Appropriations Subcommittee Structure:
History of Changes from 1920-2011
Jessica Tollestrup
Analyst on Congress and the Legislative Process
March 8, 2011
Congressional Research Service
7-5700
www.crs.gov
RL31572
CRS Report for Congress
Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress
Appropriations Subcommittee Structure: History of Changes from 1920-2011
Summary
This report details the evolution of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees’
subcommittee structure from the 1920s to the present. In 1920, the House adopted a change in its
rules to consolidate jurisdiction over all appropriations in the Appropriations Committee. After
the enactment of the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921, the House reorganized its
Appropriations Committee by establishing for the first time a set of subcommittees to consider
appropriations bills based on the administrative organization of the executive branch. The Senate
followed suit in 1922, and the two chambers have continued under that basic organizational
approach since that time.
The evolution of the modern Appropriations subcommittee structure can be divided into four eras.
The first era, stretching roughly from the initial reorganization in the 1920s until the end of the
Second World War, was marked by stability. Most of the changes in Appropriations structure
resulted from combining bills (e.g., the Treasury Department bill with the Post Office Department
bill beginning in 1924), although one new bill (and subcommittee) was created when the
appropriations bill for the Department of Labor was split off from the Departments of State,
Justice, Commerce, and Labor bill in 1939.
The second era, from the end of the Second World War through 1970, saw multiple changes.
During this period, Congress attempted to keep pace with executive branch reorganization (e.g.,
creation of subcommittees to consider appropriations for the new Departments of Defense in
1947 and Transportation in 1967), and changing national priorities (e.g., creation of a separate
appropriations bill, and later subcommittee, for foreign operations).
The third era, from 1971 through 2003, was marked by a renewed stability. While some
appropriations subcommittees were renamed to reflect changes in agency and departmental status,
these changes did not represent major shifts in jurisdiction.
In the fourth era, since 2003, there have been major changes in organization involving nearly
every subcommittee. In 2003, both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees merged
their subcommittees on Transportation and Treasury and created a new subcommittee to consider
appropriations for the newly created Department of Homeland Security. In 2005, both chambers
undertook major reorganizations, eliminating three subcommittees in the House and one in the
Senate. This reorganization, however, left the two chambers with differing subcommittee
jurisdictions. In 2007 the two Appropriations Committees reorganized again to reestablish parallel
subcommittees.
During the first session of the 110th Congress (2007), the House created the Select Intelligence
Oversight Panel of the appropriations committee to oversee spending on federal intelligence
activities. This panel was eliminated in 2011, at the beginning of the 112th Congress.
This report will be updated to reflect any changes in Appropriations subcommittee structure.
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Appropriations Subcommittee Structure: History of Changes from 1920-2011
Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1
Consolidation and Initial Stability: 1920-1946............................................................................. 1
Reorganization and Multiple Changes: 1947-1970....................................................................... 4
Subcommittee Development.................................................................................................. 5
Government Corporations ............................................................................................... 5
Public Works...................................................................................................................6
Deficiencies .................................................................................................................... 6
Department of Defense ................................................................................................... 6
Military Construction ...................................................................................................... 6
Legislative Branch .......................................................................................................... 7
Foreign Operations.......................................................................................................... 7
Commerce ...................................................................................................................... 7
General Government ....................................................................................................... 7
Transportation................................................................................................................. 8
Renewed Stability: 1971-2002..................................................................................................... 8
Major Changes: 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2011 ............................................................................... 9
Contacts
Author Contact Information ...................................................................................................... 13
Acknowledgments .................................................................................................................... 13
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Appropriations Subcommittee Structure: History of Changes from 1920-2011
Introduction
Article I, Section 9 of the U.S. Constitution provides that “No money shall be drawn from the
Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law.” The Constitution does not,
however, prescribe any specific structure or process for making appropriations. The committee
structure established by Congress during the 20th century assigns a prominent role to the
Appropriations Committees of the House and Senate for both the development of appropriations
legislation and oversight over budget execution. The Appropriations Committees, in turn, have
created a system of subcommittees designed to facilitate their ability to carry out these tasks.
