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Following the first meeting of the new Congress, Rep. Tom Reed (R-New York) announced his membership in the emerging Problem Solvers Caucus.

"We care about the people that sent us here. That is why we want to develop the smart policy solutions we need to overcome our greatest national challenges," said Reed. "It's only right that we look for opportunities to partner with our colleagues across the aisle and recognize that the best ideas don't come from parties, but from individuals and by listening to all sides of an issue."

The Problem Solvers Caucus will feature members from both parties and the group aims to play a key role in bridging the partisan divide in Washington. The caucus is comprised of dozens of Democrats and Republican focused on forging bipartisan cooperation in 2017.

Although many current Caucus members met regularly during the last Congress, the Caucus is now formalizing its leadership structure, bylaws and standards and developing a more ambitious legislative agenda.

Many Problem Solvers Caucus members had previously signed Reed's resolution, H. Res. 207 of the 114th Congress, calling for both parties to come together to make progress on the four goals outlined in the National Strategic Agenda:

Create 25 million jobs over the next 10 years
Secure Social Security and Medicare for the next 75 years
Balance the Budget by 2030
Make America energy secure by 2024

These goals set a vision for where the country needs to go. With a new President and Congress in office, members of the Problem Solvers Caucus will work to pass bipartisan policies that advance these four goals.

With the debate already getting contentious on issues like healthcare, the Problem Solvers Caucus will serve as an essential vehicle for developing bipartisan solutions in 2017 and beyond.

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