Citizen Action

Citizen Action was a national liberal consumer and public activist group that was active in the United States during the 1980s and 1990s.

The origins of the group lies in various state-level organizations founded by veterans of Students for a Democratic Society and the Indochina Peace Campaign.

In 1980 a national organization called Citizen Action was formed as a federation of state groups in Ohio, Oregon, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Illinois, with a national office in Washington, D.C. Its first president was Heather Booth and its first executive director was Ira Arlook. Some of the affiliates had their own history, with Connecticut Citizen Action Group being founded by Ralph Nader in 1970. Ohio Citizen Action was founded in 1975 as the Ohio Public Interest Campaign. The Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana was founded in 1974 and made its name in dealing with utility company rates and associated investigations.

The national group experienced various changes in membership during the 1980s due to financial and organizational ups and downs, but saw its role as putting pressure on the political system for policy issues it was concerned about. By the early 1990s the group had affiliates in 34 states. Its policy specialist Cathy Hurwit was a well-known figure in discussions about health care reform in the United States, and the group was a strong advocate for single-payer health care. Group funding often came from labor unions such as AFSCME, CWA, and ILGWU.

With the advent of the Clinton administration in 1993, the group began changing from being a nonpartisan grassroots organization to being a direct player in Democratic Party politics. Citizen Action argued publicly for single-payer health care, but behind the scenes worked to support the managed competition proposals of the 1993 Clinton health care plan as the only feasible approach. This created some unhappiness among members and aligned organizations.

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