The Western Caucus
Location: Washington, D.C.
Founded: 1993
Chairman: Rep. Rob Bishop Rob Bishop Robert William "Rob" Bishop is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party, and a member of the Tea Party Caucus.-Early life, education, and early career:...
Official website: robbishop.house.gov/WesternCaucus

The Congressional Western Caucus is a caucus within the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 composed of Members of Congress who promote Western and rural interests in the United States Congress

United States Congress

The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....

. All current members of the caucus are Republicans

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

.

The caucus is dedicated to the principles of multiple use, private property, limited government

Limited government

Limited government is a government which anything more than minimal governmental intervention in personal liberties and the economy is generally disallowed by law, usually in a written constitution. It is written in the United States Constitution in Article 1, Section 8...

 and local decision-making, while working to sustain a vibrant Western economy and maintaining a commitment to protecting and enhancing the environment for present and future generations.

Background

Former Representatives James V. Hansen

James V. Hansen

James Vear "Jim" Hansen was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Utah.Hansen was born in Salt Lake City, graduating from the city's East High School. From 1951 until 1955 he served in the United States Navy. He attended the University of Utah, receiving a business...

, Bob Stump

Bob Stump

Robert Lee "Bob" Stump was a U.S. Congressman from Arizona.-Early life and career:Stump was born in Phoenix, and was a U.S. Navy World War II combat veteran, where he served on the USS Tulagi from 1943 to 1946. He graduated from Tolleson High School in 1947, and Arizona State University in 1951...

, Joe Skeen and Barbara Vucanovich

Barbara Vucanovich

Barbara Farrell Vucanovich is a American Republican politician, the first woman to represent Nevada in the United States House of Representatives, where she served from 1983 to 1997.- Background :...

 founded the Congressional Western Caucus in 1993 during the 103rd Congress. At the time, the principal reason for the creation of the caucus was to explore the possibilities of finding ways for the states to manage some or all of the federal lands within their borders.

Under the current leadership of Chairman Rob Bishop

Rob Bishop

Robert William "Rob" Bishop is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party, and a member of the Tea Party Caucus.-Early life, education, and early career:...

 (R-UT), the Congressional Western Caucus remains a leading advocate in Washington, D.C. for public land users and many important western industries such as energy development, mining

Mining

Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...

, ranching, farming and recreation.

Priorities

Disbursing Power Back to Local Governments and Communities:
The Western Caucus is committed to strengthening local governments and communities. They believe that state and local governments are better suited to deal with local issues than a distant, out-of-touch federal government because the local governments are closer to the people, more responsive to citizens, and better equipped for representing their constituents on many important issues.
Economic Growth:
The Western Caucus is committed to promoting economic growth as well as healthy and sustainable communities. The Western United States like much of the country is experiencing the challenges presented by the economic downturn.
Caucus members believe that large federal land holdings, coupled with restrictive government mandates, stifle economic growth, hinder job creation, drive up the cost of living and impair funding for public education due to diminished tax receipts coming from private land. Members of the Western Caucus will work to eliminate federal impediments to economic growth

Economic growth

In economics, economic growth is defined as the increasing capacity of the economy to satisfy the wants of goods and services of the members of society. Economic growth is enabled by increases in productivity, which lowers the inputs for a given amount of output. Lowered costs increase demand...

.

National Energy Independence:
The Western Caucus is committed to achieving national energy independence. During the 110th Congress, the Western Caucus championed the first comprehensive energy bill. This bill became the basis for the comprehensive bill put forward by Republican leadership. A revised and expanded version of this bill was introduced in the 111th Congress, the American Energy Innovation Act. The Western Caucus believes America must increase its energy independence through the environmentally responsible development of ALL domestic energy resources. E

Private Property:
The Western Caucus is committed to fighting for the protection of private property rights, which are the foundation of a free society. The Western Caucus strongly believes that the federal government

Federal government of the United States

The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...

 should be required to compensate property owners when regulations deprive them of the use of their property.

Issues

• Property
  Property
  Property is any physical or intangible entity that is owned by a person or jointly by a group of people or a legal entity like a corporation...
  
   Rights
• Responsible Domestic Energy Development
• Federal Lands
• Federal Lands and Education
• Federalism
  Federalism
  Federalism is a political concept in which a group of members are bound together by covenant with a governing representative head. The term "federalism" is also used to describe a system of the government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and...
  
  
• Defending Multiple Use of Public Lands
• Stop Out-of-Control Wilderness Designations
• Oppose Expansion of the Clean Water Act
• Reform the Endangered Species Act (ESA)
• Prevent “Stroke of the Pen” Designations of National Monuments
• Support Full Funding of Payment-in-Lieu-of-Taxes Program (PILT) and Secure Rural School Programs
• Wilderness “Statement of Principles"

Members

• Congressman Rob Bishop
  Rob Bishop
  Robert William "Rob" Bishop is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party, and a member of the Tea Party Caucus.-Early life, education, and early career:...
  
   (UT-01)-Chairman
• Congressman Brian Bilbray
  Brian Bilbray
  Brian Phillip Bilbray is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2006, and previously for the 49th district from 1995 to 2001. He is a member of the Republican Party. Bilbray is Chairman of the House Immigration Reform Caucus and a member of the influential...
  
   (CA-50)
• Congressman Paul Broun
  Paul Broun
  Paul Collins Broun, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Republican Party and the Tea Party Caucus.-Early life, education and career:...
  
   (GA-10)
• Congressman Henry E. Brown, Jr.
  Henry E. Brown, Jr.
  Henry Edward Brown, Jr. is a former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2001 until 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party...
  
   (SC-01)
• Congressman Ken Calvert
  Ken Calvert
  Kenneth Stanton "Ken" Calvert is the U.S. Representative for , and previously the 43rd, serving since 1993. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district is part of the Inland Empire and south Orange County areas of Southern California.-Early life, education and career:Calvert was born in...
  
   (CA-44)
• Congressman John B. T. Campbell III (CA-48)
• Congressman Jason Chaffetz
  Jason Chaffetz
  Jason E. Chaffetz is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district is based in Provo and includes large portions of central and west-central Utah.-Early life, education and career:...
  
   (UT-03)
• Congressman Mike Coffman
  Mike Coffman
  Michael "Mike" Coffman is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009, and a former Secretary of State of Colorado. He is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life, education, and business career:...
  
   (CO-06)
• Congressman Tom Cole
  Tom Cole
  Thomas Jeffery Cole is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. He is a Deputy Minority Whip. The chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee from 2006 to 2008, he was, during his tenure, the fourth-ranking Republican leader in the...
  
   (OK-04)
• Congressman Mike Conaway
  Mike Conaway
  Kenneth Michael "Mike" Conaway, is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district is located in West Texas and includes Midland, Odessa, San Angelo, Brownwood and Fredericksburg....
  
   (TX-11)
• Congresswoman Mary Fallin
  Mary Fallin
  Mary Fallin is the 27th and current Governor of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. She was a U.S. Representative for from 2007 until 2011....
  
   (OK-05)
• Congressman Jeff Flake
  Jeff Flake
  Jeffrey Lane "Jeff" Flake is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2001. He is a member of the Republican Party. He was featured in the documentary series How Democracy Works Now: Twelve Stories....
  
   (AZ-06)

• Congressman Trent Franks
  Trent Franks
  Trent Franks is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party.The district takes in the entire northwestern corner of the state, including Kingman and Lake Havasu City, but most of its vote is cast in the western Phoenix suburbs.-Early life, education and...
  
   (AZ-02)
• Congressman Elton Gallegly
  Elton Gallegly
  Elton William Gallegly is the U.S. Representative for , and previously the 23rd and 21st, serving in Congress since 1993. He is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life, education, and pre-congressional career:...
  
   (CA-24)
• Congressman Dean Heller
  Dean Heller
  Dean A. Heller is the junior United States Senator from Nevada and a member of the Republican Party. Heller was appointed by Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval to a vacant seat created by the resignation of John Ensign. He was previously a member of the United States House of Representatives,...
  
