United States Senate Committee on Appropriations
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The U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations is a standing committee of the United States Senate. It has jurisdiction over all discretionary spending legislation in the Senate.
The Senate Appropriations Committee is the largest committee in the U.S. Senate, consisting of 28 members. Its role is defined by the U.S. Constitution, which requires "appropriations made by law" prior to the expenditure of any money from the Treasury, and is therefore one of the most powerful committees in the Senate.Template:Ref The committee was first organized on March 6, 1867, when power over appropriations was taken out of the hands of the Finance Committee.Template:Ref
The chairman of the Appropriations Committee has enormous power to bring home special projects (sometimes referred to as "pork barrel spending") for his or her state as well as having the final say on other Senator's appropriation requests.Template:Ref For example, in fiscal year 2005 per capita federal spending in Alaska, the home state of then-Chairman Ted Stevens, is $12,000, double the national average. Alaska has 11,772 special earmarked projects for a combined cost of $15,780,623,000. This represents about 4 % of the overall spending in the $388 billion Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2005 passed by Congress.Template:Ref
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Members, 109th Congress
The Committee is chaired by Republican Thad Cochran of Mississippi, and the Ranking Minority Member is Democrat Robert Byrd, of West Virginia.
Republicans
Democrats
Subcommittees
It has the following subcommitteesTemplate:Ref:
- U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, and Related Agencies
- Chairman: Robert F. Bennett, R-Utah
- Ranking Member: Herbert Kohl, D-Wisconsin
- U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science
- Chairman: Richard C. Shelby, R-Alabama
- Ranking Member: Barbara Mikulski, D-Maryland
- U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense
- Chairman: Theodore F. Stevens, R-Alaska
- Ranking Member: Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii
- U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on District of Columbia
- Chairman: Samuel D. Brownback, R-Kansas
- Ranking Member: Mary Landrieu, D-Louisiana
- U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water
- Chairman: Peter V. Domenici, R-New Mexico
- Ranking Member: Harry Reid, D-Nevada
- U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security
- Chairman: Judd Gregg, R-New Hampshire
- Ranking Member: Robert C. Byrd, D-West Virginia
- U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies
- Chairman: Conrad Burns, R-Montana
- Ranking Member: Byron L. Dorgan, D-North Dakota
- U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
- Chairman: Arlen Specter, R-Pennsylvania
- Ranking Member: Thomas A. Harkin, D-Iowa
- U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Legislative Branch
- Chairman: Wayne Allard, R-Colorado
- Ranking Member: Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois
- U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs
- Chairman: Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas
- Ranking Member: Dianne G. B. Feinstein, D-California
- U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
- Chairman: A. Mitchell McConnell Jr., R-Kentucky
- Ranking Member: Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vermont
- U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, the Judiciary, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
- Chairman: Christopher S. "Kit" Bond, R-Missouri
- Ranking Member: Patty Murray, D-Washington
Chairmen of the Appropriations Committee, 1867-present
References
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