{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://stephaniemurphy.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=926", "Rep. Stephanie Murphy Elected Leader of the Blue Dog Coalition", "2018-11-27", "2018", "2018-11", "Democrat", "House", "FL", "Stephanie Murphy", "M001202", "stephaniemurphy.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Members of the Blue Dog Coalition today elected U.S. Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy of Winter Park, Fla., as their leader for the 116th Congress. The 24-member coalition unanimously chose Murphy, who is a former businesswoman and national security specialist at the U.S. Department of Defense, to serve as Co-Chair of Administration, the coalition's most senior leadership position. Murphy is the first woman of color ever to lead the Blue Dog Coalition. The coalition's mission is to find commonsense, bipartisan solutions that will get our country's fiscal house in order and ensure a strong national defense. I'm proud to help lead this hardworking group of principled, pragmatic Democrats who will develop solutions that move this country forward, Murphy said. In this new era of divided government, we Democrats must introduce bold ideas and fight for our shared values, and we must also seek bipartisan cooperation that keeps our government functioning and improves the lives of our constituents; the alternative is a partisan stalemate that brings our country to a halt. The Blue Dog Coalition remains focused on bipartisan cooperation, fiscal responsibility, and national security, and we look forward to being active and constructive partners in the 116th Congress. Murphy will lead the Blue Dog Coalition alongside Congressmen Tom O'Halleran (D-Ariz.) and Lou Correa (D-Calif.), who were elected Co-Chair of Policy and Co-Chair of Communications, respectively. Murphy is well-suited to advance the Blue Dog Coalition's mission to foster a strong national defense and fiscal responsibility in Congress. She serves on the House Armed Services Committee and co-chairs the House Democratic Caucus' National Security Task Force, where she advocates for defense policies that are strong, smart, and strategic. Murphy authored legislation, approved by the U.S. House, to deter U.S. officials, including the President, from disclosing top-secret information outside of established intelligence channels to adversary nations like Russia, China, and North Korea. She also led a successful effort to prevent political advisors like Steve Bannon from serving on the National Security Council. In addition, Murphy currently serves as co-chair of the Blue Dog Coalition's Fiscal Responsibility Task Force, where she promotes policies designed to address our nation's growing deficits and debt. Murphy was the first Democrat to introduce a balanced budget amendment during the 115th Congress. Unlike other balanced budget amendments, Murphy's bill includes a provision to protect Social Security and Medicare benefits that seniors have earned though a lifetime of hard work. Her bill was endorsed by the Blue Dog Coalition. THE BLUE DOG COALITIONOFTHE 116THCONGRESS BY THE NUMBERS:\r\n24 membersofthe Blue Dog Coalition.\r\n54 percenthave previous experienceina state legislature.\r\n42 percentrepresent districts that went to President Trumpin2016.\r\n29 percentare peopleofcolor.\r\n21 percenthave previous national security experience.\r\n21 percenthave owned a small business.\r\n21 percentare military veterans.\r\n17 percentare women.\r\n13 percenthave experienceinlaw enforcement.\r\n13 percentare farmers.  \r\n\r\nBLUE DOG FRESHMAN CLASS BY THE NUMBERS:\r\n7incoming Blue Dog freshman members.  \r\n\r\n7represent districts that went to President Trumpin2016.\r\n4will hold an elected position for the first time at the startofthe 116thCongress. \r\n3are women.\r\n3have national security experience.\r\n2have been mayorofa city or township.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://stephaniemurphy.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=926"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.835545128211379, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}