U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations

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.

Related Topics:
Standing committee - United States Senate - Discretionary spending - Legislation

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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. The committee was first organized on March 6, 1867, when power over appropriations was taken out of the hands of the Finance Committee. Thad Cochran, a Republican from Mississippi, chairs this committee and Robert C. Byrd, a Democrat from West Virginia serves as ranking member.

Related Topics:
U.S. Constitution - March 6 - 1867 - Finance Committee - Thad Cochran - Republican - Mississippi - Robert C. Byrd - Democrat - West Virginia - Ranking member

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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. 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 percent of the overall spending in the $388 billion Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2005 passed by Congress.

Related Topics:
Pork barrel spending - Fiscal year - 2005 - Per capita - Ted Stevens

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