On September 18, 2013, Congressman Aaron Schock (R-IL) and Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) hosted a kick-off event for the new Congressional Future Caucus – the nation’s first Millennial-led caucus dedicated to next generation challenges – on Capitol Hill.
Millennials have now lived through numerous government shutdowns because of partisan bickering and brinksmanship. We believe it’s time for a new generation of post-partisan leaders willing to solve our nation’s most urgent challenges.
This is why MAP joined with Millennial co-chairs Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL) and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) to launch the Congressional Future Caucus. The Future Caucus is the first bipartisan caucus exclusively focused on developing long-term solutions to issues facing America’s next generation.
From left: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI); John Stanton; Steven Olikara; Aneesh Chopra; Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL); and Scott Case.
At the launch, young leaders from across the political spectrum heard from a diverse group of panelists in a discussion moderated by John Stanton, D.C. Bureau Chief of Buzzfeed. Steven Olikara, Co-Founder of MAP, kicked off the discussion and welcomed the panelists, which included Reps. Schock and Gabbard as well as renowned business and civic leaders Aneesh Chopra, former U.S. Chief Technology Officer, and Scott Case, Founding CEO of Startup America Partnership and Founding CTO of Priceline.com.
In front of a standing room-only crowd, the panel engaged in a lively discussion about the historic potential for Milllennial leadership to forge consensus and collaboration on issues such as innovation, infrastructure, and economic development, particularly with MAP and the Future Caucus leading the way forward.
Earning wall-to-wall press coverage from NBC’s Meet The Press to Buzzfeed, the launch was a huge success in our efforts to advance a new generation of post-partisan leadership.
Rep. Gabbard said on Morning Joe that Millennials aren’t willing “to accept ‘no’ for an answer” in our commitment to create a new paradigm of political leadership, and Rep. Schock repeated his belief that the 40 Millennials currently serving in Congress could quickly “come out with solutions that would pass the House and the Senate.”