On Tuesday, May 23rd, Millennial Action Project announced Representatives Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ 9th District) and Carlos Curbelo (R-FL 26th District) as the new co-chairs of the Congressional Future Caucus, the only bipartisan group of young legislators in Congress focused on next generation leadership and policy issues. They will be joined by Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-WI 8th District) and Stephanie Murphy (D-FL 7th District), the first vice chairs of the Future Caucus.
President and Co-Founder of the Millennial Action Project (MAP) Steven Olikara sat down with Rep. Sinema at the Washington, D.C. Facebook office to discuss issues facing this Congress and the leadership the Future Caucus can provide.
Credit: Ralph Alswang Photography
When asked about her vision for the future of the growing Future Caucus, Sinema had one overarching goal: get things done. “Congress is really struggling to get stuff done,” she said, “All the energy is going into the administration and there is not much room left for Congress to do its work. And it’s very frustrating. So I think one of the things the Future Caucus can do is refocus on the work and say here are new innovative, creative things we can do that are not partisan [...] but instead are providing this positive outlet.”
Both Sinema and Curbelo have a proven record of “getting stuff done”, and doing it together. They cooperated on a wide range of legislation that includes increasing flexibility for Pell Grant recipients and making it easier for angel investors to connect with small businesses. The pair has also prioritized climate change, with Rep. Curbelo representing a small but growing contingent of Republicans eager to act on the issue.
Connecting with and understanding Millennial constituents requires monitoring not only the issues that the demographic cares about, but also the technologies by which they access those issues. Sinema urged Congress to “catch up” with changing technologies and improve overall technical literacy needed to tackle challenges like cybersecurity and cryptocurrency. However, she also called on Millennials themselves to step into the public arena out of “a sense of duty to your country and the generations that come after you to make sure that they have the same shot that you had.”
Rep. Sinema shares a photo texted to her by Rep. Curbelo, who was unable to attend the event due to a hearing in the House Ways and Means Committee. (Credit: Ralph Alswang Photography)
Mr. Olikara praised Reps. Sinema and Curbelo for being emerging leaders in Congress and emphasized the Millennial Action Project’s ongoing commitment to their bipartisan endeavors. “I feel like a lot of people want to support people like you,” he said. “We want to amplify voices like yourself in Congress and across the country.”
The next steps for the Future Caucus include continuing to engage with young people in DC and around the country, as well as building bipartisan relationships within the caucus and finding opportunities to draft common-ground legislation.
Watch the full video here: