I want a 'Keep Corporate Funds Out of Politics' Caucus.

Living in Minnesota, one of the current news stories is about Michele Bachmann's new Tea Party Caucus. That got me wondering just how many individual caucuses there are in the house.

After looking at the list below, I noticed that some of these caucuses could probably be merged together to form a larger, much stronger caucus.

I'm also wondering if caucuses are really relevant or is it just a shingle for our representatives to hang their name on?

(more commentary below this list)

African Great Lakes Caucus

Afterschool Caucus

Algae Energy Caucus

American Engagement Caucus

Americans Abroad Caucus

Anti-Value Added Tax Caucus (Anti-VAT Caucus)

Bicameral Congressional Caucus on Parkinson's Disease

Biomedical Research Caucus

Bi‐Partisan Coalition for Combating Anti‐Semitism

Bi‐Partisan Congressional Pro-Life Caucus

Bi‐Partisan Privacy Caucus

Bipartisan Congressional Refugee Caucus

Bipartisan, Bicameral Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease

Bipartisan Disabilities Caucus (BDC)

Blue Dog Coalition

Building a Better America Caucus (BABAC)

California Democratic Congressional Delegation

Caucus for Congressional World Bank Dialogue

Caucus on International Religious Freedom

Children's Environmental Health Caucus

Coalition on Autism Research and Education (CARE)

Community College Caucus

Congressional 21st Century Health Care Caucus

Congressional Academic Medicine Caucus

Congressional African Partnership for Economic Growth CaucusDate

Congressional Algerian Caucus

Congressional Animal Protection Caucus

Congressional Anti-Terrorism Caucus

Congressional Apparel Manufacturing and Fashion Business Caucus

Congressional Arts Caucus

Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC)

Congressional Automotive Caucus

Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus

Congressional Baby Caucus

Congressional Bike Caucus

Congressional Black Caucus

Congressional Boating Caucus

Congressional Border Caucus

Congressional Bourbon Caucus

Congressional Brain Injury Task Force

Congressional Buy American Caucus

Congressional Caribbean Caucus

Congressional Caucus for Freedom of the Press

Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues

Congressional Caucus of the Netherlands

Congressional Caucus on Addiction, Recovery and Treatment

Congressional Caucus on Albanian Issues

Congressional Caucus on Bosnia

Congressional Caucus on Brazil

Congressional Caucus on Bulgaria

Congressional Caucus on California High-Speed Rail

Congressional Caucus on Central and Eastern Europe

Congressional Caucus on Central Asia (CCCA)

Congressional Caucus on Coal

Congressional Caucus on Colombia

Congressional Caucus on Cote d' Ivoire

Congressional Caucus on Distracted Driving Awareness

Congressional Caucus on Drug Policy

Congressional Caucus on Global Road Safety

Congressional Caucus on Green Jobs

Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues

Congressional Caucus on Homelessness

Congressional Caucus on Human Trafficking

Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans

Congressional Caucus on Indonesia

Congressional Caucus on Infant Health and Safety

Congressional Caucus on Intellectual Property Promotion and Piracy Prevention

Congressional Caucus on Korea

Congressional Caucus on Literacy

Congressional Caucus on Long Range Strike

Congressional Caucus on Missing, Exploited and Runaway Children

Congressional Caucus on Poland

Congressional Caucus on Prescription Drug Abuse

Congressional Caucus on Qatari-American Economic Strategic Defense, Cultural and Educational Partnership

Congressional Caucus on Refugees

Congressional Caucus on Strategic Communications and Public Diplomacy

Congressional Caucus on the European Union

Congressional Caucus on the Judicial Branch

Congressional Caucus on the Mississippi River

Congressional Caucus on Tibet

Congressional Caucus on Taiwan

Congressional Caucus on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)

Congressional Caucus on US-Turkey Relations and Turkish Americans

Congressional Caucus on Vietnam

Congressional Caucus on Youth Drug Prevention

Congressional Caucus on Youth Sports

Congressional Caucus to Fight and Control Methamphetamine

Congressional Caucus to Pass HJ RES 1

Congressional Children's Caucus

Congressional Children's Health Care Caucus

Congressional China Caucus

Congressional Coast Guard Caucus

Congressional Community Pharmacy Coalition

Congressional Composites Caucus

Congressional Contaminated Drywall Caucus (CCDC)

