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11 January 2007
Congressional Caucuses Help Draw Attention to Specific Issues
Informal groups can be influential in shaping legislative policy, agenda
Washington -- In both the House of Representatives and the Senate, members often organize informally into groups based on their shared interest on an issue. Many of these 200 such groups, known as caucuses, help shape legislation passed by the U.S. Congress. The term “caucus” refers to both the group and the meeting it holds.
Standing congressional committees must work on a wide-range of issues, but caucuses can narrow their focus to a specific topic and significantly affect public perceptions and legislative priorities.
For example, in recent months the Congressional Human Rights Caucus has brought attention on specific human rights issues through briefings with experts on the rights of the disabled, religious freedom protections, human rights abuses in Vietnam, anti-conversion laws in the Middle East and humanitarian crises in Sudan and Uganda. The caucus also heard testimony from those who have survived human rights abuses. Members of the caucus have worked with other nations to achieve the release of political prisoners.
The bipartisan Sudan Caucus was formed in October 2005 to encourage people to do what they can to help end the violence in the Darfur region of Sudan. The caucus has encouraged state governments to divest from companies doing business in Sudan, and submitted and secured passage of a House resolution supporting the appointment of a presidential special envoy for Sudan with a mandate to deter further escalation of violence and humanitarian disaster. Caucus members have spoken at rallies to draw public attention to Darfur. (See related article.)
Some caucuses, such the Blue Dog Coalition and the Congressional Black Caucus, are likely to play a prominent role in the 110th Congress.
The Blue Dog Coalition is a group of 44 conservative and moderate Democrats who tend to vote together. The leadership of the 110th Congress already is listening to and taking actions recommended by the Blue Dog Coalition, said Representative Mike Ross of Arkansas during a January 5 press conference. Additionally, seven members of the caucus are on the House Appropriations Committee, a powerful panel that controls the federal budget.
The Congressional Black Caucus has played an influential role in U.S. politics since its founding in 1969 and is expected to continue to do so. Many of the 43 caucus members lead or hold prominent positions on standing committees and subcommittees.
ORIGIN, ROLES OF THE POLITICAL CAUCUS
Party caucuses were established in the House in 1800 to help select nominees for president and vice president, a function that that has been taken over by national party conventions.
In the 21st century, each major political party holds regular House and Senate caucuses for discussions of party goals, strategies and views on legislation. At the meetings held at the beginning of a new Congress, members vote for their party leaders and committee chairs. Leaders may encourage, but cannot require, caucus participants to vote a certain way on an issue. Once a congressional term is under way, caucuses focus on designing and implementing legislative strategy.
Party caucuses in the House of Representatives are called the House Republican Conference and the House Democratic Caucus. The Senate has the Senate Democratic Conference and the Senate Republican Conference.
Most members of Congress also belong to other caucuses, or unofficial organizations formed to represent and promote certain interests. Such groups deal with a wide range of issues, including regional, ethnic, economic, cultural and very specific topics. These groups can draft legislation, request hearings, lobby officials or take other actions to promote their causes.
According to the House Committee on Administration, there were more than 200 of these caucuses in the 109th Congress. These included caucuses that promote an ethnic or cultural group interest, such as the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. Other caucuses focus on regional issues, with members drawn from representatives of that region, regardless of party affiliation.
Other groups focus on very narrow topics: the Congressional Boating Caucus is a bipartisan group of members concerned with issues that affect the recreational marine industry, while the Congressional Internet Caucus hosts briefings and workshops to teach members of Congress about technology and Internet policy.
Many of these caucuses have a bipartisan membership drawn from both the House and Senate. Only a few set specific qualifications for membership. For example, only women can join the Congressional Caucus on Women's Issues. The size of a caucus varies – some have more than 100 members, while others have only a handful of participants.
Caucuses are not publicly funded. In the past, some had collected dues from their members that helped them operate and hire staff, but a 1995 law prohibited members from paying dues out of their office accounts, a step that forced most caucuses to stop employing staff of their owns. Today, many caucuses receive administrative support from members' personal staffs. Other caucuses have recruited outside partners to handle certain operations.
For more information, see U.S. Congress.
(USINFO is produced by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
