There are two main types of congressional committees in the United States House of Representatives, standing committees and select committees. Committee chairs are selected by whichever party is in the majority, and the minority party selects ranking members to lead them. The committees and party conferences may have rules determining term limits for leadership and membership, though waivers can be issued. While the Democrats and Republicans differ on the exact processes by which committee leadership and assignments are chosen, most standing committees are selected by the respective party steering committees and ratified by the party conferences.[1][2] The Ethics, House Administration, Rules and all select committees are chosen by the party leaders (Speaker in the majority and Minority Leader in the minority). Most committees are additionally subdivided into subcommittees, each with its own leadership selected according to the full committee's rules.[3][4] The only standing committee with no subcommittees is the Budget Committee.
The modern House committees were brought into existence through the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946. This bill reduced the number of House committees, as well as restructured the committees' jurisdictions.[5]
Standing committees
[edit]Non-standing committees
[edit]| Committee | Chair | Ranking Member | Refs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subcommittee | ||||
| Artificial Intelligence (Task Force) | Jay Obernolte (R-CA) | Ted Lieu (D-CA) | [8] | |
| Attempted Assassination of Donald Trump (Task Force) | Mike Kelly (R-PA) | Jason Crow (D-CO) | [9][10] | |
| Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission | Chris Smith (R-NJ) | Jim McGovern (D-MA) | ||
| Intelligence (Permanent Select) | Mike Turner (R-OH) | Jim Himes (D-CT) | ||
| Central Intelligence Agency | Rick Crawford (R-AR) | André Carson (D-IN) | ||
| Defense Intelligence and Overhead Architecture | Trent Kelly (R-MS) | Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) | ||
| FISA 702 Working Group (Select) | Darin LaHood (R-IL) | André Carson (D-IN) | ||
| National Intelligence Enterprise | Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) | Stacey Plaskett (D-VI) | ||
| National Security Agency and Cyber | Darin LaHood (R-IL) | Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) | ||
| Oversight and Investigations | Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) | Jimmy Gomez (D-CA) | ||
| Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (Select) | John Moolenaar (R-MI) | Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) | [11] | |
Party leadership
[edit]Each party determines their committees leads, who serve as chair in the majority and ranking member in the minority. The table below lists the tenure of when each member was selected for their current term as committee lead. The Republican party rules stipulate that their leads of standing committees may serve no more than three congressional terms (two years each) as chair or ranking member unless the full party conference grants them a waiver to do so.[12] The current majority party is listed first for each committee.
See also
[edit]- List of United States Senate committees
- List of United States congressional joint committees
- List of defunct United States congressional committees
References
[edit]- ^ Crowley, Joe (July 18, 2017). "Rules of the Democratic Caucus – 115th Congress" (PDF). United States House of Representatives Democratic Caucus. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ Cheney, Liz. "Conference Rules of the 116th Congress". United States House of Representatives Republican Conference. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ Schneider, Judy (October 17, 2014). "House Committees: Categories and Rules for Committee Assignments" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
- ^ Heitshusen, Valerie (May 2, 2017). "Committee Types and Roles" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
- ^ "Revolt Against Cannonism". Retrieved April 8, 2007.
- ^ "Statement of the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Committee on Ethics Regarding Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick". 27 December 2023.
- ^ "Statement of the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Committee on Ethics Regarding Representative Henry Cuellar". House Committee on Ethics. May 29, 2024.
- ^ "HOUSE LAUNCHES BIPARTISAN TASK FORCE ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE | Congressman Ted Lieu". lieu.house.gov. February 20, 2024.
- ^ "Speaker Johnson Statement on House Approving Bipartisan Task Force to Investigate the Attempted Assassination of Donald Trump - Speaker of the House Mike Johnson". July 24, 2024.
- ^ "House leadership appoints Trump shooting task force members - Live Updates - POLITICO".
- ^ Adragna, Anthony (December 8, 2022). "Kevin McCarthy has tapped Wisconsin's Mike Gallagher to lead a new panel examining China in the incoming Republican majority". politico.com. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ "Conference Rules of the 118th Congress". House Republican Conference. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
Rule 14(e)Term limitation.—No individual shall serve more than three consecutive terms as chair or Ranking Member of a standing, select, joint, or ad hoc Committee or Subcommittee.
External links
[edit]- Committees, House.gov. United States House of Representatives. Includes links to all permanent and joint committees, excepting the Helsinki Commission.
- Congressional Directory: Main Page, Government Printing Office Online. Detailed listings of many aspects of previous memberships and sessions of Congress.
- Committees of the U.S. Congress. Congress.gov. Library of Congress.
- U.S. Congressional Biographical Dictionary
- House Committee Repository