Congressional Correctional Officers Caucus

Congressional Courthouse Caucus

Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus

Congressional Cystic Fibrosis Caucus

Congressional Dairy Farmers Caucus

Congressional Diabetes Caucus

Congressional Dietary Supplement Caucus

Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus

Congressional Entertainment Industries Caucus

Congressional Ethiopian American Caucus

Congressional Everglades Caucus

Congressional Farmer Cooperative Caucus

Congressional Financial Markets Caucus

Congressional Fire Services Caucus

Congressional Fitness Caucus

Congressional Former Mayors Caucus

Congressional French Caucus

Congressional Friends of Canada Caucus

Congressional Friends of Denmark

Congressional Friends of Jordan Caucus

Congressional Friends of Liechtenstein Caucus

Congressional Friends of Panama Caucus

Congressional Friends of Spain Caucus

Congressional Friends of Thailand Caucus

Congressional Gaming Caucus

Congressional Gateway Communities Caucus

Congressional General Aviation Caucus

Congressional Georgia Caucus

Congressional Glaucoma Caucus

Congressional Global Health Caucus

Congressional Hazards Caucus (CHC)

Congressional Health Care Reform Caucus

Congressional Healthy Forest Caucus

Congressional Heart and Stroke Coalition

Congressional High Technology Caucus

Congressional High-Performance Buildings Caucus

Congressional Hispanic Caucus

Congressional Hispanic Conference

Congressional Hockey Caucus

Congressional Horse Caucus

Congressional House Aerospace Caucus

Congressional HUBZone Caucus

Congressional Humanities Caucus

Congressional Humvee Caucus

Congressional Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Caucus

Congressional Hydropower Caucus

Congressional I‐73/74 Corridor Caucus

Congressional Integrative Medicine Caucus

Congressional International Anti-Piracy Caucus

Congressional Internet Caucus

Congressional Invisible Wounds Caucus

Congressional Israel Allies Caucus

Congressional JOBS NOW! Caucus

Congressional Labor and Working Families Caucus

Congressional Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Equality Caucus

Congressional Levee Caucus

Congressional Library of Congress Caucus

Congressional Long Island Sound Caucus

Congressional Media Fairness Caucus

Congressional Medical Technology Caucus

Congressional Men's Health Caucus

Congressional Mental Health Caucus

Congressional Military Families Caucus

Congressional Military Industrial Facilities Caucus

Congressional Modeling and Simulation Caucus

Congressional Motorcycle Caucus

Congressional Multiple Sclerosis Caucus

Congressional Musicians Caucus

Congressional Nanotechnology Caucus

Congressional Native American Caucus

Congressional Natural Gas Caucus

Congressional Navy and Marine Corps Caucus

Congressional Neuroscience Caucus

Congressional Nuclear Security Caucus

Congressional Olympic and Paralympic Caucus

Congressional Oral Health Caucus

Congressional Osteoporosis Caucus

Congressional Pakistan Caucus

Congressional Pilot's Caucus

Congressional Pollinator Protection Caucus

Congressional Port Security Caucus

Congressional Postal Caucus

Congressional Prayer Caucus

Congressional Prevention Caucus

Congressional Pro-Sports Caucus

Congressional Pro-Trade Caucus

Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC)

Congressional Public Service Caucus

Congressional Real Estate Caucus

Congressional Research and Development Caucus

Congressional Romania Caucus

Congressional Rural Caucus

Congressional Rural Housing Caucus

Congressional Savings and Ownership Caucus

Congressional School Health and Safety Caucus

Congressional Scouting Caucus (CSC)

Congressional Serbian Caucus

Congressional Services Caucus

Congressional Shellfish Caucus

Congressional Shipbuilding Caucus

Congressional Singapore Caucus

Congressional Slovak Caucus

Congressional Soccer Caucus

Congressional Soils Caucus

Congressional Songwriters Caucus

Congressional Sovereignty Caucus

Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus

Congressional Steel Caucus

Congressional Stop DUI Caucus

Congressional Study Group on Public Health

Congressional Submarine Caucus (Sub Caucus)

Congressional Timber Caucus

Congressional Trails Caucus

Congressional Transparency Caucus

Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus

Congressional TRIO Caucus

Congressional Tunisia Caucus

Congressional Ukrainian Caucus

Congressional United Kingdom Caucus

Congressional Urban Caucus

Congressional Victims' Rights Caucus

Congressional Vision Caucus

Congressional Western Caucus

Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus

Congressional Wireless Caucus

Congressional Zoo and Aquarium Caucus

Constitutional Caucus

Democratic Israel Working Group

Diversity and Innovation Caucus

E‐911 Caucus

Electronic Warfare Working Group (EWWG)