The number and jurisdictions of appropriations subcommittees has evolved to meet changing
needs and circumstances. For example, reorganization was undertaken at the beginning of the
108th Congress in response to the creation of a new Department of Homeland Security. After the
legislation establishing the new department was enacted,1 the chairman of the House
Appropriations Committee announced that a new subcommittee would be established in the
House.2 This modification of subcommittee structure affected eight of the existing subcommittees
and was one of the most extensive reorganizations of the Appropriations Committees since the
1920s. Shortly thereafter, a similar change was made in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Reorganization can also be undertaken to adapt to changes in congressional priorities. For
example, in the reorganization that occurred at the start of the 109th Congress, both the House and
the Senate undertook a major change in subcommittee structure. This resulted in the elimination
of three appropriations subcommittees in the House and one in the Senate, and ultimately affected
the jurisdictions of 10 appropriations subcommittees in the House and eight in the Senate.
Another major reorganization at the beginning of the 110th Congress again shufted subcommittee
jurisdiction to reestablish parallel House and Senate subcommittees.
This report details the evolution of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees’
subcommittee structure, from the 1920s to the present.
Consolidation and Initial Stability: 1920-1946
By the end of the First World War the idea that the budgetary process should be more centralized
gained prominence, ultimately resulting in passage of the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921
(P.L. 13, 67th Congress, 42 Stat. 20-27). In anticipation of the more centralized executive budget
system provided under the act, the House also changed its rules to require that all appropriations
be considered by the Appropriations Committee.3 During the late 19th century, congressional rules
had assigned jurisdiction over certain general appropriations bills to committees other than the
House and Senate Appropriations Committees. Notably, the appropriations bills for the District of
Columbia, Indian affairs, Agriculture Department, Army, Navy, Post Office Department, and
1 The Homeland Security Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-296), which created the Department of Homeland Security, was
enacted on November 25, 2002.
2 See “Chairman Young Announces Homeland Security Reorganization,” January 29, 2003, available at
http://www.house.gov/appropriations/news/108_1/04homelandreorg.htm.
3 H.Res. 324, 66th Congress. For its consideration by the House see “Change in the Rules of the House,” Congressional
Record, vol. 59, June 1, 1920, pp. 8102-8121.
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rivers and harbors (i.e., public works) were all considered by their respective legislative
committees.4
An additional change involved the organization of appropriations bills. Prior to the Budget and
Accounting Act, appropriations bills (and subcommittees) tended to be organized along topical
lines. For example, the military activities of the War Department were considered in
appropriations bills reported by the Military Affairs Committee, and the activities of the Corps of
Engineers were considered in River and Harbor appropriations bills reported by the Commerce
Committee. The salaries and contingent expenses for the civilian administration of the
department, however, were carried in the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial bill, which was
within the jurisdiction of the Appropriations Committee. A similar division existed for most
departments, and was true even for agencies whose appropriations were wholly within the
jurisdiction of the Appropriations Committee. Funding for the activities of agencies as disparate
as the Interstate Commerce Commission, the Coast Guard, and the Bureau of Mines were carried
in the Sundry Civil bill, which was frequently the largest of the general appropriations bills.
Nevertheless, their salaries and expenses were generally funded in the Legislative, Executive, and
Judicial bill.5
Concurrent with the congressional consolidation of jurisdiction over appropriations, the newly
established Bureau of the Budget6 recommended that appropriations bills be reorganized along
administrative lines, where appropriations for salaries and expenses would be carried in the same
bill as funding for programs and activities administered by a department. This arrangement had
previously existed only for the Department of Agriculture appropriations bill. The House
Appropriations Committee adopted the bureau’s concept and reorganized the structure of general
appropriations bills and its subcommittees so extensively, that only the structure of the
Agriculture bill remained essentially unchanged.
After its reorganization, the House Appropriations Committee comprised the following
subcommittees:
1. Agriculture Department;
2. Commerce and Labor Departments;
3. Deficiencies;7
4. District of Columbia;
4 For more on the appropriations process in this era, see Charles H. Stewart, Budget Reform Politics: The Design of the
Appropriations Process in the House of Representatives, 1865-1921 (Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University
Press, 1989).
5 Ibid.
6 The Bureau of the Budget was created by the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921 (P.L. 13, 67th Congress, 42 Stat.
20-27).
7 Unlike the other subcommittees, the Deficiencies Subcommittee’s jurisdiction remained essentially topical. Rather
than provide funding for an established group of agencies and programs in a single annual bill, its jurisdiction
frequently involved multiple bills. These bills provided supplemental appropriations for various unanticipated needs of
programs otherwise funded in regular appropriations. However, the subcommittee was also responsible for funding
additional items not already provided in regular appropriations bills, and financed obligations already entered into in
advance of appropriations authority (such as the Lend-Lease program during World War II).
