Committees in the US Congress

Committees are groups of members of Congress that are responsible for specific areas of legislation. They are the places where most of the work of Congress gets done.

Committees are divided into two types: standing committees and select committees. Standing committees are permanent committees that are responsible for specific areas of legislation. Select committees are temporary committees that are created to investigate specific issues.

Each committee is responsible for a specific area of legislation. For example, the House Committee on Agriculture is responsible for legislation related to agriculture, while the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is responsible for legislation related to foreign policy.

• House Committee on Agriculture

  The House Committee on Agriculture has legislative jurisdiction over agriculture, food, rural development, and forestry.

  • Forestry
  • Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development
  • General Farm Commodities, Risk Management, and Credit
  • Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry
  • Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology
  • Nutrition, Foreign Agriculture, and Horticulture
• House Committee on Appropriations

  The House Committee on Appropriations is responsible for legislation allocating federal funds prior to expenditure from the treasury. Appropriations are generally limited to the levels set by the Budget Resolution drafted by the House Committee on the Budget. The Committee is also responsible for supplemental spending bills, which are sometimes needed in the middle of a fiscal year to compensate for emergency expenses.

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

  The House Committee on Armed Services has legislative jurisdiction over military and defense.

  • Tactical Air and Land Forces
  • Military Personnel
  • Readiness
  • Seapower and Projection Forces
  • Strategic Forces
  • Intelligence and Special Operations
  • Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation
• House Committee on Financial Services

  The House Financial Services Committee has jurisdiction over issues pertaining to the economy, the banking system, housing, insurance, and securities and exchanges. Additionally, the Committee also has jurisdiction over monetary policy, international finance, international monetary organizations, and efforts to combat terrorist financing. The Committee oversees the Nation’s economy through its oversight of the Federal Reserve Board and individual reserve banks, the Treasury, the production and distribution of currency, and the Nation’s capital markets.

  • Capital Markets
  • Housing and Insurance
  • Oversight and Investigations
  • National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions
  • Financial Institutions and Monetary Policy
  • Digital Assets, Financial Technology and Inclusion
  • National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions
• House Committee on the Budget

  The House Committee on the Budget is responsible for drafting a concurrent resolution on the budget for congressional action on spending, revenue, and debt-limit legislation. The Budget Resolution must be jointly agreed to by both the House and the Senate, but does not need to be signed by the President. The Committee is also responsible for enforcing the Budget Resolution by informing representatives of violations to the budget, and by working with other committees, such as the Committee on Appropriations, to prevent potential violations.

• House Committee on Education and the Workforce

  The committee has legislative jurisdiction over matters related to higher and lower education, workforce development and protections, and health, employment, labor, and pensions.

  • Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education
  • Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions
  • Higher Education and Workforce Development
  • Workforce Protections
• House Committee on Foreign Affairs

  The House Committee on Foreign Affairs considers legislation that impacts the diplomatic community, which includes the Department of State, the Agency for International Development, the Peace Corps, the United Nations, and the enforcement of the Arms Export Control Act.

  • Africa
  • Indo-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia
  • Western Hemisphere
  • Oversight and Accountability
  • Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations
• House Committee on Oversight and Accountability

  The committee oversees the federal government and all of its agencies to ensure efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability. The Committee oversees government operations, health care, information technology, interior, energy and environment, national security, and intergovernmental affairs.

  • Government Operations and the Federal Workforce
  • National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs
  • Health Care and Financial Services
  • Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs
  • Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation
• House Committee on House Administration

  The Committee on House Administration has legislative jurisdiction over the federal elections and the day-to-day operations of the House. The Committee's jurisdiction over federal elections requires it to consider proposals to amend federal election law and to monitor congressional elections across the United States. The Committee also sets budget authorizations for expenses of other House committees and members of Congress. It also oversees several federal organizations such as the Library of Congress and Smithsonian Institution.

  • Elections
  • Oversight
  • Modernization
• House Committee on Homeland Security

  The House Committee on Homeland Security has jurisdiction over matters related to national defense. It has six subcommittees on border and maritime security; counterterrorism and intelligence; cybersecurity and infrastructure protection; emergency preparedness, response, and communications; oversight and management efficiency; and transportation and protective security. The Committee was created in 2002 in the aftermath of the September 11th, 2001 attacks.

  • Border Security and Enforcement
  • Emergency Management and Technology
  • Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection
  • Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence
  • Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability
  • Transportation and Maritime Security
• House Committee on Energy and Commerce

  The House Committee on Energy and Commerce has legislative jurisdiction on matters related to telecommunications, consumer protection, food and drug safety, public health research, environmental quality, energy policy, and interstate and foreign commerce. It oversees multiple cabinet-level Departments and independent agencies, including the Departments of Energy, Health and Human Services, Commerce, and Transportation, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Trade Commission, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Federal Communications Commission.

