David Cicilline and Karen Bass Join Progressive Caucus
Yesterday, the Congressional Progressive Caucus announced that two new members of the House of Representatives have also become members of the caucus: David Cicilline and Karen Bass.
Of course, merely signing up for membership in the Progressive Caucus isn’t all that it takes for a member of the House to actually be progressive. Our legislative scorecard for the House measures representatives’ political identity according to their actions, not their abstract assertions of political ideals.
So far, both Cicilline and Bass qualify on as merely “Somewhat Liberal” in our legislative scorecard.
Karen Bass has earned a 59 percent liberal rating. She’s taken liberal votes on several issues, such as environmental protection, labor rights, and military spending. However, there are many liberal pieces of legislation that Karen Bass has failed to endorse, including measures that would tighten offshore oil drilling regulations, a bill to provide support for universal pre-Kindergarten education, and a cap on credit card interest rates.
David Cicilline has earned a 53 percent liberal rating so far. Cicilline has taken some liberal action in the House of Representatives, but he has also made some anti-liberal moves. For example, Cicilline voted against amendments to reduce spending on wasteful military programs such as the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle and the V-22 Osprey. These are programs that the Pentagon itself says are strategically unnecessary.
So far, Karen Bass and David Cicilline have proven to be inconsistent in their application of liberal values. Will their membership in the Progressive Caucus strengthen their liberal resolve, or is it merely intended to provide political cover for illiberal legislative action? Time will tell.
