Public Profile
The Congressional Federation Caucus is a bipartisan caucus of the United States House of Representatives, comprising thirty-one members as of June 2026, organized around what its founding statement describes as “the long-term alignment of American institutions with their aspirational character.” It is co-chaired by Curtis Vandermolen, Democrat of Michigan, and Sloane Merrick, Republican of Texas.
The caucus was registered with the Committee on House Administration in 2025. Its stated purpose, as filed, is “to study and, where appropriate, advance measures of national designation, nomenclature, and symbolic governance,” language that drew little attention at the time of filing and somewhat more in June 2026, when the caucus introduced H.R. 4127, the United Federation of Planets Designation Act, which would rename the United States of America the United Federation of Planets.
The caucus holds that the name “United States of America” is “descriptive but not aspirational,” and that the nation would be better served by a designation reflecting “what we have always been working toward.” Membership is drawn from both parties and from a range of committees, a breadth the caucus cites as evidence of broad support and which others have noted has so far complicated, rather than eased, the question of which committee should hold the first hearing.
The caucus maintains no permanent staff beyond a single shared legislative aide and meets, when it meets, in a reserved room in the Rayburn House Office Building.
Articles
- Bipartisan Caucus Sponsors Bill to Rename the United States the 'United Federation of Planets' — The measure has been referred to four committees, none of which can agree on whether it concerns foreign affairs.
- Half a Child Apiece: On the Bisection of the American Question and the Two Legislators Perfectly Content With Their Portions — Solomon proposed the sword as a diagnostic instrument; the American legislature has since adopted it as a method, and both claimants now leave the chamber pleased.