Republican Study Committee

The Republican Study Committee (RSC) is a caucus of conservative members of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives.

Republican Study Committee
ChairJim Banks
Founded1973 (1973)
IdeologyConservatism[1]
Fiscal conservatism[1]
Social conservatism[1]
Political positionRight-wing[2]
National affiliationRepublican Party
Colors  Red
Seats in House Republican Caucus
125 / 211
Seats in the House
125 / 435
Website
rsc-johnson.house.gov
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Although the primary functions of the RSC vary from year to year, it has always pushed for significant cuts in non-defense spending,[3] spearheaded efforts to pass free trade agreements, advocated socially conservative legislation, and supported the right to keep and bear arms. It has proposed an alternative budget every year since 1995. In 2007, in conjunction with the unveiling of its "Taxpayer Bill of Rights", it presented an alternative budget resolution that claimed would balance the budget within five years without increasing income taxes.[4][5]

Entering the 117th United States Congress, the RSC is the largest ideological caucus in Congress of either party.

Initiatives

The RSC's key legislative initiatives are detailed in the American Taxpayer Bill of Rights,[6] unveiled in March 2007.[4]

  1. Taxpayers have a right to have a federal government that does not grow beyond their ability to pay for it.
  2. Taxpayers have a right to receive back each dollar that they entrust to the government for their retirement.
  3. Taxpayers have a right to expect the government to balance the budget without having their taxes raised.
  4. Taxpayers have a right to a simple, fair tax code that they can understand.

History

The RSC was founded in 1973 by Paul Weyrich and other conservative activists to keep a watch on the House Republican leadership, which they saw at the time as too moderate. Their formation mirrored the rise of the Democratic Study Group, a liberal force in the Democratic Caucus founded in 1959. The group's first chairman was Phil Crane of Illinois.

The group briefly dissolved in 1995 when Newt Gingrich abolished it and other similar groups after the Republicans won control of the House for the first time in 40 years. It was soon resurrected as the Conservative Action Team (CATs) by Dan Burton of Indiana (the last chairman of the original RSC), Sam Johnson of Texas, John Doolittle of California and Ernest Istook of Oklahoma. These four founders alternated as chairmen throughout the next two Congresses until David McIntosh of Indiana became chairman in 1998.

Paul Teller spent over 10 years as Executive Director of RSC. He was fired in December 2013 by Chairman Steve Scalise for divulging member conversations.[7] Teller had been working with two outside groups in opposition to a budget deal forged by Paul Ryan and Patty Murray.[8]

Chairs

Connections

The organization has had ties to outside groups allied with conservative elements of the Republican Party, such as the National Rifle Association, the Heritage Foundation, Focus on the Family, Concerned Women for America, the conservative magazine National Review, and the libertarian Cato Institute.

A subgroup of the committee, the Values Action Team, coordinates legislation with religious organizations, including the Christian right. It has been headed by Joe Pitts of Pennsylvania since its formation in 1997.

The RSC membership list is available at the group's website.[9] It counts former Vice Presidents Mike Pence, Dan Quayle and Dick Cheney and former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay among its former members. In addition, at least four sitting senators—Pat Toomey (PA), Richard Burr (NC), John Boozman (AR), and Roger Wicker (MS)—were members of the RSC while serving in the House. At least three former governors–Pence (IN), Butch Otter (ID) and Bobby Jindal (LA) were also members.

Political issues

On June 16, 2010, the committee issued a press release critical of the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama for negotiating an agreement with energy company BP to waive the $75 million federal limit on oil company liability for oil spills. The statement called the agreement requiring BP to set aside $20 billion to pay damage claims for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill a "Chicago-style political shakedown" by the White House.[10]

In July 2013, the Republican Study Committee barred Heritage Foundation employees from attending its weekly meeting in the Capitol, reversing a decades-old policy, over disagreements about the farm bill.[11]

Members

Alabama

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Florida

Georgia

Illinois

Indiana

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Nebraska

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Pennsylvania

South Carolina

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

See also

References
  1. "About RSC". Republican Study Committee. Archived from the original on 28 July 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  2. Wasson, Eric; Berman, Russell (November 15, 2012). "GOP Rep. Scalise elected RSC chairman, pledges to pull leadership 'to the right'". Retrieved July 23, 2014.
  3. Weisman, Jonathan (October 19, 2005). "House GOP Leaders Set to Cut Spending". The Washington Post.
  4. "RSC Leaders Rally to Support Taxpayers as Democrats Sanction Largest Tax Increase in American History" (PDF) (press release). Republican Study Committee. March 21, 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 13, 2012. Retrieved 2017-03-25.
  5. "Republican Substitute / The Budget Resolution for Fiscal Year 2008" (March 27, 2007). Available as a PDF file at House Republican Budget Alternative, section: FY2008 Archived 27 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine. U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Budget. budget.house.gov. Retrieved 2017-03-25.
  6. "The RSC's Taxpayer Bill of Rights". Republican Study Committee. Archived from the original on December 12, 2012. Retrieved 2017-03-25.
  7. Alberta, Tim (December 11, 2013). "RSC Fires Executive Director for Leaking 'Member-Level' Talks to Outside Groups". National Journal.
  8. Kane, Paul (December 11, 2013). "House GOP leader Steve Scalise fires top aide, Paul Teller, citing breach of trust". Washington Post.
  9. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2009.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link), RSC's 2012 website.
  10. "Chicago-Style Political Shakedown | Republican Study Committee (RSC)" (Press release). Republican Study Committee. 16 June 2010. Archived from the original on 4 May 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  11. Republican Lawmakers Retaliate Against Heritage Foundation, Tim Alberts, National Journal, August 28, 2013
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