United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs

Last updated

House Foreign Affairs Committee
Standing committee
Active
Seal of the United States House of Representatives.svg
United States House of Representatives
119th Congress
History
Formed1822
Leadership
Chair Brian Mast (R)
Since January 3, 2025
Ranking member Gregory Meeks (D)
Since January 3, 2023
Structure
Seats51
Political partiesMajority (27)
  •   Republican (27)
Minority (23)
Jurisdiction
Policy areas Foreign policy, aid, diplomacy
Oversight authority Department of State
Agency for International Development
Senate counterpart Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
Website
foreignaffairs.house.gov (Republican)
democrats-foreignaffairs.house.gov (Democratic)

    The United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs, also known as the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is a standing committee of the U.S. House of Representatives with jurisdiction over bills and investigations concerning the foreign affairs of the United States. [1] Since 2025, the chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee has been Brian Mast of Florida.

    Contents

    The committee has a broad mandate to oversee legislation regarding the impact of national security developments on foreign policy; war powers, treaties, executive agreements, and military deployments abroad; foreign assistance; arms control; international economic policy; and other matters. [1] Many of its responsibilities are delegated to one of six standing subcommittees, which have jurisdiction over issues related to their respective region in the world. The committee also oversees the U.S. Department of State, American embassies and diplomats, and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

    During two separate periods, 1975 to 1978 and 1995 to 2007, the Foreign Affairs Committee was renamed the Committee on International Relations; [2] its duties and jurisdiction remained unchanged.

    Its counterpart in the Senate is the Committee on Foreign Relations.

    Members, 119th Congress

    MajorityMinority

    Resolutions electing members: H.Res. 13 (Chair), H.Res. 14 (Ranking Member), H.Res. 42 (R), H.Res. 44 (D), H.Res. 162 (D), H.Res. 283 (McCormick), H.Res. 600 (Fine)

    Subcommittees

    Whereas until the 118th Congress, subcommittees tended to combine jurisdiction over particular regions of the globe with jurisdiction over broader policy areas (e.g. terrorism or energy policy), in the 118th Congress, the subcommittees were reconfigured to strictly focus on geographical areas, with the exception of global issues and international organizations which received their own subcommittee.

    SubcommitteeChair [3] Ranking Member [4]
    Africa Chris Smith (R-NJ) Sara Jacobs (D-CA)
    East Asia and the Pacific Young Kim (R-CA) Ami Bera (D-CA)
    Europe Keith Self (R-TX) Bill Keating (D-MA)
    Middle East and North Africa Mike Lawler (R-NY) Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL)
    South and Central Asia Bill Huizenga (R-MI) Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA)
    Western Hemisphere María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) Joaquin Castro (D-TX)
    Oversight and Intelligence Cory Mills (R-FL) Jared Moskowitz (D-FL)

    List of chairs

    Data from the committee's official website. [5]

