what are congressional committee assignments

The House’s committees consider bills and issues and oversee agencies, programs, and activities within their jurisdictions.

• Agriculture
• Appropriations
• Armed Services
• Education and the Workforce
• Energy and Commerce
• Financial Services
• Foreign Affairs
• Homeland Security
• House Administration
• Natural Resources
• Oversight and Accountability
• Science, Space, and Technology
• Small Business
• Transportation and Infrastructure
• Veterans’ Affairs
• Ways and Means
• Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
• Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party
• Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump
• Joint Economic Committee
• Joint Committee on the Library
• Joint Committee on Printing
• Joint Committee on Taxation

View Committees No Longer Standing from the 117th Congress

Congressional Committees

Committees decide which bills and resolutions move forward to consideration by the House or Senate as a whole. Committee chairs have enormous influence over this process.

#protip: To track upcoming committee meetings, check out Congress.gov’s committee meetings calendar .

Committee meetings each weekday over the last year. Darker is more meetings.

Senate Committees

Agriculture, nutrition, and forestry, appropriations, armed services, banking, housing, and urban affairs, commerce, science, and transportation, energy and natural resources, environment and public works, foreign relations, health, education, labor, and pensions, homeland security and governmental affairs, indian affairs, intelligence, rules and administration, small business and entrepreneurship, united states senate caucus on international narcotics control, veterans' affairs, house committees, agriculture, education and the workforce, energy and commerce, financial services, foreign affairs, homeland security, house administration, house select subcommittee on the coronavirus pandemic, house select subcommittee on the weaponization of the federal government, natural resources, oversight and accountability, science, space, and technology, small business, strategic competition between the united states and the chinese communist party, transportation and infrastructure, ways and means, joint committees.

The joint committees are made up of both senators and representatives. They typically have an oversight or policy role but no legislative duties.

Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe

Joint Committee on Printing

Joint Committee on Taxation

Joint Committee on the Library

Joint Economic Committee

While the Joint Committees on Printing and the Library have nominal responsibility for oversight of the Government Publishing Office and the Library of Congress, respectively, the committees are essentially defunct and oversight takes place within the majority party leadership of each chamber.

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The Congressional Committee System

Who's Doing What?

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The congressional committees are subdivisions of the U.S. Congress that concentrate on specific areas of U.S. domestic and foreign policy and general government oversight. Often called the “little legislatures,” congressional committees review pending legislation and recommend action on that legislation by the whole House or Senate. The congressional committees provide Congress with critical information related to specialized, rather than general subjects. President Woodrow Wilson once wrote of the committees, “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.”

Brief History of the Committee System

Today’s congressional committee system had its beginnings in the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, the first and still the most ambitious restructuring of the original system of standing committees as used in the First Continental Congress in 1774. Under the 1946 Act, the number of permanent House committees was reduced from 48 to 19 and the number of Senate committees from 33 to 15. In addition, the Act formalized the jurisdictions of each committee, thus helping to consolidate or eliminate several committees and minimize conflicts between similar House and Senate committees.

In 1993, a temporary Joint Committee on the Organization of Congress determined that the 1946 Act had failed to limit the number of subcommittees any single committee could create. Today, the rules of the House limit each full committee to five subcommittees, except for the Appropriations Committee (12 subcommittees), Armed Services (7 subcommittees), Foreign Affairs (7 subcommittees), and Transportation and Infrastructure (6 subcommittees). However, committees in the Senate are still allowed to create an unlimited number of subcommittees. 

Where the Action Happens

The congressional committee system is where the "action" really takes place in the U.S. law-making process .

Each chamber of Congress has committees set up to perform specific functions, enabling the legislative bodies to accomplish their often complex work more quickly with smaller groups.

There are approximately 250 congressional committees and subcommittees, each charged with different functions and all made up of members of Congress. Each chamber has its own committees, although there are joint committees comprising members of both chambers. Each committee, going by chamber guidelines, adopts its own set of rules, giving each panel its own special character.

The Standing Committees 

In the Senate, there are standing committees for:

• agriculture, nutrition, and forestry;
• appropriations, which holds the federal purse strings and is, therefore, one of the most powerful Senate committees;
• armed services;
• banking, housing, and urban affairs;
• commerce, science, and transportation;
• energy and natural resources;
• environment and public works;
• finance; foreign relations;
• health, education, labor, and pensions;
• homeland security and governmental affairs;
• rules and administration;
• small business and entrepreneurship; and
• veterans affairs.