  • Innovation, Data, and Commerce
  • Communications and Technology
  • Energy, Climate, and Grid Security
  • Health
  • Oversight and Investigations
  • Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials
• House Committee on Natural Resources

  The House Committee on Natural Resources considers legislation about American energy production, mineral lands and mining, fisheries and wildlife, public lands, oceans, Native Americans, irrigation and reclamation.

  • Energy and Mineral Resources
  • Federal Lands
  • Water, Wildlife and Fisheries
  • Indian and Insular Affairs
  • Oversight and Investigations
• House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

  The United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. Created in 1977, HPSCI is charged with oversight of the United States Intelligence Community—which includes the intelligence and intelligence-related activities of the following seventeen elements of the U.S. Government—and the Military Intelligence Program.

  • Oversight and Investigations
  • Central Intelligence Agency
  • National Security Agency and Cyber
  • Defense Intelligence and Overhead Architecture
  • National Intelligence Enterprise
• House Committee on the Judiciary

  The Committee on the Judiciary has jurisdiction over matters relating to the administration of justice in federal courts, administrative bodies, and law enforcement agencies. Its role in impeachment proceedings has also brought it much attention. The committee’s jurisdiction also includes a range of issues such as bankruptcy, espionage, terrorism, the protection of civil liberties, constitutional amendments, and more. The Committee oversees the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security.

  • The Constitution and Limited Government
  • Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet
  • Crime and Federal Government Surveillance
  • Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement
  • The Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust
  • Responsiveness and Accountability to Oversight
• House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

  The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has jurisdiction over all modes of transportation: aviation, maritime and waterborne transportation, highways, bridges, mass transit, and railroads. The Committee also has jurisdiction over other aspects of our national infrastructure, such as clean water and waste water management, the transport of resources by pipeline, flood damage reduction, the management of federally owned real estate and public buildings, the development of economically depressed rural and urban areas, disaster preparedness and response, and hazardous materials transportation.

  • Aviation
  • Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation
  • Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management
  • Highways and Transit
  • Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials
  • Water Resources and Environment
• House Committee on Rules

  The House Committee on Rules is commonly known as “The Speaker’s Committee” because it is the mechanism that the Speaker uses to maintain control of the House Floor. Because of the vast power wielded by the Rules Committee, its ratio has traditionally been weighted in favor of the majority party. The Committee provides the terms and conditions of debate on any measure or matter through Special Rules. The Committee also considers original jurisdiction measures, which commonly represent changes to the standing rules of the House, or measures that contain special rules, such as the expedited procedures in trade legislation.

  • Legislative and Budget Process
  • Rules and Organization of the House
• House Committee on Small Business

  The House Small Business Committee was established to protect and assist small businesses. As such, the Committee has jurisdiction over matters related to small business financial aid, regulatory flexibility, and paperwork reduction. Additionally, the House Small Business Committee has oversight and legislative authority over the Small Business Administration (SBA) and its programs.

  • Contracting and Infrastructure
  • Oversight, Investigations, and Regulations
  • Economic Growth, Tax, and Capital Access
  • Rural Development, Energy, and Supply Chains
  • Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Workforce Development
• House Committee on Ethics

  The House Committee on Ethics has the jurisdiction to administer travel, gift, financial disclosure, outside income, and other regulations; advise members and staff; issue advisory opinions and investigate potential ethics violations. The Committee is the only standing committee of the House whose membership is evenly divided between each political party. The Committee includes five members of each party. Also, unlike other committees, the day-to-day work of the Committee on Ethics is conducted by a staff that is nonpartisan by rule.

• House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology

  The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology has a jurisdiction over a range of matters related to energy research and development, federally owned or operated non-military energy laboratories, astronautical research and development, civil aviation, environmental research and development; marine research, and more. The Committee oversees the National Institute of Standards and Technology, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Science Foundation, and National Weather Service. It also reviews laws, programs, and Government activities relating to non-military research and development to report back to the House.

  • Energy
  • Investigations and Oversight
  • Space and Aeronautics
  • Environment
  • Research and Technology
• House Committee on Veterans' Affairs

  The House Committee on Veterans' Affairs is the authorizing committee for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The committee is responsible for recommending legislation expanding, curtailing, or fine-tuning existing laws relating to veterans' benefits. The Committee also has oversight responsibility, which means monitoring and evaluating the operations of the VA. If the Committee finds that VA is not administering laws as Congress intended, then it is addressed through the hearing process and legislation.

  • Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs
  • Economic Opportunity
  • Health
  • Oversight and Investigations
  • Technology Modernization
• House Committee on Ways and Means

  The Committee on Ways and Means is the chief tax-writing committee in the House of Representatives. The Committee derives a large share of its jurisdiction from Article I, Section VII of the U.S. Constitution, which declares, “All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives.” The committee has jurisdiction over revenue and related issues such as tariffs, reciprocal trade agreements, and the bonded debt of the United States. It also oversees revenue-related aspects of the Social Security system, Medicare, and social services programs.

  • Health
  • Work and Welfare
  • Oversight
  • Tax
  • Social Security
  • Trade
• House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic

• House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government

• House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party