Why It Matters: The Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) is the sportsmen’s ally on Capitol Hill, protecting and advancing hunting, angling, recreational shooting and trapping. Made up of more than 200 members of the House and Senate, the CSC is the largest, most active bipartisan Caucus in Congress, renowned for its unparalleled effectiveness and dedication. The Changing of the Guard dinner recognized leaders of the CSC for their commitment to carrying on this legacy and the work they do for America’s sportsmen and women.
Highlights:
- On Wednesday, February 12th the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) hosted the Changing of the Guard dinner, welcoming the CSC leadership of the 119th Congress and recognizing the outgoing leadership of the 118th
- The bipartisan CSC leaders in the Senate and House will be tasked with protecting and advancing America’s rich sporting traditions while supporting legislation and regulations that positively contribute to wildlife conservation and enable future generations of sportsmen and women to continue our time-honored outdoor traditions.
Last week, CSF hosted its Changing of the Guard Dinner to introduce the new bipartisan leadership of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus. As announced earlier this year, during the 119th Congress, the leadership in the Senate will be Co-Chairs Sen. John Boozman (AR) and Sen. Angus King Jr. (ME) and Vice-Chairs Sen. Roger Marshall (KS) and Sen. Gary Peters (MI). In the House, Rep. Bruce Westerman (AR) and Rep. Jimmy Panetta (CA) will serve as Co-Chairs, while Rep. August Pfluger (TX) and Rep. Troy Carter (LA) will serve as Vice-Chairs.
This event, which takes place at the beginning of each new Congress, welcomes the new leadership of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus while honoring and thanking the outgoing leadership of the previous Congress for their commitment to America’s sportsmen and women.
At the Changing of the Guard dinner, leaders of the CSC in attendance addressed the crowd, highlighting past and present priorities and the bipartisan nature of the CSC, and sharing a few hunting stories- celebrating their shared passion for our outdoor pursuits.
“The thing I like about the outdoors and sportsmen and women is we have something that brings us together,” said CSC House Co-Chair Representative Bruce Westerman during the dinner. “You need something that brings us together and you need a place where you can find common ground.”
“This is a bipartisan passion by Members on both sides of the aisle in both Houses, but we can’t do it without you,” said Senate Co-Chair Senator Angus King Jr. to attendees. “The reason legislation gets passed is if people at home talk to their Senators and their Congressmen and say: ‘This is important’.”
CSC House Co-Chair Representative Jimmy Panetta also spoke about the CSC, saying that it “…demonstrates not just bipartisanship. It demonstrates our relationships and our friendships that can actually happen in Congress. And that, now more than ever, is needed in the United States Congress.”
Also recognized at the event for their commitment to sportsmen and women were the leaders of the CSC during the 118th Congress, where Sen. Joe Manchin (WV) and Sen. John Boozman (AR) served as Co-Chairs and Sen. Angus King (ME) and Sen. Roger Marshall (KS) served as Vice-Chairs. In the House, Rep. Jimmy Panetta (CA) and Rep. Bruce Westerman (AR) served as Co-Chairs, while Rep. Jared Golden (ME) and Rep. Garret Graves (LA) served as Vice-Chairs.
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation works closely with the CSC by providing advice, support and information on behalf of the sporting-conservation community, giving CSF a unique niche on Capitol Hill that is unparalleled by any other sportsmen’s organization.
During the event, CSF’s Director of Federal Relations Taylor Schmitz emphasized CSF and the CSC’s ability to get work done across the aisle, saying “Bipartisanship is key to everything we do – for conservation, for sportsmen and women, for access, for our natural resources – and it’s because of the leadership of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus that the resources that we care about today around the country are in the current state of affairs that they’re in.”
CSF looks forward to continuing this close work during the 119th Congress with the new leadership of the CSC, to protect and promote our country’s unique outdoor traditions. For more information about the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, click here.
