Anthony Man | South Florida Sun Sentinel
U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz wears sneakers just about everywhere: to his swearing in as a member of Congress, to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address — even at his wedding party.
How committed is he to sneakers? “Besides maybe the White House, no place where I would not wear my sneakers come to mind,” Moskowitz said via text.
Now the Broward-Palm Beach county Democrat is forming a congressional caucus devoted to, yes, sneakers.
It’s not as grave a subject as gun violence, antisemitism, LGBTQ rights, or climate change, all of which are among the subject matters of congressional caucuses. But Moskowitz has just as serious purpose in mind: bringing together people who have a shared love of the footwear in an attempt to promote social connections in the often bitterly divided Congress.
If Democratic and Republican members of Congress can develop connections via the Bipartisan Congressional Sneaker Caucus and get to know each other, his reasoning goes, they might ultimately be able to begin bridging the gap on major issues facing the country.
“Since I’ve been in Washington, I’ve noticed that there’s very little social interaction between Democrats and Republicans,” he said.
But, he said, sneakers have often been a starting point for conversations with his new colleagues.
“The Sneaker Caucus will organize events around style, culture, and philanthropy and use that to have members of Congress who wouldn’t normally interact get to know one another,” he said. “I want to get Democrats and Republicans in a room together. Unfortunately in Washington there are very few opportunities where that happens.”
He is being joined by U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, an Oregon Republican, in launching the Sneaker Caucus on Thursday. ”From expressing style to demonstrating athleticism and innovation, sneakers are a fun part of our culture. It will be a light-hearted way to build relationships…
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