Streamlining U.S. Congress

Indeed, it's time for change. We have heard this declared before and the results have been wave elections but no change. Let me be clear of what it meant, it's time to change the U.S. Congress. This change goes beyond political or party majorities in either chamber, but deals with entrenched dysfunctional processes of U.S. Congress. It's time to review and reform the processes of the legislative branch of government.

One area that needs to be reviewed is the number of caucuses in Congress. While many may justify their presence as necessary to promoting important issues of Americans. Let's be honest, many of them should be listed as lobbying special interests groups and have no place in the honored institution, U.S. Congress.

Some have become as many government programs which exist beyond its usefulness. The executive branch has pursued initiatives to streamline processes within its agencies. It's time for the legislative branch to do the same. C'mon it's time to discontinue the Rube Goldberg Competition. Here are some of the Caucuses that should be reviewed and considered for reform or elimination.


2015 Caucus (2006(?)–)
21st Century Health Care Caucus (2006(?)–)
30 Something Working Group
4-H Caucus (2006(?)–)
9/11 Commission Caucus (2006(?)–)
Addiction, Treatment and Recovery Caucus (2004–)
Afterschool Caucuses (2005-)
Alzheimer's Disease Congressional Task Force (1999–)
Americans Abroad Caucus (2007–)
Anti-Value Added Tax Caucus, The (Anti-VAT Caucus) (2006(?)–)
Appalachian Caucus (2006(?)–)
Armenian Caucus (1991-)
Army Corps Reform Caucus (2006(?)–)
BBike Caucus AKA Bicycle Caucus
Biomedical Research Caucus
Bipartisan Disabilities Caucus (2006(?)–)
Bipartisan Working Group on Disaster Recovery and Response, The (2006(?)–)
Blue Dog Coalition (1994–)
Congressional Bourbon Caucus (2009–present), founded by Brett Guthrie and John Yarmuth
Building a Better America Caucus (BABC) (2006(?)–)
CCalifornia Democratic Congressional Delegation (2006(?)–)
Caribbean Caucus (2003–)
Center Aisle Caucus (2006(?)–)
Chesapeake Bay Watershed Task Force (2006(?)–)
Children's Environmental Health Caucus (2006(?)–)
Coalition on Autism Research and Education (2006(?)–)
Community College Caucus (2006(?)–)
Community Solutions and Initiatives Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Anti-Terrorism Caucus (January 2007–present), founded by Sue Myrick, Bud Cramer, Kay Granger, and Ben Chandler
Congressional Arts Caucus (January 1981–present)
Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (May 1994–present)
Congressional Automotive Caucus (1985–present) (formerly Auto Industry Task Force)
Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Battlefield Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Bike Caucus (CBC) (2006(?)–)
Congressional Biotechnology Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Bipartisan Cerebral Palsy Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Black Caucus (1969–)
Congressional Boating Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Border Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Brain Injury Task Force (2001–), founded by Bill Pascrell
Congressional Brazil Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues (2006(?)–)
Congressional Caucus for Bosnia (2005 -)
Congressional Caucus on Central America (2006(?)–)
Congressional Caucus on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (2006(?)–)
Congressional Caucus on Global Road Safety (2004–)
Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues (2006(?)–)
Congressional Caucus on the Judicial Branch (2006(?)–)
Congressional Caucus on Prescription Drug Abuse (2010(?)–)
Congressional Caucus on Sri Lanka and Sri Lankan Americans (2006(?)–)
Congressional Caucus on Turkey and Turkish Americans (March 2001)
Congressional Caucus on Uganda (2006(?)–)
Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues (1977–) Note: this was formed as the Congresswomen's Caucus, before changing its name in 1981.
Congressional Caucus on Youth Sports (2006(?)–)
Congressional Entertainment Industries Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Caucus to Fight and Control Methamphetamine (2006(?)–)
Congressional Children's Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional China Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Climate Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Coal Caucus (2010-)
Congressional Coalition on Adoption (2006(?)–)
Congressional Coastal Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Complementary and Alternative Medicine Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Constitution Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Correctional Officers Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Croatian Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Czech Caucus (2008–)
Congressional Diabetes Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional E-911 Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Farmer Cooperative Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Fire Services Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Fitness Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Food Safety Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Forest Task Force (2006(?)–)
Congressional Former Mayors Caucus (2006-) - cofounded by Mike Capuano and Mike Turner
Congressional Fraternal Caucus (summer 2002-)
Congressional French Caucus (October 2003–present)
Congressional Friends of Denmark (CFD) (2006(?)–)
Congressional Gaming Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Gulf of Mexico Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Hearing Health Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Hispanic Caucus (1976–)
Congressional Hispanic Conference (2003–)
Congressional HUBZone Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Horse Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Human Rights Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Humanities Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus (1999–)
Congressional Insurance Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Intelligent Transportation Systems Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional International Anti-Piracy Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Internet Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Iraqi Women's Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Kidney Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Labor and Working Families Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Life Science Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Management Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Manufacturing Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Manufacturing Task Force (2006(?)–)