    NamePartyStartEndState
    Jonathan Russell Democratic-Republican 18211823 Massachusetts
    John Forsyth Democratic-Republican18231827 Georgia
    Edward Everett National Republican 18271829 Massachusetts
    William Archer Democratic18291834 Virginia
    James Wayne Democratic18341835 Georgia
    John Mason Democratic1835 Virginia
    Benjamin Howard Democratic18351839 Maryland
    Francis Pickens Democratic18391841 South Carolina
    Caleb Cushing Democratic18411842 Massachusetts
    John Quincy Adams Whig 18421843 Massachusetts
    Charles Ingersoll Democratic18431847 Pennsylvania
    Truman Smith Whig18471849 Connecticut
    John McClernand Democratic18491851 Illinois
    Thomas Bayly Democratic18511855 Virginia
    Alexander Pennington Opposition 18551857 New Jersey
    Thomas Clingman Democratic18571858 North Carolina
    George Hopkins Democratic18581859 Virginia
    Thomas Corwin Republican18591861 Ohio
    John Crittenden Union Democratic 18611863 Kentucky
    Henry Davis Unconditional Union 18631865 Maryland
    Nathaniel Banks Republican18651872 Massachusetts
    Leonard Myers Republican18721873 Pennsylvania
    Godlove Orth Republican18731875 Indiana
    Thomas Swann Democratic18751879 Maryland
    Samuel Cox Democratic18791881 New York
    Charles Williams Republican18811883 Wisconsin
    Andrew Curtin Democratic18831885 Pennsylvania
    Perry Belmont Democratic18851888 New York
    James McCreary Democratic18881889 Kentucky
    Robert Hitt Republican18891891 Illinois
    James Blount Democratic18911893 Georgia
    James McCreary Democratic18931895 Kentucky
    Robert Hitt Republican18951906 Illinois
    Robert Cousins Republican19071909 Iowa
    James Perkins Republican19091910 New York
    David Foster Republican19101911 Vermont
    William Sulzer Democratic19111912 New York
    Charles Smith Democratic19121913 New York
    Henry Flood Democratic19131919 Virginia
    Stephen Porter Republican19191930 Pennsylvania
    Henry Temple Republican19301931 Pennsylvania
    John Linthicum Democratic19311932 Maryland
    Sam McReynolds Democratic19321939 Tennessee
    Sol Bloom Democratic19391947 New York
    Charles Eaton Republican19471949 New Jersey
    Sol Bloom Democratic1949 New York
    John Kee Democratic19491951 West Virginia
    James Richards Democratic19511953 South Carolina
    Robert Chiperfield Republican19531955 Illinois
    James Richards Democratic19551957 South Carolina
    Thomas Gordon Democratic19571959 Illinois
    Thomas Morgan Democratic19591977 Pennsylvania
    Clement Zablocki Democratic19771983 Wisconsin
    Dante Fascell Democratic19831993 Florida
    Lee Hamilton Democratic19931995 Indiana
    Benjamin Gilman Republican19952001 New York
    Henry Hyde Republican20012007 Illinois
    Tom Lantos Democratic20072008 California
    Howard Berman Democratic20082011 California
    Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Republican20112013 Florida
    Ed Royce Republican 20132019 California
    Eliot Engel Democratic20192021 New York
    Gregory Meeks Democratic 20212023 New York
    Michael McCaul Republican 20232025 Texas
    Brian Mast Republican 2025present Florida

    Ranking Members

    NamePartyStartEndState
    Frances Bolton Republican19631969 Ohio
    Ross Adair Republican19691971 Indiana
    William Mailliard Republican19711973 California
    John Erlenborn Republican19731975 Illinois
    William Broomfield Republican19751993 Michigan
    Benjamin Gilman Republican19931995 New York
    Lee Hamilton Democratic19951999 Indiana
    Sam Gejdenson Democratic19992001 Connecticut
    Tom Lantos Democratic20012007 California
    Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Republican20072011 Florida
    Howard Berman Democratic20112013 California
    Eliot Engel Democratic20132019 New York
    Michael McCaul Republican 20192023 Texas
    Gregory Meeks Democratic 2023present New York

    Previous rosters

    118th Congress

    MajorityMinority

    Resolutions electing members: H.Res. 14 (Chair), H.Res. 15 (Ranking Member), H.Res. 80 (R), H.Res. 87 (D), H.Res. 76 (removing Omar), H.Res. 102 (D), H.Res. 205 (D), H.Res. 871 (D)

    Subcommittees
    SubcommitteeChair [6] Ranking Member [7]
    Africa John James (R-MI) Sara Jacobs (D-CA)
    Europe Thomas Kean Jr. (R-NJ) Bill Keating (D-MA)
    The Indo-Pacific Young Kim (R-CA) Ami Bera (D-CA)
    The Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia Joe Wilson (R-SC) Dean Phillips (D-MN)
    Western Hemisphere Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) Joaquin Castro (D-TX)
    Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations Chris Smith (R-NJ) Susan Wild (D-PA)
    Oversight and Accountability Brian Mast (R-FL) Jason Crow (D-CO)

