The Conservative Caucus Foundation (TCCF) is a nonprofit research foundation (501(C)3 under the IRS code), donations to which are tax-deductible. It was founded in 1976 to provide a thoroughly constitutional and conservative view of American public policy questions.
Howard Phillips, the founder and first President of TCCF, was the pioneer in uncovering taxpayer funding of left wing groups. TCCF’s work on this issue led many other conservative groups to adopt the slogan of “Defunding the Left”. TCCF’s newsletter, Eye on Bureaucracy, exposed unconstitutional spending within the Federal government.
TCCF has also been involved in foreign policy and national defense issues. Arms control treaties, the Panama Canal, and the threat from Red China have been the subject of TCCF policy studies.
The First 100 Ways Project featured expert opinion on policy changes that could be taken by a U.S. president using his constitutional powers as chief executive, even if Congress was hostile to his policies.
Topics related to government reform have included term limits, congressional pay, and federal courts. TCCF has also published studies defending the electoral college.
The Constitutional Budget Project takes selected cabinet departments and examines the President’s proposed budget, line by line, to determine whether each program is constitutional. Some departments have been found to consistently spend more than 90% of their budget on unconstitutional programs.
During 2013, TCCF participated in the national discussion concerning amnesty for illegal immigrants. One study found that security measures along the Mexican border were much less effective than claimed, while another examined the Senate-passed immigration reform bill.
Peter Thomas has a long history of activity in conservative politics, and as a political appointee in Republican administrations going back to Ronald Reagan. He became President of TCCF in 2013.
Thomas was a founding board member of The Conservative Caucus and served as National Field Director from 1975-1981, seeking to establish a grass roots network in each state and congressional district. He played a key role in organizing citizen opposition to the Panama Canal Treaties, the SALT II Treaty, and the proposed Constitutional Amendment that would have given the District of Columbia voting representation in Congress.
President Reagan appointed him as the New England Regional Administrator of the General Services Administration in 1981, a position he held until 1985. Thomas returned to the Federal government in 1990, working in the Small Business Administration for two years. He gained first-hand experience with Congress as Chief of Staff to Rep. Peter Torkildsen (R-MA) from 1995-1997. He later served President George W. Bush in the Department of Agriculture, rising to the position of Acting Assistant Secretary for Administration.
Charles Orndorff has worked at TCCF since 1987, and also serves as Administrative Vice Chairman of The Conservative Caucus.
He was a leader in Virginia Young Americans for Freedom during the 1970’s, and was a founder of the Virginia Conservative Education and Research Institute.
Orndorff has written about the US Constitution and various other topics for TCCF.
