The Republican Study Committee [RSC] is a caucus of over 170 conservative members of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives. Though the primary functions of the Republican Study Committee vary from year to year, it has always pushed for significant cuts in non-defense spending, advocated socially conservative legislation, and supported the right to keep and bear arms. In 2010, the Committee pushed for $25 billion in budget cuts to non-existent government programs.[1] It has proposed an alternative budget every year since 1995, with notable decreases in pork spending. It has unveiled its plan to balance the budget without increasing taxes on the wealthy. Its alternative budget proposals are regularly praised by the editors of National Review, a leading conservative journal of opinion. The RSC's current Executive Director is Paul Teller.
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The RSC's key legislative initiatives are detailed in the American Taxpayer Bill of Rights, unveiled in March 2007.
It was founded in 1973 by Paul Weyrich and other conservative activists to keep a watch on the House Republican leadership, which they saw at the time as too moderate. Their formation mirrored the rise of the Democratic Study Group, a liberal force in the House Democratic Caucus founded in 1948. The group's first chairman was Phil Crane of Illinois. The group briefly dissolved in 1995 after the Republicans won control of the House for the first time in 40 years.
However, it was almost immediately refounded as the Conservative Action Team by Dan Burton of Indiana (the last chairman of the original RSC), Sam Johnson of Texas, John Doolittle of California and Ernest Istook of Oklahoma. The four founders alternated as chairmen throughout the next two Congresses until David McIntosh of Indiana became chairman in 1998. When he resigned from the chairmanship in 2000 to focus on his run for governor of Indiana, Johnson reassumed the chairmanship. John Shadegg of Arizona became chairman in 2001, renaming it the RSC soon after taking over. Shadegg increased the group's membership from 40 members in 2001 to 70 members in 2003. Sue Myrick of North Carolina was the first woman to serve as chair from 2003 to 2005. Mike Pence of Indiana served as chairman from 2005 to 2007 and Jeb Hensarling of Texas served as chairman from 2007 to 2009. Tom Price of Georgia who succeeded Hensarling in 2009. After the Republicans regained control of Congress in the 2010 elections, Jim Jordan of Ohio was elected chairman of the RSC.
Several members of the RSC have held high positions in the House leadership. Presently, seven of the nine top Republican leaders—Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Chief Deputy Whip Peter Roskam, Conference Chairman Jeb Hensarling, Conference Vice-Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Conference Secretary John Carter, Policy Committee chairman Tom Price, and National Republican Congressional Committee chairman Pete Sessions--are members of the RSC. Only two members of Republican leadership are not members of the RSC: Speaker John Boehner (who is, by tradition, the leader of the House Republicans) and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy.
The organization has long had ties to outside groups closely allied with the most conservative elements of the Republican Party, such as the National Rifle Association, the American Family Association, Focus on the Family, Concerned Women for America and the conservative magazine National Review, as well as the libertarian Cato Institute.
A subgroup of the committee, the Values Action Team, coordinates legislation with the Christian right. It has been headed by Joe Pitts of Pennsylvania since its formation in 1997.
The RSC has never publicized its full membership list, but a partial list has always been available at the group's website. It touts a former Vice President (Dan Quayle) and a former House Majority Leader (likely Tom DeLay) among its former members. In addition, five sitting senators—David Vitter (LA), Richard Burr (NC), John Boozman (AR), Jim DeMint (SC), and Roger Wicker (MS)—were members of the RSC while serving in the House. Current governors Butch Otter (ID) and Bobby Jindal (LA) were also members.