    117th Congress

    MajorityMinority

    Resolutions electing members: H.Res. 9 (Chair), H.Res. 10 (Ranking Member), H.Res. 62 (D), H.Res. 63 (R), H.Res. 146 (R), H.Res. 1471 (D)

    Subcommittees
    SubcommitteeChairRanking Member
    Africa, Global Health and Global Human Rights Karen Bass (D-CA) Chris Smith (R-NJ)
    Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia and Nonproliferation Ami Bera (D-CA) Steve Chabot (R-OH)
    Europe, Energy, the Environment and Cyber Bill Keating (D-MA) Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA)
    Middle East, North Africa and Global Counterterrorism Ted Deutch (D-FL) Joe Wilson (R-SC)
    International Development, International Organizations and Global Corporate Social Impact Joaquin Castro (D-TX) Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY)
    Western Hemisphere, Civilian Security, Migration and International Economic Policy Albio Sires (D-NJ) Mark Green (R-TN)

    116th Congress

    MajorityMinority

    Sources: H.Res. 24 (Chair), H.Res. 25 (Ranking Member), H.Res. 57 (D), H.Res. 68 (R), H.Res. 1072 (R)

    Subcommittees
    Subcommittee [8] Chair [9] [10] Ranking Member [11]
    Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations Karen Bass (D-CA) Chris Smith (R-NJ)
    Asia, the Pacific and Nonproliferation Ami Bera (D-CA) Ted Yoho (R-FL)
    Europe, Eurasia, Energy, and the Environment Bill Keating (D-MA) Adam Kinzinger (R-IL)
    Middle East, North Africa and International Terrorism Ted Deutch (D-FL) Joe Wilson (R-SC)
    Oversight and Investigations Joaquin Castro (D-TX) Lee Zeldin (R-NY)
    Western Hemisphere, Civilian Security, and Trade Albio Sires (D-NJ) Francis Rooney (R-FL)

    115th Congress

    MajorityMinority

    Sources: H.Res. 6 (Chair), H.Res. 7 (Ranking Member), H.Res. 45 (D), H.Res. 51 (R) and H.Res. 52 (D) [12]

    See also

    References

    1. 1 2 "About". House Foreign Affairs Committee. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
    2. ↑ "Committee Activity". House Foreign Affairs Committee.
    3. 1 2 "Chairman Mast Announces House Foreign Affairs Committee Vice Chairman and Subcommittee Chairmen". Foreign Affairs Committee. January 8, 2025.
    4. 1 2 "Ranking Member Gregory W. Meeks Announces HFAC Democratic Leadership for the 119th Congress". House Foreign Affairs Committee Democrats. January 15, 2025.
    5. ↑ "Past Chairs of the Committee". History of the Committee. U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Archived from the original on January 9, 2012. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
    6. ↑ "Chairman McCaul Announces Committee Leadership Team". Committee on Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
    7. ↑ "Ranking Member Gregory W. Meeks Announces HFAC Subcommittee Membership for the 118th Congress". democrats-foreignaffairs.house.gov. 2023-02-08. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
    8. ↑ "Subcommittees". House Foreign Affairs Committee. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
    9. ↑ "Engel Announces Foreign Affairs Subcommittee Democrats and Committee Vice Chair". House Foreign Affairs Committee. 2019-01-29. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
    10. ↑ "Engel Announces Changes to Foreign Affairs Subcommittee Leadership". House Foreign Affairs Committee. 2019-12-13. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
    11. ↑ "McCaul Announces Republican Subcommittee Leadership and Membership Rosters at 116th Committee Organizational Meeting". Committee on Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
    12. ↑ "Full Committee". Foreign Affairs Committee.
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