The House Problem Solvers Caucus, a group of centrist Democrats and Republicans, unveiled its agenda to combat mid-decade redistricting, which has been adopted by red states and blue states alike to gain an advantage in the 2026 midterm elections.
Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Tom Suozzi (D-NY), the group’s co-chairs, said during a Wednesday press conference the agenda stems from the work of a bipartisan task force formed earlier this year to study “extreme partisan gerrymandering.” The agenda largely centered on four pieces of legislation that, if passed, will help restore trust in the political process, according to Fitzpatrick.
“These are the things that cause a disconnect and a divide between the electorate and the institutions that were built to serve them,” Fitzpatrick said. ‘And gerrymandering is at the very, very top of that list. This is a problem that both parties are guilty of. It’s a power issue. It’s not a party issue.”
Here are the four pieces of legislation:
The TRUST Act
The Transparent Redistricting Under Stable Timelines Act would limit redistricting to every 10 years when the new census is conducted. Ten states already ban mid-decade redistricting in their state constitutions.
“This is not about which party benefits from a particular map,” said Rep. Jeff Hurd (R-CO). “In fact, that is exactly the point. A fair rule has to be a rule that we live under a fair map as Republicans or Democrats, regardless of which party wins a seat, redistricting should be about representing changes in our populations in our communities, not about finding a political advantage before the next election.”
Map Drawing Accountability and Principled Standards Act
The MAP Act, led by Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY) and Salud Carbajal (D-CA), would require that congressional districts have equal populations and not be drawn by political interests.
“Politicians in states like New York and California, or Texas and Florida should not be able to choose their elected representatives,” Lawler said. “Under a democracy, under our constitutional republic, that power is reserved to the people.”
The Independent Commissions Act
The Independent Commissions Act, led by Fitzpatrick and Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI), would mandate that states conduct redistricting through independent commissions.
Eight states have independent redistricting commissions, made up of nonpartisan appointees, that draw and approve congressional maps. Yet even states with independent commissions, such as New York, have found ways to circumvent them for the purposes of drawing political maps.
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Nonpartisan Congressional Uniformity and Oversight of Redistricting Trials Act
Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA) and Case want to use federal courts in redistricting battles and have these disputes handled in an expedited process. While federal courts often take up redistricting cases, the timeline can last months, forcing states to determine whether to delay or hold primary contests.
“We need to make sure that when districts are drawn, they represent members here in the House of Representatives, not the interests of political parties or interests back home that want to dilute the voice of the people, and so we can clear some of that up when disputes do arise by having federal courts step in, and so the jurisdiction would be at the federal court level for congressional redistricting challenges, so that clear and consistent processes for resolving those disputes are in place,” Mackenzie said.