Congressional Hispanic Caucus losing staff, Dem chairwoman under fire after just one month, report

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus, a key part of the Democrat Congressional Conference, is reportedly going through an upheaval, amid a shrinking staff for which Chairwoman Nanette Barragan is getting the blame. 

The situation seemed to come to a flashpoint Thursday after she fired caucus Executive Director Jacky Usyk, which has resulted in some members now considering ousting Barragan, according to CBS News.  

Barrigan became chairwoman only about a month ago and was elected to Congress in 2016. She represents parts of south Los Angeles.

The caucus is made up of 42 House and Senate Democrats. 

Hispanic have traditionally been a strong voting bloc for Democrats, while Republicans continue to try to appeal to those voters on such issues as immigration, education and abortion.

In last year's midterm elections, Democrats won among black, Hispanic and Asian and Pacific Islander voters, according to exit polls conducted by major networks and Edison Research.

However, compared to the 2018 midterms, Hispanic and Asian support for the GOP increased 10 and 17 points respectively, according to Politico. 

Under caucus rules, members can vote to impeach the chairperson and call for the removal of that person. 

None of the lawmakers and staffers with whom CBS spoke would comment on the record. 

Barragan has since arrived in Congress had challenges keeping staff. An analysis by CBS of the congressional-tracking website LegiStorm found she had one of the top-10 worst staff turnover rates in 2021.