United States Senate Committee on the Budget

The United States Senate Committee on the Budget was established by the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974. It is responsible for drafting Congress's annual budget plan and monitoring action on the budget for the Federal Government. The committee has jurisdiction over the Congressional Budget Office. The committee briefly operated as a special committee from 1919 to 1920 during the 66th Congress, before being made a standing committee in 1974.[1]

Senate Budget Committee

Standing committee
Active United States Senate 117th Congress
History
Formed	1974
Leadership
Chair	Bernie Sanders (I)[lower-alpha 1] Since February 2, 2021
Ranking member	Lindsey O. Graham (R) Since February 2, 2021
Structure
Seats	22[lower-alpha 2]
Political parties	Majority (11)   Democratic (10)   Independent (1) Minority (11)   Republican (11)
Jurisdiction
Policy areas	Government spending
House counterpart	House Budget Committee
Website
budget.senate.gov
Senator Sanders is an independent but caucuses with the Democrats Democrats are in the majority due to the tiebreaking power of Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, who serves ex officio as the president of the Senate.

Contrasted with other committees

The Budget Committee is often confused with the Finance Committee and the Appropriations Committee, both of which have different jurisdictions: The Finance Committee is analogous to the Ways and Means Committee in the House of Representatives; it has legislative jurisdiction in the areas of taxes, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and some other entitlements. The Appropriations Committee has legislative jurisdiction over appropriations bills, which provide funding for government programs.

While the budget resolution prepared by the Budget Committee sets out a broad blueprint for the Congress with respect to the total levels of revenues and spending for the government as a whole, these other Committees prepare bills for specific tax and spending policies.

Chairs, 1975–present

Chairs		Party	State	Years
	Edmund S. Muskie	Democratic	Maine	1975–1980
	Ernest F. Hollings	Democratic	South Carolina	1980–1981
	Pete Domenici	Republican	New Mexico	1981–1987
	Lawton Chiles	Democratic	Florida	1987–1989
	James Sasser	Democratic	Tennessee	1989–1995
	Pete Domenici	Republican	New Mexico	1995–2001
	Kent Conrad	Democratic	North Dakota	2001[lower-alpha 1]
	Pete Domenici	Republican	New Mexico	2001
	Kent Conrad	Democratic	North Dakota	2001-2003[lower-alpha 2]
	Don Nickles	Republican	Oklahoma	2003–2005
	Judd Gregg	Republican	New Hampshire	2005–2007
	Kent Conrad	Democratic	North Dakota	2007–2013
	Patty Murray	Democratic	Washington	2013–2015
	Mike Enzi	Republican	Wyoming	2015–2021
	Bernie Sanders	Independent[lower-alpha 3]	Vermont	2021–present

Historical membership rosters

117th Congress[2]

Majority	Minority
Bernie Sanders, Vermont[lower-alpha 3], Chairman Patty Murray, Washington Ron Wyden, Oregon Debbie Stabenow, Michigan Sheldon Whitehouse, Rhode Island Mark Warner, Virginia Jeff Merkley, Oregon Tim Kaine, Virginia Chris Van Hollen, Maryland Ben Ray Luján, New Mexico Alex Padilla, California	Lindsey Graham, South Carolina, Ranking Member Chuck Grassley, Iowa Mike Crapo, Idaho Pat Toomey, Pennsylvania Ron Johnson, Wisconsin Mike Braun, Indiana Rick Scott, Florida Ben Sasse, Nebraska Mitt Romney, Utah John Kennedy, Louisiana Kevin Cramer, North Dakota

116th Congress

Majority	Minority
Mike Enzi, Wyoming, Chairman Chuck Grassley, Iowa Mike Crapo, Idaho Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Pat Toomey, Pennsylvania Ron Johnson, Wisconsin David Perdue, Georgia Mike Braun, Indiana Rick Scott, Florida John Kennedy, Louisiana Kevin Cramer, North Dakota	Bernie Sanders, Vermont[lower-alpha 3], Ranking Member Patty Murray, Washington Ron Wyden, Oregon Debbie Stabenow, Michigan Sheldon Whitehouse, Rhode Island Mark Warner, Virginia Jeff Merkley, Oregon Tim Kaine, Virginia Chris Van Hollen, Maryland Kamala Harris, California

115th Congress

Majority	Minority
Mike Enzi, Wyoming, Chair Chuck Grassley, Iowa Mike Crapo, Idaho Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Pat Toomey, Pennsylvania Ron Johnson, Wisconsin Bob Corker, Tennessee David Perdue, Georgia Cory Gardner, Colorado John Kennedy, Louisiana John Boozman, Arkansas Tom Cotton, Arkansas	Bernie Sanders, Vermont[lower-alpha 3], Ranking Member Patty Murray, Washington Ron Wyden, Oregon Debbie Stabenow, Michigan Sheldon Whitehouse, Rhode Island Mark Warner, Virginia Jeff Merkley, Oregon Tim Kaine, Virginia Angus King, Maine[lower-alpha 3] Chris Van Hollen, Maryland Kamala Harris, California

Notes

1. At the beginning of the 107th Congress in January 2001 the Senate was evenly divided. With a Democratic president and vice president still serving until January 20, the Democratic vice president was available to break a tie, and the Democrats thus controlled the Senate for 17 days, from January 3 to January 20. On January 3 the Senate adopted S. Res. 7 designating Democratic senators as committee chairmen to serve during this period and Republican chairmen to serve effective at noon on January 20, 2001.
2. On June 6, 2001, the Democrats took control of the Senate after Senator James Jeffords (VT) changed from the Republican Party to Independent and announced that he would caucus with the Democrats.
3. Senator Sanders is an independent but caucuses with the Democrats.

References

1. Walter Stubbs (1985), Congressional Committees, 1789–1982: A Checklist, Greenwood Press, pp. 16–17
2. https://www.budget.senate.gov/about/committee-members

External links

• Official website (Archive)
• Senate Budget Committee. Legislation activity and reports, Congress.gov.
• Committee on the Budget, United States Senate, 1974-2006. Senate Document 109-24. 109th Congress, 2nd session, 2006.