Congressional caucus facts for kids
A congressional caucus is a special group of people in the United States Congress. These groups are made up of members of Congress who come together to work on shared goals and ideas. They want to pass laws that support what they believe in.
Sometimes, these groups are called conferences, coalitions, study groups, or working groups. They are officially known as "congressional member organizations" (CMOs). They follow the rules of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate.
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What Are Party Caucuses?
The biggest caucuses are the ones for each political party. These groups include all the members of one party (like the Democrats or the Republicans) from either the House or the Senate. Any independent members who join a party also become part of its caucus.
These main party caucuses are:
- The House Democratic Caucus
- The House Republican Conference
- The Senate Democratic Caucus
- The Senate Republican Conference
These groups meet regularly to decide what laws they want to focus on. They also choose who will be on different committees and who will lead them. They also pick their party leaders in Congress.
Some congressional caucuses are formed around specific political ideas. In the United States, where two main parties are very strong, these caucuses help members with similar beliefs work together. They push for more specific goals within their larger party.
These groups are often called "ideological caucuses." Most of them are found in the House of Representatives. Members of Congress can join more than one of these groups. This means there can be some overlap between different caucuses.
Caucuses for Different Backgrounds
Some of the most well-known caucuses are for members who share the same race or ethnic group. These groups often represent people of color.
The main ones are:
- The Congressional Black Caucus for African-American members.
- The two Hispanic caucuses:
- The Congressional Hispanic Caucus for Hispanic Democrats.
- The Congressional Hispanic Conference for Hispanic Republicans.
- The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus for members who are Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Other members can join this group too.
When the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus meet together, they are called the Congressional Tri Caucus.
The ERA Caucus
The ERA Caucus stands for the Equal Rights Amendment Caucus. It was started on March 28, 2023, by Representatives Ayanna Pressley and Cori Bush. Their goal is to make sure the Equal Rights Amendment is officially recognized as the 28th amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
This caucus believes the amendment met all the necessary steps in 2020 when Virginia became the 38th state to approve it. The ERA Caucus quickly became one of the largest groups in the U.S. House of Representatives. By May 2023, it had 69 members.
On April 28, 2023, the ERA Caucus showed its support by marching to the Senate. They supported a bill called S.J. Res 4, which aims to confirm the ERA.
The LGBT+ Caucus
The Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus was announced on June 4, 2008. It was started by openly gay members of Congress, Tammy Baldwin and Barney Frank.
The main goal of this caucus is to work for LGBT rights. They want to get rid of laws that are unfair to LGBT people. They also work to stop hate-motivated violence and improve the health and well-being of all people. This is regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.
The caucus helps members of Congress, their staff, and the public learn about LGBT issues. Any member of Congress who wants to help advance LGBT rights can join this caucus. It has historically been led by every openly LGBT member of the House. In the 118th United States Congress, the caucus had 194 members, all of whom were Democrats.
Groups for Special Interests
The most common type of caucus is made up of members who share a specific interest. These groups are often supported by both Democrats and Republicans. They can also include members from both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
For example, the Congressional Bike Caucus works to promote cycling. The Senate Taiwan Caucus works to build strong relationships between the U.S. and Taiwan.
Rules for Caucuses
The House Committee on House Administration (HCHA) sets rules for these Congressional Member Organizations (CMOs). Each time a new Congress starts, CMOs must register with this committee. They have to provide their name, their purpose, who their leaders are, and which staff member will help them.
Here are some of the rules:
- Members from both the House and Senate can join a CMO. However, at least one of the leaders must be a House member.
- CMOs are not separate legal entities. They cannot hire staff on their own. They also cannot have their own office space.
- CMOs cannot accept money, goods, or services from private groups or people to support their work. However, individual members can use their own money to support the CMO.
- Members can use their staff and official resources to help the CMO. But staff cannot be hired in the name of the CMO itself.
- CMOs cannot use the frank privilege, which allows members of Congress to send mail for free. Members cannot lend their franking privilege to a CMO.
- Members can use official resources for communications about the CMO's purpose. These communications must follow franking rules.
- Members can have a section on their official website about CMO issues. But CMOs cannot have their own separate websites.
- Members can use internal mail to share information about a CMO.
- Members can create materials related to CMO issues to share with others.
- Official funds cannot be used to print or pay for stationery for the CMO.
- Members can mention their membership in a CMO on their official stationery.
See Also
- All-party parliamentary group
- Caucuses of the United States Congress
- Factions in the Democratic Party (United States)
- Factions in the Republican Party (United States)