These standing committees are permanent legislative panels, and their various subcommittees handle the nuts-and-bolts work of the full committee. The Senate also has four select committees charged with more specific tasks: Indian affairs, ethics, intelligence, and aging. These handle housekeeping-type functions, such as keeping Congress honest or ensuring the fair treatment of Indigenous peoples. Committees are chaired by a member of the majority party, often a senior member of Congress. Parties assign their members to specific committees. In the Senate, there is a limit to the number of committees on which one member may serve. While each committee may hire its own staff and appropriate resources as it sees fit, the majority party often controls those decisions.

The House of Representatives has several of the same committees as the Senate:

• agriculture,
• appropriations,
• armed services,
• education and labor,
• foreign affairs ,
• homeland security ,
• energy and commerce,
• natural resources,
• science and technology,
• small business,
• and veterans affairs.

Committees unique to the House include House administration, oversight and government reform, rules, standards of official conduct, transportation and infrastructure, and ways and means. This last committee is considered the most influential and sought-after House committee, so powerful that members of this panel cannot serve on any other committees without a special waiver. The panel has jurisdiction over taxation, among other things. There are four joint House/Senate committees. Their areas of interest are printing, taxation, the Library of Congress, and the U.S. economy.

Committees in the Legislative Process

Most congressional committees deal with passing laws. During each two-year session of Congress, literally thousands of bills are proposed, but only a small percentage is considered for passage. A bill that is favored often goes through four steps in committee. First, executive agencies give written comments on the measure; second, the committee holds hearings in which witnesses testify and answer questions; third, the committee tweaks the measure, sometimes with input from non-committee members of Congress; finally, when the language is agreed upon the measure is sent to the full chamber for debate. Conference committees , usually composed of standing committee members from the House and Senate who originally considered the legislation, also help reconcile one chamber's version of a bill with the other's.

Not all committees are legislative. Others confirm government appointees such as federal judges; investigate government officials or pressing national issues; or ensure that specific government functions are carried out, like printing government documents or administering the Library of Congress .

Updated by Robert Longley

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• How Do Congressional Conference Committees Work?
• Allowances Available to Members of US Congress
• About the Legislative Branch of U.S. Government
• Why the Congressional Reform Act Will Never Pass
• History of Ethics Violations and Expulsion in the U.S. Congress
• The U.S. Federal Budget Process
• The U.S. House of Representatives
• High Crimes and Misdemeanors Explained
• How Bills Become Laws According to the U.S. Legislative Process
• Apportionment and the US Census
• Who Appoints and Approves Supreme Court Justices?
• Salaries and Benefits of US Congress Members
• The Powers of Congress
• Filling Vacancies in the US Senate
• How to Run for Congress

117th Congress: House & Senate Committee Rosters

The US Congress – comprised of two chambers: the House of Representative and the Senate – considers, shapes and passes legislations into laws to govern the nation. The committees within each chamber serve an important role to help organize the work of the US Congress. Our publication lists final committee assignments for the 117th US Congress. The following House of Representatives and Senate committees are included:

House of Representatives:

• Agriculture
• Appropriations
• Armed Services
• Education & Labor
• Energy & Commerce
• Financial Services
• Foreign Affairs
• Homeland Security
• House Administration
• Natural Resources
• Oversight & Reform
• Science, Space, and Technology
• Small Business
• Transportation and Infrastructure
• Veterans’ Affairs
• Ways and Means
• Select Committee on Modernization of Congress
• Select Committee on Climate Crisis
• Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
• Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
• Commerce, Science, and Transportation
• Energy and Natural Resources
• Environment and Public Works
• Foreign Relations
• Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
• Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
• Indian Affairs
• Intelligence
• Select Committee on Ethics
• Special Committee on Aging

• Find Your Representative
• 118th Congress, 2nd Session
• Committee Profile

Overview & Contact

Subcommittees.

• Phone Directory
• Committee Reports
• Committee Hearing Schedule
• Committee FAQs
• Committee Profiles

Committee on Appropriations

• Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee
• Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee
• Defense Subcommittee
• Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee
• Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee
• Homeland Security Subcommittee
• Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee
• Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee
• Legislative Branch Subcommittee
• Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee
• State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee
• Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee

