Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC)
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) is a significant entity in the U.S. Congress focused on advocating for the interests of Hispanic and Latino Americans. Comprising around thirty members, the CHC aims to enhance representation of these communities in federal government roles and ensure their talents are utilized effectively. The caucus's primary objectives include achieving fair representation of Hispanic and Latino individuals in government positions, particularly in influential policy-making roles that impact daily life.
The CHC has a historical track record of addressing underrepresentation, notably through a 1996 report by the U.S. General Accounting Office, which highlighted the disproportionate underemployment of Hispanic and Latino individuals in the federal workforce. Throughout its existence, the CHC has worked collaboratively with advocacy groups to push for greater inclusivity and accountability in government hiring practices. Although traditionally a Democratic organization, the CHC has faced challenges related to bipartisan representation, particularly in the context of its interactions with issues affecting Cuban Americans and immigration policies. In response to the need for broader Latino representation, the Congressional Hispanic Conference was established by Republicans in 2003. Overall, the CHC remains a pivotal advocate for advancing the political and social interests of Hispanic and Latino Americans.
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Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC)
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) is an organization dedicated to improving the condition of Hispanic and Latino Americans through the legislative process. The caucus monitors policies of the executive and judicial branches of the US government and seeks to strengthen the role of Hispanic and Latino Americans at all levels of government. The CHC maintains around thirty members, though this fluctuates with each election.
The CHC has three main goals: significant progress toward fair representation of the Hispanic and Latino community in federal government positions, the utilization of the talents and strengths of Hispanic and Latino Americans in the federal government, and the naming of Hispanic and Latino individuals to government positions at all levels, particularly to high-ranking, policy-making positions that can affect the daily lives of people. In 1995, the CHC requested that the United States General Accounting Office (GAO) prepare a study on Hispanic and Latino underemployment status in the federal civilian workforce, including its nature and adverse impact. In June 1996, the GAO released a report confirming that Hispanics and Latinos were proportionately the most underrepresented group in the federal workforce.
By 1997, the CHC had been joined by numerous Hispanic and Latino advocacy groups to bring attention to the low number of Hispanic and Latino Americans in both career and appointed positions in the federal civilian workforce. The caucus chair from 1997 to 1999, California Democratic Congressman Xavier Becerra, discussed the situation numerous times with President Bill Clinton, asking what was being done about the problem. Led by the CHC, Hispanic and Latino communities became unified in holding the Clinton administration accountable for its pledge to assemble a government that truly represented the entire nation. The caucus called upon President Clinton to prioritize this matter with an aggressive plan to name more Hispanic and Latino individuals to high-level governmental positions.
Although it had been an unwritten rule to keep Cuba out of any official CHC business, Becerra made a trip to Cuba and met with the then-President, Fidel Castro, in late 1996. Reportedly, Becerra called for free elections and the liberation of political prisoners in Cuba. However, in 1997, Congress members Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Lincoln Diaz-Balart, two Cuban American Republicans from Florida, left the CHC in protest over Becerra’s violation of CHC policy. Consequently, for some time, the only Republican left on the CHC was Texan Henry Bonilla, making it impossible for the caucus to present itself as a bipartisan, pan-Hispanic organization and making it difficult for the CHC to be influential on issues involving immigration and English-only efforts. Becerra eventually persuaded Ros-Lehtinen and Diaz-Balart to return to the CHC, restrengthening the caucus to improve conditions in the United States for Hispanics and Latinos. However, all CHC chairs appointed since the organization's inception have been Democrats, and by the early 2000s, it was no longer considered a bipartisan organization. In 2003, Republicans who aimed to improve the representation of Latino Americans in politics formed the Congressional Hispanic Conference.
Bibliography
"About." Congressional Hispanic Caucus, chc.house.gov/about. Accessed 10 Oct. 2024.
García, John A., and Gabriel R. Sanchez. Latino Politics in America: Community, Culture, and Interests. 4th ed., Rowman & Littlefield, 2021.
Hero, Rodney E., and Robert R. Preuhs. Black-Latino Relations in US National Politics: Beyond Conflict or Cooperation. Cambridge UP, 2013.
"Members." Congressional Hispanic Caucus, chc.house.gov/members. Accessed 10 Oct. 2024.
Wasniewski, Matthew, editor. Hispanic Americans in Congress, 1822–2012. Govt. Pub. Office, 2013.