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5. Independent Offices (including the Executive Office of the President);
6. Interior Department;
7. Legislative Establishment;
8. Navy Department and the Navy;
9. Post Office Department;
10. State and Justice Departments (including the judiciary);
11. Treasury Department;
12. War Department and the Army (both military and civil functions8).
By long-standing custom, the House originates all general appropriations bills.9 As a
consequence, historically, the House has generally determined the initial content of the bills. By
originating appropriations bills corresponding to its new administratively based organizational
structure, the House created a jurisdictional problem for the Senate, which retained a system
based on topical organization of appropriations bills, as well as multiple committees sharing
jurisdiction over general appropriations bills. Confronted with the difficulty of considering the
reorganized appropriations bills with its now outmoded system, the Senate reorganized its
appropriations jurisdiction and subcommittees in 1922.10
Information available on congressional subcommittees, including those of the Appropriations
Committees, is sparse and unsystematic prior to enactment of the Legislative Reorganization Act
of 1946 (P.L. 601, 79th Congress, 60 Stat. 812-852). From available hearings and other committee
documents, it appears that during this era the Appropriations Committees continued the practice
of each subcommittee (other than the Deficiencies Subcommittee) being responsible for drafting
one of the regular appropriations bills.11
Data on appropriations bills may also generally be used to identify subcommittee structure during
this period. One conclusion that may be drawn from the appropriations bills considered is that the
subcommittee structure of the Appropriations Committees was relatively stable. Other than name
changes, the salient changes in appropriations bill structure (and, presumably, subcommittee
structure) between 1922 and 1946 seem to have been limited to the following:
8 Civil functions consisted largely of the work of the Army Corps of Engineers, such as river and harbor projects, flood
control, and maintenance of the Panama Canal.
9 For more on the origination of general appropriations bills, see CRS Report RL31399, The Origination Clause of the
U.S. Constitution: Interpretation and Enforcement, by James V. Saturno.
10 S.Res. 213, 67th Congress. For its consideration by the Senate, see “Consideration of Appropriations Bills,”
Congressional Record, vol. 62, March 1-March 4, March 6, 1922, pp. 3199-3207, 3279-3291, 3331-3344, 3375-3392,
3400, 3418-3432.
11 In addition, there appear to have been occasional subcommittees established for special purposes, such as a House
Appropriations Subcommittee on Permanent Appropriations during the 73rd Congress (1933-1934), which was
responsible for recommending the repeal of various permanent appropriations.
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• The combination of the bills for the Treasury and Post Office Departments
beginning in the second session of the 68th Congress (1924).12
• The combination of the Commerce and Labor Departments bill with the State and
Justice Departments bill beginning in the second session of the 68th Congress
(1924).13
• The separation of the War Department and Army bill into two bills, one for the
Military Establishment and the other for War Department Civil Functions,
beginning in the first session of the 75th Congress (1937).14
• The separation of the Labor Department (and the Federal Security Agency15)
from the Departments of State, Justice, Commerce, and Labor bill beginning in
the first session of the 76th Congress (1939).16
• The inclusion of the Judiciary in the Legislative Branch bill during the 78th
Congress (1943-1944).
Reorganization and Multiple Changes: 1947-1970
One of the chief aims of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 was to bring about a
modernization of Congress’s committee system, including its subcommittees. As a result, unlike
the earlier period, information on subcommittee structure since 1946 is more readily available. In
the 80th Congress (1947-1948), the Appropriations Committees in both chambers had these 12
subcommittees:
1. Agriculture;
2. Deficiencies;
3. District of Columbia;
4. Government Corporations;
12 In the 68th Congress (1923-1924), the Senate subcommittee maintained subunits for separate consideration of
Treasury and Post Office items respectively, although a single bill was considered.
13 In the 68th Congress (1923-1924), the Senate subcommittee maintained subunits for separate consideration of State
and Justice and Commerce and Labor items respectively, although a single bill was considered.
14 However, from available congressional documents it does not appear that this division was reflected in a similar
change in the subcommittee structure. During the debate on the civil functions bill, Rep. J. Buell Snyder simply
remarked that Rep. James P. Buchanan, the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, had directed that the estimates
for the War Department be handled in two separate measures (Congressional Record, vol. 81, June 15, 1937, p. 5733).
In the 80th Congress, (1947-1948), for which there is reliable information on Appropriations subcommittee structure,
there was a single subcommittee and separate military establishment and civil function bills.
