Information about United States House Committee On Appropriations

The Committee on Appropriations, or Appropriations Committee (often referred to as simply "Appropriations", as in "He's on Appropriations") is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is in charge of setting the specific 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.

History

The constitutional basis for the Appropriations Committee comes from Article one, Section nine, Clause seven of the U.S. Constitution, which states that:

No money shall be drawn from the treasury, but in consequence of appropriations made by law; and a regular statement and account of receipts and expenditures of all public money shall be published from time to time.

This clearly delegated the power of appropriating money to Congress, but was vague beyond that. Originally, the power of appropriating was taken by the Committee on Ways and Means, but the United States Civil War placed a large burden on the Congress, and at the end of that conflict, a reorganization occurred.

The Committee was created on December 11, 1865, when the House separated the tasks of the Committee on Ways and Means into three parts. The passage of legislation affecting taxes remained with Ways and Means. The power to regulate banking was transferred to the Committee on Banking and Commerce. The power to appropriate money--to control the federal pursestrings--was given to the newly-created Appropriations Committee.

At the time the membership of the committee stood at nine; it currently has 66 members. The power of the committee has only grown since its founding; many of its members and chairmen have gone on to even higher posts. For example, three of them--Samuel Randall (D-PA), Joseph Cannon (R-IL), and Joseph Byrns (D-TN)--have gone on to become the Speaker of the House, and one, James Garfield, has gone on to become President.

The root of the Committee's power is its ability to disburse funds, and thus as the federal budget has risen, so has the power of the Appropriations Committee. The first budget of the U.S., in 1789, was for $639,000--a hefty sum for the time, but a much smaller amount relative to the economy than the federal budget would later become. By the time the Appropriations committee was founded, the Civil War and inflation had raised expenditures to roughly $1.3 billion, increasing the clout of Appropriations. Expenditures continued to follow this pattern--rising sharply during wars before settling down--for over 100 years.

Another important development for Appropriations occurred in the presidency of Warren G. Harding. Harding was the first President to deliver a budget proposal to Congress (see United States budget process).

In the early 1970s, the Appropriations committee faced a crisis. President Richard Nixon began "impounding" funds, not allowing them to be spent, even when Congress had specifically appropriated money for a cause. This was essentially a line-item veto. Numerous court cases were filed by outraged interest groups and members of Congress. Eventually, the sense that Congress needed to regain control of the budget process led to the adoption of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974, which finalized the budget process in its current form.

Role

The Appropriations committee is widely recognized by political scientists as one of the "power committees," since it holds the power of the purse. Openings on the Appropriations committee are often hotly demanded, and are doled out as rewards. Much of the power of the committee comes from the inherent utility of controlling spending. Its subcommittee chairmen are often called "Cardinals" because of the power they wield over the budget.

Since Congress is elected from single-member districts, how well the member secures rewards for his or her district is one of the best indicator as to whether or not he or she will be reelected. One way to achieve popularity in one's district is to it bring federal spending, thus creating jobs and raising economic performance. This type of spending is often derided by critics as pork barrel spending, while those who engage in it generally defend it as necessary and appropriate expenditure of government funds. The members of the Appropriations committee can do this better than most, and as such the appointment is regarded as a plus. This help can also be directed towards other members, increasing the stature of committee members in the House and helping them gain support for leadership positions or other honors.

The committee tends to be less partisan than other committees or the House overall. While the minority party will offer amendments during committee consideration, appropriations bills often get significant bipartisan support, both in committee and on the House floor. This atmosphere can be attributed to the fact that all committee members have a compelling interest in ensuring legislation will contain money for their own districts. Conversely, because members of this committee can easily steer money to their home districts, it is considered very difficult to unseat a member of this committee at an election--especially if he or she is a "Cardinal."

In addition, the ability to appropriate money is useful to lobbyists and interest groups; as such, being on Appropriations makes it easier to collect campaign contributions (see campaign finance).

Members, 110th Congress

Democrats

Republicans

David R. Obey, Chairman, Wisconsin John P. Murtha, Pennsylvania Norman D. Dicks, Washington Alan B. Mollohan, West Virginia Marcy Kaptur, Ohio Peter J. Visclosky, Indiana Nita Lowey, New York José E. Serrano, New York Rosa L. DeLauro, Connecticut James P. Moran, Virginia John W. Olver, Massachusetts Ed Pastor, Arizona David E. Price, North Carolina Chet Edwards, Texas Bud Cramer, Alabama Patrick J. Kennedy, Rhode Island Maurice D. Hinchey, New York Lucille Roybal-Allard, California Sam Farr, California Jesse L. Jackson, Jr., Illinois Carolyn C. Kilpatrick, Michigan Allen Boyd, Florida Chaka Fattah, Pennsylvania Steven R. Rothman, New Jersey Sanford D. Bishop, Jr., Georgia Marion Berry, Arkansas Barbara Lee, California Tom Udall, New Mexico Adam Schiff, California Michael Honda, California Betty McCollum, Minnesota Steve Israel, New York Tim Ryan, Ohio Dutch Ruppersberger, Maryland Ben Chandler, Kentucky Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Florida Ciro D. Rodriguez, Texas

