WASHINGTON, D.C. – Problem Solvers Caucus Members Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) announced Tuesday they will sit together during President Trump’s 2018 State of the Union address.

• Rep. Fitzpatrick: “Tom Suozzi and I have a lot in common.  We are both CPA’s, we are both attorneys, we both represent moderate suburban districts, and we both love our country more than our party.  The only difference between us is our party registration. The core belief of the Problem Solvers, myself and Tom chief among them, is that there are far too many extreme partisans in Congress who put their party ahead of their country. Problem Solvers such as Tom and myself stand for something very different.  We believe that the American people want leaders who want to work with people with different backgrounds and with different beliefs in order to move our country forward. At the State of the Union Address, Tom and I will stand side by side, him wearing a red tie and myself wearing a blue tie, to show the American people that, as Freshman members of Congress from different parties, we stand together in the firm belief that, now more than ever, we need bipartisanship and ‘Problem Solvers’ to move our country forward. We are urging our colleagues, both Democrat and Republican, to follow our lead and to join us in sending this powerful message to the American people.”

• Rep. Suozzi: “People are sick and tired of partisan finger pointing and no one getting anything done. I came to Congress willing to work across party lines to get things done for the people I serve. Brian Fitzpatrick and I are both united in our love of country and our dedication to getting things done for the people we serve. We’ve gotten to know each well as Freshmen and as members of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus. Despite our political affiliations, we have grown to like, respect and trust one another – something Congress needs more of as we try to solve the pressing issues facing our nation. I am honored to sit with Brian during the State of the Union address in bipartisan solidarity. I hope it will serve as a model for other members on both sides of the aisle to set aside our petty, partisan differences and come together as one nation.”

Fitzpatrick and Suozzi are members of the Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan group of lawmakers – half Republican, half Democrat - who meet on a regular basis to build trust across the aisle and to develop solutions for the American people. The Caucus has taken an active role in outlining bipartisan policy objectives from tax reform and infrastructure investment, to immigration and healthcare.