119th Congress Committee Profile: House and Senate Appropriations Committee

As previously reported by COSSA, the House and Senate committee assignments have been announced over the last month. On the House Appropriations Committee, Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) will remain in his role, as will Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), while the Senate Appropriations Committee will see a shift from Democratic majority to Republican majority with Chairwoman Susan Collins (R-ME) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA).

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) is an important committee to the research community in that it is responsible for securing appropriations for federal agencies important to the research community, such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institute of Justice (NIJ), Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), Census Bureau, and several other science and statistical agencies. The subcommittee will remain under the leadership of Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY) while Grace Meng (D-NY) will serve as the Ranking Member, replacing Matt Cartwright (D-PA) who lost his seat in a competitive race this past November. On the other side of the Capitol, in the Senate CJS Appropriations Subcommittee, Jerry Moran (R-KS) will shift to Chairman of the subcommittee while Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) will serve as Ranking Member, replacing Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) who pursued other committee assignments.

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) is an important committee as well since it is responsible for funding the Department of Education (ED), Department of Labor (DOL), and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which includes the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The LHHS Subcommittee is one of the most sought-after committee appointments due to the wide scope of agencies and priorities under its jurisdiction. The subcommittee will not see change with Chairman Robert Aderholt (R-AL) and Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) remaining in their respective roles. Like other Senate committees, the Senate LHHS Appropriations Subcommittee will see a shift in leadership, with Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) taking the helm as Chairwoman while Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) will serve as Ranking Member.

Stay tuned to COSSA’s continued coverage on the 119th Congress.