Ratio 34 / 27

• 1. Tom Cole , OK Chair COLE,TOM OK
• 2. Harold Rogers , KY ROGERS,HAROLD KY
• 3. Kay Granger , TX GRANGER,KAY TX
• 4. Robert B. Aderholt , AL ADERHOLT,ROBERT AL
• 5. Michael K. Simpson , ID SIMPSON,MICHAEL ID
• 6. John R. Carter , TX CARTER,JOHN TX
• 7. Ken Calvert , CA CALVERT,KEN CA
• 8. Mario Diaz-Balart , FL DIAZBALART,MARIO FL
• 9. Steve Womack , AR WOMACK,STEVE AR
• 10. Charles J. "Chuck" Fleischmann , TN FLEISCHMANN,CHARLES TN
• 11. David P. Joyce , OH JOYCE,DAVID OH
• 12. Andy Harris , MD HARRIS,ANDY MD
• 13. Mark E. Amodei , NV AMODEI,MARK NV
• 14. David G. Valadao , CA VALADAO,DAVID CA
• 15. Dan Newhouse , WA NEWHOUSE,DAN WA
• 16. John R. Moolenaar , MI MOOLENAAR,JOHN MI
• 17. John H. Rutherford , FL RUTHERFORD,JOHN FL
• 18. Ben Cline , VA CLINE,BEN VA
• 19. Guy Reschenthaler , PA RESCHENTHALER,GUY PA
• 20. Mike Garcia , CA GARCIA,MIKE CA
• 21. Ashley Hinson , IA HINSON,ASHLEY IA
• 22. Tony Gonzales , TX GONZALES,TONY TX
• 23. Julia Letlow , LA LETLOW,JULIA LA
• 24. Michael Cloud , TX CLOUD,MICHAEL TX
• 25. Michael Guest , MS GUEST,MICHAEL MS
• 26. Ryan K. Zinke , MT ZINKE,RYAN MT
• 27. Andrew S. Clyde , GA CLYDE,ANDREW GA
• 28. Jake LaTurner , KS LATURNER,JAKE KS
• 29. Jerry L. Carl , AL CARL,JERRY AL
• 30. Stephanie I. Bice , OK BICE,STEPHANIE OK
• 31. Scott Franklin , FL FRANKLIN,SCOTT FL
• 32. Jake Ellzey , TX ELLZEY,JAKE TX
• 33. Juan Ciscomani , AZ CISCOMANI,JUAN AZ
• 34. Chuck Edwards , NC EDWARDS,CHUCK NC
• 1. Rosa L. DeLauro , CT DELAURO,ROSA CT
• 2. Steny H. Hoyer , MD HOYER,STENY MD
• 3. Marcy Kaptur , OH KAPTUR,MARCY OH
• 4. Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. , GA BISHOP,SANFORD GA
• 5. Barbara Lee , CA LEE,BARBARA CA
• 6. Betty McCollum , MN MCCOLLUM,BETTY MN
• 7. C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger , MD RUPPERSBERGER,C. MD
• 8. Debbie Wasserman Schultz , FL WASSERMANSCHULTZ,DEBBIE FL
• 9. Henry Cuellar , TX CUELLAR,HENRY TX
• 10. Chellie Pingree , ME PINGREE,CHELLIE ME
• 11. Mike Quigley , IL QUIGLEY,MIKE IL
• 12. Derek Kilmer , WA KILMER,DEREK WA
• 13. Matt Cartwright , PA CARTWRIGHT,MATT PA
• 14. Grace Meng , NY MENG,GRACE NY
• 15. Mark Pocan , WI POCAN,MARK WI
• 16. Pete Aguilar , CA AGUILAR,PETE CA
• 17. Lois Frankel , FL FRANKEL,LOIS FL
• 18. Bonnie Watson Coleman , NJ WATSONCOLEMAN,BONNIE NJ
• 19. Norma J. Torres , CA TORRES,NORMA CA
• 20. Ed Case , HI CASE,ED HI
• 21. Adriano Espaillat , NY ESPAILLAT,ADRIANO NY
• 22. Josh Harder , CA HARDER,JOSH CA
• 23. Jennifer Wexton , VA WEXTON,JENNIFER VA
• 24. David J. Trone , MD TRONE,DAVID MD
• 25. Lauren Underwood , IL UNDERWOOD,LAUREN IL
• 26. Susie Lee , NV LEE,SUSIE NV
• 27. Joseph D. Morelle , NY MORELLE,JOSEPH NY

LEADER JEFFRIES ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS

WASHINGTON, DC – Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced today that the Steering and Policy Committee has recommended that Congressman Steven Horsford be appointed to the House Committee on Ways and Means and that Congressman Jesús "Chuy" García be appointed to the House Committee on the Judiciary.  Today, the Steering and Policy Committee has recommended that Rep. Steven Horsford be appointed to the House Committee on Ways and Means. In Congress, Rep. Horsford has been a champion for tax fairness and has fought relentlessly to lower costs, expand affordable housing and defend the hard-earned wages of tipped workers. I am heartened to see Steven rejoin this important committee and know he will be a powerful voice for hardworking American taxpayers in Nevada and across the nation.  The Steering and Policy Committee has also recommended that Rep. Jesús "Chuy" García be appointed to the House Judiciary Committee. Rep. García has spent his entire career standing for what’s right and fighting for the least, the lost and the left behind in Chicagoland and beyond. I know that he will be a strong voice on this crucial committee and I look forward to continuing to work together to keep our communities safe and fight back against MAGA extremism.