US Congressman David Cicilline, openly gay co-chair of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus and former mayor of Providence, has been elected co-chair of the Congressional committee on policy and communications by his Democratic peers in the House of Representatives.
Cicilline takes up this new leadership position when the Democrats take the majority in January.
“A few weeks ago, the American people put their trust in the Democratic Party when they gave us control of the U.S. House,” Cicilline stated in his announcement of his new role. “Next January, the hard work begins to deliver on the promises we have made to create good-paying jobs, lower health care costs, and end the corruption in Washington.”
According to a November 29 report in the Providence Journal:
Democrats are aiming to scrutinize the Trump administration as they take power in Washington.
Cicilline had originally aimed for assistant Democratic leader, which would have been the No. 4 job in the House, but bowed out in favor of a different candidate.
The DPCC, as the committee is called in shorthand, used to have three co-chairs, of which Cicilline was one. Now it will have a chair—Cicilline—and three co-chairs. Cicilline ran against Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi’s preferred candidate to win the spot in 2016.
The LGBT Equality Caucus, which Cicilline also co-chairs with five other prominent openly gay Congresspeople, serves as a resource for Members of Congress, their staff and the public on LGBT issues at the federal level. The Caucus works toward the extension of equal rights, the repeal of discriminatory laws, the elimination of hate-motivated violence and the improved health and well-being for all regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity and expression.
