by taxpayers. Right now, 15 states have closed primaries for Congress and 22 have closed primaries for the presidential election, which means 23 million independent voters are systematically shut out of choosing who’s on the ballot. This bill would change that, giving more people a voice and making the government more reflective of the communities it serves.

3. TRUST in Congress Act: Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03), Rep. Jared Golden (ME-02), and Rep. Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05) introduced this bipartisan bill with Rep. Seth Magaziner (RI-02) to end insider trading in Congress. It would require Members of Congress, their spouses, and their kids to either sell their individual stocks or put them in a blind trust while they are in office. Banning individual stock trading would make sure lawmakers are focused on the people and communities they represent, not using their access to privileged information to turn a profit.

4. Congressional Term Limits Amendment: Rep. Jared Golden (ME-02) and Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03) introduced this bipartisan resolution with Rep. Ralph Norman (SC-05) to set term limits for Congress. It would cap House members at three terms and Senators at two terms. Term limits would help bring in fresh voices and new ideas so members of Congress can stay focused on the people they represent and the country, not on building long-term political careers and catering to special interests. 

5. Get Foreign Money Out of U.S. Elections Act: Rep. Jared Golden (ME-02), Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03), and Rep. Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05) introduced this legislation with Rep. Jamie Raskin (MD-08) to close a major campaign finance loophole that allows U.S. companies that are largely owned or controlled by foreign entities to spend unlimited amounts in our elections. Ending this loophole would help keep foreign influence out of our elections and make sure elected officials are more accountable to the people they represent.

   USING TAXPAYER DOLLARS RESPONSIBLY

   Taxpayer dollars should be used responsibly to serve the common good. That’s not what’s happening right now. Last year, the government ran a $1.8 trillion deficit, and the national debt has climbed to around $29 trillion. This year, Congress passed the most expensive reconciliation bill in history, which will add over $4 trillion to the national debt through 2034.

   By spending more money than the government brings in each year, Congress is hurting regular people by driving up inflation and interest rates, making it more expensive to buy a house or a car, pay for education, or use a credit card. Additionally, the more we spend on interest to service the national debt, the less we have to invest in critical programs for people and the country’s future.

   We support policies that put the country on a more sustainable fiscal path, improve Social Security and Medicare trust fund solvency to protect hardworking Americans from cuts, and give lawmakers better tools to evaluate the fiscal impact of legislation before Congress. 

• Fiscal Commission Act: Rep. Jared Golden (ME-02), Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03), Rep Henry Cuellar (TX-28), and Rep. Adam Gray (CA-13) introduced this bipartisan bill with Rep. Bill Huizenga (MI-04) to create a fiscal commission focused on tackling the national debt and preventing automatic cuts to programs like Social Security and Medicare. If passed, this bill would give lawmakers a real chance to work together on reducing the deficit and national debt and extending the trust funds’ solvency, putting the country on a more stable fiscal footing for future generations and reducing inflationary pressure and interest rates to lower costs for everyday Americans.

• Cost Estimates Improvement Act: Rep. Jared Golden (ME-02) and Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03) introduced this bipartisan bill with Rep. Michael Cloud (TX-27) to require the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) to include the cost of interest payments to service the debt on fiscal estimates for proposed legislation before Congress. This bill would improve a fiscal tool Congress uses and ensure that members have the most accurate picture of the costs of legislation before they vote on it.

• Stop the Baseline Bloat Act: Rep. Adam Gray (CA-13), Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03), and Rep. Jared Golden (ME-02) introduced this bipartisan bill with Rep. Glenn Grothman (WI-06) to remove emergency spending from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) baseline. This would help lower wasteful spending and ensure that one-time emergency spending is just that, a one-time support to address emergencies, not a yearly expenditure that grows with inflation. 

Prioritizing Safety and Security– at Home and Abroad

Keeping Americans safe and secure is one of our top priorities. America and our allies are facing increased threats from adversaries. From Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, which has driven up energy and food prices in the U.S., to foreign efforts to influence our elections and divide the American public, the actions of our adversaries have significant impacts on the safety and security of Americans at home.

The government has also failed to secure the U.S. southern border, creating a growing humanitarian crisis, allowing drug cartels to exploit the border crisis and flood our communities with deadly fentanyl, and diverting law enforcement resources and personnel from other priorities. We support policies that put Americans’ safety and security first.

Policies aimed at strengthening our national defense and supporting our allies, securing our sovereign borders, and giving local, state, and federal law enforcement the resources they need. 

• Invest to Protect Act of 2025: Rep. Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), Rep. Jared Golden (ME-02), Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03), Rep. Jim Costa (CA-21), and Rep. Lou Correa (CA-46) introduced this bipartisan bill to support small and midsize police departments. It would provide funds for recruitment, retention, and training. This funding source would ensure rural police departments don’t have to compete with some of the largest departments in the country, leveling the playing field and giving rural communities the tools they need to keep people safe.

• Fight Fentanyl Act: Rep. Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05) and Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03) introduced this bipartisan bill with Rep. David Taylor (OH-02) to make sure local, state, and federal law enforcement have the tools and equipment they need to address America's fentanyl crisis and keep our communities safe. The bill would fund more efforts to seize and stop fentanyl, direct the Attorney General to assign more prosecutors to go after traffickers, and strengthen the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Program to improve coordination between local, state, and federal law enforcement.

• Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025: Rep. Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), Rep. Sanford Bishop (GA-02), Rep Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34), Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03), and Rep. Jim Costa (CA-21) introduced this bipartisan bill to strengthen secondary sanctions on foreign entities helping Iran continue its illegal oil trade. 

• LPOE Modernization Trust Fund Act: Rep. Henry Cuellar (TX-28) and Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34) introduced this bipartisan bill to create the Land Port of Entry Modernization Trust Fund. The trust fund would help fund new ports of entry, fund upgrades of existing ones, invest in better inspection technology, and fund the hiring of more U.S. Customs and Border Protection staff.