   (NV-02)
• Congressman Wally Herger
  Wally Herger
  Walter William "Wally" Herger, Jr. , American politician, has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 1987, representing the California's 2nd congressional district. The second district is physically large...
  
   (CA-02)
• Congressman Darrell Issa
  Darrell Issa
  Darrell Edward Issa is the U.S. Representative for , and previously the 48th, serving since 2001. He is a member of the Republican Party. He was formerly a CEO of Directed Electronics, the Vista, California-based manufacturer of automobile security and convenience products...
  
   (CA-49)
• Congressman Sam Johnson
  Sam Johnson
  Samuel Robert "Sam" Johnson is an American politician and a retired career U.S. Air Force officer and fighter pilot. He currently is a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the 3rd District of Texas...
  
   (TX-03)
• Congressman Walter B. Jones, Jr. (NC-03)
• Congressman Doug Lamborn
  Doug Lamborn
  Doug Lamborn is the U.S. Representative for , in office since 2007. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district is based in Colorado Springs.-Early life, education, and early career:Lamborn was born in Leavenworth, Kansas...
  
   (CO-05)
• Congresswoman Cynthia Lummis
  Cynthia Lummis
  Cynthia Marie Lummis Wiederspahn is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. She is a member of the Republican Party. She previously served as a state representative , state senator , and state treasurer .-Early life:Lummis was born on September 10, 1954 in Cheyenne...
  
   (WY)
• Congressman Kevin McCarthy (CA-22)
• Congressman Tom McClintock
  Tom McClintock
  Thomas Miller McClintock II is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. He is a member of the Republican Party. He is a former Assemblyman and state Senator...
  
   (CA-04)
• Congressman Buck McKeon (CA-25)

• Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05)
• Congressman Devin Nunes
  Devin Nunes
  Devin Nunes is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district, located in the San Joaquin Valley, includes all of Tulare County, as well as much of eastern Fresno County. He is also the author of the book Restoring the Republic, published by...
  
   (CA-21)
• Congressman George Radanovich
  George Radanovich
  George Purdy Radanovich is a former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1995 to 2011. The district includes most of northern Fresno, as well as several rural areas northeast of the city. On December 29, 2009, Radanovich announced he would not seek reelection in 2010...
  
   (CA-19)
• Congressman Denny Rehberg
  Denny Rehberg
  Dennis R. "Denny" Rehberg is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2001. He is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life, education and career:...
  
   (MT)
• Congressman John Shadegg
  John Shadegg
  John Barden Shadegg is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1995 until 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party.The district, numbered as the 4th District before the 2000 Census, includes much of northern Phoenix....
  
   (AZ-03)
• Congressman Mike Simpson
  Mike Simpson
  Michael Keith "Mike" Simpson, D.M.D. , is the member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing , serving since 1999. He is a member of the Republican Party. He previously served in the Idaho House of Representatives....
  
   (ID-02)
• Congressman Adrian M. Smith
  Adrian M. Smith
  Adrian M. Smith is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Republican Party. He previously served in the Nebraska Legislature.-Early life, education and career:...
  
   (NE-03)
• Congressman Lee Terry
  Lee Terry
  Lee Raymond Terry is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1999. He is a member of the Republican Party.A lifelong Nebraskan, Congressman Lee Terry has worked continually to empower the people of the Second District. Terry has been a leader for Nebraska, advocating American energy...
  
   (NE-02)
• Congressman Glenn "G.T." Thompson (PA-05)
• Congressman Mac Thornberry
  Mac Thornberry
  William McClellan "Mac" Thornberry is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1995. He is a member of the Republican Party....
  
   (TX-13)
• Congressman Greg Walden
  Greg Walden
  Gregory Paul Walden is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1999. He is a member of the Republican Party.The district covers more than two-thirds of the state . He is the son of Paul E...
  
   (OR-02)
• Congressman Don Young
  Don Young
  Donald Edwin "Don" Young is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1973. He is a member of the Republican Party.Young is the 6th most senior U.S. Representative and the 2nd most senior Republican Representative, as well as the 2nd most senior Republican in Congress as a whole...
  
  (AK)

External links

• http://robbishop.house.gov/WesternCaucus/ "official Western Caucus site"