Financial and Economic Literacy Caucus

Fragile X Caucus

Friends of Job Corps Congressional Caucus

Friends of Kazakhstan Caucus

Friends of New Zealand Caucus

Friends of Paraguay Caucus

Friends of Scotland Caucus

Friends of Switzerland Caucus

Future of American Media (FAM) Caucus

Global Internet Freedom Caucus

Goods Movement Caucus

GOP Doctors Caucus

Green Schools Caucus

Hearing Health Caucus

Historic Preservation Caucus

Home Health Caucus

House Air Force Caucus

House Army Caucus

House Baltic Caucus

House Bangladesh Caucus

House Cancer Caucus

House Caucus for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)

House Hunger Caucus

House Impact Aid Coalition

House International Conservation Caucus

House Long-Term Care Coalition (LTCC)

House Manufacturing Caucus

House Naval Mine Warfare Caucus

House Mentoring Caucus

House Missile Defense Caucus

House National Service Caucus

House Nursing Caucus

House Oceans Caucus

House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus

House Rural Education Caucus

House Rural Health Care Coalition (RHCC)

House Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education Caucus

House Small Brewers Caucus

House Special Operations Forces Caucus

House Trade Working Groups

Hungarian American Caucus

Immigration Reform Caucus

Intelligent Transportation Systems Caucus

International Workers Rights Caucus

Interstate 49 Caucus

Interstate 69 Congressional Caucus

Iran Human Rights and Democracy Caucus

Iran Working Group

Iraqi Women's Caucus

Land Conservation CaucusDate Approved: 2/5/2009

Law Enforcement Caucus

Lyme Disease Caucus

Midwest High Speed Rail Congressional Caucus

Military Veterans Caucus

National Guard and Reserve Components Caucus

National Landscape Conservation System Caucus

National Parks Caucus

New Democrat Coalition

Northeast Midwest (NEMW) Congressional Coalition

Northwest Energy Caucus

Nuclear Issues Working Group

Ohio River Basin Congressional Caucus

Oil and National Security (ONS) Caucus

Organization of American States (OAS) Caucus

Out of Afghanistan Caucus

Passenger Rail Caucus

Pediatric Cancer Caucus

Populist Caucus

Pro-Life Women's Caucus

Property Rights Action Caucus (PRAC)

Public Broadcasting Caucus

Quality Care Coalition

Rare and Neglected Disease Caucus

Reclaim American Jobs Caucus

Recording Arts and Sciences Congressional Caucus (RASCC)

Religious Minorities in the Middle East Caucus

Republican Study Committee (RSC)

Rural Veterans Caucus

Russia Caucus

Second Amendment Task Force

Smart Contracting Caucus

SOS Group

Spina Bifida Caucus

Sudan Caucus

Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition

Task Force on Terrorism & Proliferation Financing

Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare

Textile Caucus

The Generic Drug Equity Caucus

U.S.-Afghan Caucus

U.S.-China Working Group

U.S. Mongolia Friendship Caucus

U.S.-Phillipines Friendship Caucus

Unexploded Ordinance (UXO) Caucus

Upper Mississippi River Basin Congressional Task Force

US-Mexico Friendship Caucus

USO Congressional Caucus

Victory in Iraq Congressional Caucus

Water Caucus

World Economic Forum Caucus


A couple of immediate thoughts and impressions:

Funny how there is a "prayer caucus" when you most government offices won't allow any expression of faith at all...

The name of this caucus cracked me up: Congressional Submarine Caucus (Sub Caucus)

Congressional Transparency Caucus- some serious productivity issues withing this caucus if you ask me.....

Do GOP Doctors really need their own caucus?

A "House Mentoring Caucus"? Perhaps they need to mentor each other?

"Is the 'Republican Study Committee' made up of Democrats?," she wondered with a smirk on her face....

I see there is a "Second Amendment Task Force" and find myself wondering if they slept through the same history classes I did.

Hmmmm... the "SOS Group" as in "SOS! The country seems to be moving backwards through history!?"

I have no idea what the "Unexploded Ordinance (UXO) Caucus" does, but it might be something we all ought to know more about....

The "Fragile X Caucus" and any caucus with an acronym as part of its name, reminds me that Google is my friend.

If you would like to know more about these caucuses, like who chairs them and contact points, that information is available here:

http://cha.house.gov/member_orgs111th.aspx