Bruce Braley (D-Iowa)

The group's stated mission is to protect the economic interests of the middle-class on issues ranging from fair trade and jobs to health care and education. "What we want to do is bring a laser focus to those issues across the spectrum, through a caucus whose singular focus is addressing how you protect and also expand the middle class," said Braley, who now serves as caucus chairman.

"[Many people] want somebody who is going to talk to them in a language they can relate to, who's going to fight for them," he said later. Braley also expressed this interest in simplifying language in other contexts. In April 2008, he got the House to pass a bill he introduced to require that government documents like tax returns be written in easy-to-understand language; the legislation was not taken up by the Senate.

The Economy

Braley, who represents a union-heavy district, does not reject free trade in general. But he believes agreements need to be fairer than they have been in the past to ensure that no U.S. manufacturing jobs are lost to overseas competitors.

He also advocates for stiffer environmental protection and higher labor standards both in the U.S. and in partnering countries - as well as tougher accountability mechanisms to ensure standards are met. He is critical of NAFTA and CAFTA but opposes their repeal, explaining he wants to see them amended.

In fall 2008, Braley helped defeat the first version of the financial bailout plan, which he argued assisted Wall Street but "ignored the needs on Iowa's Main Street." Yet, a conversation with then-presidential candidate Barack Obama and legislative tweaks like tax relief for victims of Midwest flooding convinced Braley's to support the bailout's successful second version. In February 2009, he enthusiastically supported Obama's stimulus package.

In May 2007, the House passed a bill introduced by Braley to help small businesses land federal contracts typically grabbed by corporate conglomerates.

The Environment

In a December 2008 speech asking fellow Democrats to oust veteran lawmaker John Dingell from the chairmanship of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Braley denounced the Democrat for obstructing climate-change legislation. In the following months, Braley championed a series of environmental measures.

In June 2009, Braley supported the Waxman-Markey bill, which sought to curb greenhouse gas emissions by establishing a cap-and-trade system; he called the House vote to approve it a "defining moment in our country's history." He introduced legislation extending the wind energy production tax credit.

The Iowa Democrat also helped promote a "cash-for-clunkers" program that would offer people who turn in a high-polluting vehicle a voucher to purchase a more fuel-efficient car or ride public transit. Braley sided with legislation proposed by Rep. Betty Sutton (D-Ohio) rather than a competing bill that imposed more stringent rules on which cars qualify as clunkers.

National Security

A critic of the George W. Bush administration's handling of the Iraq war, Braley has long supported withdrawal of U.S. troops and he voted in favor of resolutions providing for their redeployment.Braley also touts his work on issues of veteran health, starting with his participation in the committee hearings on quality of care at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

In 2008, he sided with a narrow majority of Democrats in opposing legislation that expanded the government's surveillance powers while granting immunity to telecommunication companies that cooperated with the Bush administration's warrantless wiretaps.

Social Issues

Braley supports abortion rights and he voted in favor of expanding federal funding for stem-cell research. Insisting that the issue should be left to states, Braley hasn't taken a clear stance on same-sex marriage;) even the statement he released in April 2009 after the Iowa Supreme Court ruled gay marriages legal didn't commit him to a position on a "divisive issue."

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