Jerry Lewis, Ranking Member, California C.W. Bill Young, Florida Ralph Regula, Ohio Harold Rogers, Kentucky Frank R. Wolf, Virgnia James T. Walsh, New York Dave Hobson, Ohio Joe Knollenberg, Michigan Jack Kingston, Georgia Rodney P. Frelinghuysen, New Jersey Roger F. Wicker, Mississippi Todd Tiahrt, Kansas Zach Wamp, Tennessee Tom Latham, Iowa Robert Aderholt, Alabama Jo Ann Emerson, Missouri Kay Granger, Texas John E. Peterson, Pennsylvania Virgil Goode, Virginia Vacancy in place of John Doolittle, California Ray LaHood, Illinois Dave Weldon, Florida Michael K. Simpson, Idaho John Culberson, Texas Mark Steven Kirk, Illinois Ander Crenshaw, Florida Dennis R. Rehberg, Montana John Carter, Texas Rodney Alexander, Louisiana

Committee reorganization during the 110th Congress

In 2007, the number of subcommittees was expanded to 12 in 2007 at the start of the 110th Congress. This reorganization, developed by Chairman David Obey and his Senate counterpart, Robert Byrd, for the first time provided for common subcommittee structures between both houses, a move that both chairmen hope will allow Congress to "complete action on each of the government funding on time for the first time since 1994."^[1]

The new structure adds a new Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government transfers jurisdiction over Legislative Branch appropriations from the full committee to the newly reinstated Legislative Branch Subcommittee, which last existed during the 108th Congress.

Subcommittees

Subcommittee	Chair	Ranking Member
Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies	Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)	Jack Kingston (R-GA)
Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies	Alan Mollohan (D-WV)	Rodney Freylinghuysen (R-NJ)
Defense	John Murtha (D-PA)	C.W. Bill Young (R-FL)
Energy and Water Development	Peter Visclosky (D-IN)	David Hobson (R-OH)
Financial Services and General Government	José Serrano (D-NY)	Ralph Regula (R-OH)
Homeland Security	David Price (D-NC)	Harold Rogers (R-KY)
Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies	Norman Dicks (D-WA)	Todd Tiahrt (R-KS)
Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies	David Obey (D-WI)	James Walsh (R-NY)
Legislative Branch	Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)	Zach Wamp (R-TN)
Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies	Chet Edwards (D-TX)	Roger Wicker (R-MS)
State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs	Nita Lowey (D-NY)	Frank Wolf (R-VA)
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies	John Olver (D-MA)	Joe Knollenberg (R-MI)
Select Intelligence Oversight Panel	Rush Holt (D-NJ)	Ray LaHood (D-IL)

Select Intelligence Oversight Panel

The Select Intelligence Oversight Panel is an advisory subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee created in 2007. It can hold hearings and receive testimony, but has no jurisdiction over appropriations legislation. Its primary purpose is to advise the full committee and the defense subcommittee on issues related to the federal intelligence budget.

Chairmen, 1865-present

Chairman		Party	State	Years
	Thaddeus Stevens	Republican	Pennsylvania	1865 – 1868
	Elihu B. Washburne	Republican	Illinois	1868 – 1869
	Henry L. Dawes	Republican	Massachusetts	1869 – 1871
	James A. Garfield	Republican	Ohio	1871 – 1875
	Samuel J. Randall	Democratic	Pennsylvania	1875 – 1876
	William S. Holman	Democratic	Indiana	1876 – 1877
	John D. C. Atkins	Democratic	Tennessee	1877 – 1881
	Frank Hiscock	Republican	New York	1881 – 1883
	Samuel J. Randall	Democratic	Pennsylvania	1883 – 1889
	Joseph G. Cannon	Republican	Illinois	1889 – 1891
	William S. Holman	Democratic	Indiana	1891 – 1893
	Joseph D. Sayers	Democratic	Texas	1893 – 1895
	Joseph G. Cannon	Republican	Illinois	1895 – 1903
	James A. Hemenway	Republican	Indiana	1903 – 1905
	James Albertus Tawney	Republican	Minnesota	1905 – 1911
	John J. Fitzgerald	Democratic	New York	1911 – 1917
	J. Swager Sherley	Democratic	Kentucky	1917 – 1919
	James W. Good	Republican	Iowa	1919 – 1921
	Martin B. Madden	Republican	Illinois	1921 – 1928
	Daniel R. Anthony, Jr.	Republican	Kansas	1928 – 1929
	William R. Wood	Republican	Indiana	1929 – 1931
	Joseph W. Byrns	Democratic	Tennessee	1931 – 1933
	James P. Buchanan	Democratic	Texas	1933 – 1937
	Edward T. Taylor	Democratic	Colorado	1937 – 1941
	Clarence Cannon	Democratic	Missouri	1941 – 1947
	John Taber	Republican	New York	1947 – 1949
	Clarence Cannon	Democrat	Missouri	1949 – 1953
	John Taber	Republican	New York	1953 – 1955
	Clarence Cannon	Democrat	Missouri	1955 – 1964
	George H. Mahon	Democrat	Texas	1964 – 1979
	Jamie L. Whitten	Democrat	Mississippi	1979 – 1993
	William H. Natcher	Democrat	Kentucky	1993 – 1994
	David R. Obey	Democrat	Wisconsin	1994 – 1995
	Bob Livingston	Republican	Louisiana	1995 – 1999
	C.W. Bill Young	Republican	Florida	1999 – 2005
	Jerry Lewis	Republican	California	2005 – 2007
	David R. Obey	Democrat	Wisconsin	2007 – present

See also

• United States House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations Surveys and Investigations Staff
• United States Senate Committee on Appropriations

External link

• Official site

References

•  • [ e] Current United States Congressional committees
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