This is a complete list of U.S. congressional committees (standing committees and select or special committees) that are operating in the United States Senate. Senators can be a member of more than one committee.
As of 2017 [update] , there are 88 subsidiary bodies of the US Senate: 16 standing committees with 67 subcommittees, and five non-standing committees.
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There are five non-standing, select, or special committees, which are treated similarly to standing committees. [15]
| Committee | Chair | Ranking Member | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aging (Special) | Susan Collins (R-ME) | Bob Casey (D-PA) | [1] [2] |
| Ethics (Select) | James Lankford (R-OK) | Chris Coons (D-DE) | [1] [2] |
| Indian Affairs (Permanent Select) | John Hoeven (R-ND) | Tom Udall (D-NM) | [1] [2] |
| Intelligence (Select) | Marco Rubio (R-FL) Acting | Mark Warner (D-VA) | [1] [2] [16] |
| International Narcotics Control (Permanent Caucus) | John Cornyn (R-TX) | Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) | [17] |
Senate committees are divided, according to relative importance, into three categories: Class A, Class B, and Class C. In general, individual Senators are limited to service on two Class A committees and one Class B committee. Assignment to Class C committees is made without reference to a member's service on any other panels. [18]
Standing committees are permanent bodies with specific responsibilities spelled out in the Senate's rules. Twelve of the sixteen current standing committees are Class A panels: Agriculture; Appropriations; Armed Services; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Energy and Natural Resources; Environment and Public Works; Finance; Foreign Relations; Governmental Affairs; Judiciary; and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. [ citation needed ]
There are four Class B standing committees: Budget, Rules and Administration, Small Business, and Veterans' Affairs. There are currently no Class C standing committees.[ citation needed ]
Other (i.e., Indian Affairs), select and special committees are ranked as Class B or Class C committees. They are created for clearly specified purposes. There are currently two Class B committees: the Select Committee on Intelligence and the Special Committee on Aging, and two Class C committees: the Select Committee on Indian Affairs and the Select Committee on Ethics. [ citation needed ]
Joint Committees are used for purposes of legislative and administrative coordination. At present there are four: the Joint Economic Committee (Class B), the Joint Committee on the Library (Class C), the Joint Committee on Printing (Class C), and the Joint Committee on Taxation (Class C).[ citation needed ]
Standing committees in the Senate have their jurisdiction set by three primary sources: Senate Rules, ad hoc Senate Resolutions, and Senate Resolutions related to committee funding. To see an overview of the jurisdictions of standing committees in the Senate, see Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XXV.
The United States House Committee on Appropriations is a committee of the United States House of Representatives that is responsible for passing appropriation bills along with its Senate counterpart. The bills passed by the Appropriations Committee regulate expenditures of money by the government of the United States. As such, it is one of the most powerful of the committees, and its members are seen as influential. They make the key decisions about the work of their committees—when their committees meet, which bills they will consider, and for how long.
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A congressional committee is a legislative sub-organization in the United States Congress that handles a specific duty. Committee membership enables members to develop specialized knowledge of the matters under their jurisdiction. As "little legislatures", the committees monitor ongoing governmental operations, identify issues suitable for legislative review, gather and evaluate information, and recommend courses of action to their parent body. Woodrow Wilson once wrote, "it is not far from the truth to say that Congress in session is Congress on public exhibition, whilst Congress in its committee rooms is Congress at work." It is not expected that a member of Congress be an expert on all matters and subject areas that come before Congress. Congressional committees provide valuable informational services to Congress by investigating and reporting about specialized subjects.
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