Where There's a Cause, There's a Caucus

Every morning in Washington, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) rides his rusty red-orange Trek bicycle to work on Capitol Hill, a reminder of one of the first things he did when he came to Congress in 1996: create a bike caucus.

With 165 members, the bipartisan Congressional Bike Caucus promotes the use of bicycles as a substitute for cars -- a way to exercise, reduce fossil fuel emissions and improve travel patterns. The caucus shepherded $4 billion for trails, bike paths and pedestrian facilities in a big transportation spending bill in the last Congress.

"I have saved hundreds of hours of time. I have burned thousands and thousands of calories instead of gallons of petroleum and, after 10 years, have probably saved $50,000," said Blumenauer, who also chairs the Congressional Trails Caucus.

The bike caucus is just one of the zany-sounding groups that lawmakers have created on Capitol Hill to advance niche interests in Congress. There's no trick to creating a caucus -- or "congressional member organization" -- in the House, where it takes just a letter to the Administration Committee. Nearly 300 have registered. The Senate has far fewer groups, and they don't register at all.

But some caucuses have come to play prominent roles on the front lines of Capitol Hill. The Republican Study Committee has worked to amplify the views of the more conservative wing of the GOP. Since Democrats took control of Congress in January, the Congressional Black Caucus has wielded unusual power, with five members serving as chairmen of House committees.

Other issues that have caucuses include hunger, poverty, animals, energy, senior citizens, steel, cars, the arts and national service. Nearly two dozen caucuses focus on health, especially neurological disorders. Caucus leaders often bring personal stories to their caucuses: Reps. Jim Ramstad (R-Minn.) and Patrick J. Kennedy (D-R.I.), who have had public battles with addiction and alcoholism, co-chair the Addiction, Treatment and Recovery Caucus.

But perhaps the most eye-catching of caucuses focus on unusual issues, with groups dedicated to computer modeling and simulation, space power, preserving U.S. battlefields and even shellfish.

Blumenauer, the Oregon bike booster, leads a notable diversity of caucuses -- unexploded ordinances, U.S.-Vietnam relations, passenger rails and, most important in his view, public broadcasting.

The trophy for the largest bipartisan caucus with members from both chambers goes to the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus, which has 287 members -- 229 in the House, 58 in the Senate. The caucus has four co-chairs: Republicans Paul Ryan (Wis.) and Steve Pearce (N.M.), and Democrats Ron Kind (Wis.) and Dan Boren (Okla.).

The caucus works on behalf of hunters, advocating for access to hunting sites, concerns related to the Second Amendment, and measures to support wildlife. It has a brother in the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus Foundation, which has sponsored events to bring together hunting advocates on and off Capitol Hill and is financially supported by hunting-related organizations and companies.

One of those annual events is the congressional "Shoot Out," a gathering in Virginia in which Republicans and Democrats compete at blasting clay pigeons. In 2006, Republicans won with the closest score in the event's 12-year history. Rep. Robin Hayes (R-N.C.) won the "Congressional Top Gun" by hitting 63 of 75 pigeons. Caucus officials are evaluating whether the event can continue this year in the wake of new House ethics rules.

Staying with the sports theme, the Congressional Soccer Caucus has been trying to gain traction in recent years. An informal group of 40 members, the caucus promotes such issues as access to parks and open spaces, brownfield redevelopment and after-school programs. It's led by Reps. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) and James T. Walsh (R-N.Y.). For Udall, it's personal: He played soccer frequently years ago when he was living in Vail, Colo., and his son played in high school.

The caucus has held parties to watch U.S. games during the World Cup, but has not organized a game of its own, despite trying for several years.

It's not hard to imagine why the Congressional Wine Caucus has had more success organizing its events. The bipartisan caucus, led by Reps. George Radanovich (R) and Mike Thompson (D) of California, has taken part in wine tastings on Capitol Hill with samples coming from places as varied as Napa Valley and France. The group advocates on a range of issues, such as laws governing where wineries can ship their products and federal funding to fight vineyard-destroying diseases.

The caucus, founded in 1999, has about 250 members. During the last Congress, more than 100 cases of wine were served to members and their staffs.