Squad (U.S. Congress)

The Squad is an informal progressive and left-wing coalition in the U.S. House of Representatives forming part of the Democratic Caucus. All are members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. The squad was initially composed of four members elected in the 2018 United States House of Representatives elections: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.

The grouping expanded to six following the 2020 United States House of Representatives elections, with newly elected Jamaal Bowman of New York and Cori Bush of Missouri joining. Following the 2022 elections, the squad grew to nine with the addition of Greg Casar of Texas, Summer Lee of Pennsylvania, and Delia Ramirez of Illinois. After the 2024 elections, the group reduced to seven, as Bowman and Bush were defeated in their primaries and left at the beginning of the 119th Congress.

The Squad's members have been supported by the Justice Democrats political action committee, and are on the left wing of the Democratic Party. Ocasio-Cortez, Pressley, Bush and Bowman were initially elected to Congress after unseating incumbents in primary challenges. All but Lee represent safe seats, with Cook Partisan Voting Index scores of at least D+20. Geographically, all but the Texan Casar hail from the Midwestern United States or Northeastern United States. All but Omar, Pressley, and Ramirez are currently or formerly affiliated with Democratic Socialists of America, with Bowman, Tlaib, and Bush currently endorsed by the organization.

The Squad has been said to represent the advocacy of progressive policies that some in the younger political generation support, such as Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, and tuition-free college, which the party leadership may not support. Ocasio-Cortez coined the name "Squad" in an Instagram post a week after the 2018 election. The photo, taken at a VoteRunLead event where the four founding members spoke, subsequently went viral. The grouping has since officially adopted the moniker by launching the Squad Victory Fund, a political action committee.