Congressional Medical Professionals Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Men's Health Caucus (2007-)
Congressional Mental Health Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Mentoring Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Mine Warfare Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Mining Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Morocco Caucus (July 2003) (formed as Morocco FTA Congressional Caucus)
Congressional Nursing Caucus (2003–present - founded by Louis Capps
Congressional Organic Caucus (2003–present)
Congressional Pakistan Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Port Security Caucus (2003–present) - founded by Chris Bell
Congressional Progressive Caucus (1990-)
Congressional Pro-Trade Caucus (2009-)
Congressional Real Estate Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Rural Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Rural Housing Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Scouting Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Savings and Ownership Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Second Amendment Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Serbian Caucus (2003–)
Congressional Shipbuilding Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Ski and Snowboard Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Singapore Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Spina Bifida Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Steel Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Stop DUI Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Submarine Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Taiwan Caucus (2002–)
Congressional Taskforce on International HIV/AIDS (2006(?)–)
Congressional Tourism and Travel Caucus (CTTC) (2006(?)–)
Congressional TRIO Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Ukrainian Caucus (1997–)
Congressional United Kingdom Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Victim's Rights Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Waterways Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Western Caucus (1992–)
Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus (2006-)
Congressional Working Group on Parkinson's Disease (2006(?)–)
Congressional Zoo and Aquarium Caucus (2006(?)–)
Consumer Justice Caucus (2008-) - founded by Keith Ellison
DDelaware River Basin Task Force (1999–present)
Diversity and Innovation Caucus (2007–present)
Democratic Israel Working Group
Duma-Congress Study Group (1997–present), originally established as interparliamentary Russian-U.S. group on energy
EE-Waste Working Group (2005–present), formed by Louise Slaughter, Mike Thompson, Randy "Duke" Cunningham, and Mary Bono
House Economic Competitiveness Caucus (2005–present)
Senate Economic Competitiveness Caucus (2006–present)
Electronic Warfare Working Group (1999–)
Financial and Economic Literacy Caucus (2005–present)
Flat Tax Caucus
Friends of Norway Caucus (1999–present)
House Friends of Scotland Caucus (2006–present)
Senate Friends of Scotland Caucus (2009–present)
Friends of Switzerland Caucus (2003–present)
Future of American Media Caucus (2005–present)
Global AIDS Emergency Task Force (May 2003–present)
House Great Lakes Task Force, Senate Great Lakes Task Force (mid-1980s)
Historic Preservation Caucus (2003–present)
House Aerospace Caucus
House Afterschool Caucus (2005–present)
House Agriculture Energy Users Caucus
House Army Caucus
House Baltic Caucus (1999–present)
House Beef Caucus
House Biofuels Caucus
House Democratic Caucus (1948–present)
House Military Depot and Industrial Facilities Caucus
House Oceans Caucus (1999–present)
House Reading Caucus
House Recycling Caucus (March 1998–present), founded by Anne Meagher Northup
House Republican Israel Caucus
House Rural Health Care Coalition
House Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education Caucus
House Trade Working Group
House Trails Caucus
Hudson River Caucus (2004–present)
Hungarian American Caucus (June 4, 2003–present)
India Caucus (2004–)
Indonesia Caucus (2004–)
International Conservation Caucus (2006(?)–)
International Workers Rights Caucus (2006(?)–)
Interstate 69 Caucus (2006(?)–)
Intelligent Transportation Caucus (2002-)
Kenya Caucus (2006(?)–)
Kurdish American Caucus 2007-
Law Enforcement Caucus (1994–)
LGBT Equality Caucus (2008–)
Liberty Caucus (2000(?)–)
Minor League Baseball Caucus
Multiple Sclerosis Caucus (2007-)
National Guard and Reserve Components Caucus (2006(?)–)
National Landscape Conservation System Caucus (2006(?)–)
National Service Congressional Caucus (2006(?)–)
Navy-Marine Corps Caucus (2006(?)–)
New Democrat Coalition (1997–)
North America’s Supercorridor Caucus (2006(?)–)
Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition (2006(?)–)
Northern Border Caucus (2006(?)–)
Nuclear Issues Caucus (2006(?)–)
Out of Iraq Caucus (2006-)
Passenger Rail Caucus (2006(?)–)
Patriot Act Reform Caucus (2006(?)–)
Pell Grant Caucus, The (2006(?)–)
Physics Caucus, The (2006(?)–)
Public Broadcasting Caucus (2006(?)–)
Public Service Caucus (2007-)
Qatari-American Economic Strategic Defense, Cultural, and Educational Partnership Caucus (2006(?)–)
Recording Arts and Sciences Congressional Caucus (RASCC) (2004–)
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus (1996–)
Republican Study Committee (1973–)
Research and Development Caucus (2006(?)–)
River of Trade Corridor Congressional Caucus (2006(?)–)
Sex and Violence in the Media Caucus (2003–)
Saudi Arabia Study Group, The (2006(?)–)
Senate Afterschool Caucus (2005-)
Senate Taiwan Caucus (2003-)
Sexual Assault Violence Elimination (SAVE) Taskforce (2006(?)–)
Shellfish Caucus (2005–)
Silk Road Caucus (2001)–)
Special Operations Forces Caucus (2006(?)–)
State Maritime Academy Caucus (2006(?)–)
Stop DUI Caucus (2004-)
Sudan Caucus (2006(?)–)
Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare (2006(?)–)
Tea Party Caucus (2010–)
TEX-21 Congressional Caucus (2006(?)–)
Unexploded Ordnance Caucus (2005–)
Upper Mississippi River Basin Task Force (1997–)
U.S.-Afghan Caucus (2006(?)–)
U.S.-China Working Group (2006(?)–)
U.S.-Mongolia Friendship Caucus (2006(?)–)
U.S.-New Zealand Congressional Caucus (2006(?)–)
Victim's Rights Caucus (2007-)
Victory in Iraq Caucus (2006(?)–)
Wounded to Work Congressional Caucus (2011 - Present)
Youth Challenge Caucus (2006(?)–)
Zero Capital Gains Tax Caucus (2006(?)–)