15 The Federal Security Agency was established by Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1939, grouping the Office of
Education, Public Health Service, Social Security Board, U.S. Employment Service, Civilian Conservation Corps, and
National Youth Administration. The agency was abolished by Reorganization Plan No. 7 of 1953, and its functions
transferred to the newly created Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.
16 This change in bill structure, however, reflected a change in the subcommittee structure of the House only. The
Senate maintained a single subcommittee for consideration of separate appropriations bills for the Departments of
State, Justice, and Commerce and Department of Labor-Federal Security Agency until the first session of the 80th
Congress (1947).
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5. Independent Offices;
6. Interior Department;
7. Legislative;
8. State, Justice, and Commerce Departments and the Judiciary;
9. Treasury Department and Post Office;
10. Labor Department and Federal Security Agency;
11. War Department;
12. Navy Department.
The idea of modernizing congressional committee structure and operations embodied in the
Legislative Reorganization Act was paralleled by an interest in developing a more modern federal
administrative apparatus to supplant the one that had grown in episodic bursts to meet the
challenges of the Depression and World War II. Because appropriations bills continued to be
organized along administrative lines, these changes in the executive branch had an impact on
appropriations subcommittee structure. The four changes in party control of the House between
1947 and 1955 also contributed to an environment conducive to revision of appropriations
subcommittee jurisdiction. This evolution saw the number of subcommittees fluctuate between a
low of 1017 and a high of 15.18 Despite this fluctuation, it appears that the Appropriations
Committees generally continued the practice of each subcommittee being responsible for drafting
one of the regular appropriations bills.19
Subcommittee Development
Appropriations Subcommittees that were created, abolished, or reorganized from the 80th
Congress through the 91st Congress (1947-1970) are as follows:
Government Corporations
A subcommittee (and appropriations bill) specifically pertaining to government corporations
operated in both the House and Senate during the 80th Congress (1947-1948).
17 In House during the 81st and 82nd Congresses (1949-1952), and in the Senate during the 81st through 83rd Congresses
(1949-1942).
18 In House during the 86th and 87th Congresses (1959-1962).
19 There were exceptions to this, for example, in cases when the Senate committee did not immediately alter its
appropriations subcommittee structure to mirror that of the House. In addition, in 1950, a single omnibus
appropriations bill was considered comprising titles recommended by the subcommittees.
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Public Works
Jurisdiction over Army civil functions was transferred to the Deficiencies Subcommittees in both
the House and Senate for the 81st Congress (1949-1950). The Senate subsequently transferred
jurisdiction over deficiencies to the full committee, and a separate subcommittee for Army civil
functions was established, in the 82nd Congress and continuing through the 83rd (1951-1954). The
House continued to operate a Deficiencies and Army Civil Functions Subcommittee in the 82nd
Congress (1951-1952), but transferred jurisdiction over deficiencies to the full committee, and
created a subcommittee combining Army civil functions with military construction in the 83rd
Congress (1953-1954). A Public Works Subcommittee (including the Army civil functions as well
as the Atomic Energy Commission, Bureau of Reclamation, and power marketing
administrations) was established by both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees
beginning in the first session of the 84th Congress (1955). The Senate maintained separate
subunits within the Public Works Subcommittee to consider matters related to the Atomic Energy
Commission and Tennessee Valley Authority and related to the Bureau of Reclamation and
Department of the Interior power marketing associations. These subunits operated beginning in
the 84th Congress (1955-1956), and continuing through the 90th Congresses (1967-1968). A single
bill was reported from the subcommittee for each fiscal year during this period.
Deficiencies
A separate subcommittee to consider deficiencies was discontinued in the Senate after the 81st
Congress (1949-1950), and in the House after the 82nd Congress (1951-1952). Jurisdiction over
deficiencies and supplementals was subsequently exercised by the full committee. A Deficiencies
Subcommittee was reestablished by the House Appropriations Committee for the 86th through 88th
Congresses (1959-1964), after which the jurisdiction was again exercised by the full committee.
The Senate Subcommittee on Deficiencies was reestablished for the second session of the 87th
Congress, and met through the 91st Congress (1962-1970).
Department of Defense
The War and Navy Departments were consolidated to create a National Military Establishment
(later the Department of Defense) in during the first session of the 80th Congress (1947),20 and
their respective appropriations subcommittees were combined to create an Armed Services
Subcommittee at the beginning of the 81st Congress (1949). Renamed the Department of Defense
Subcommittee in the first session of the 84th Congress (1955), the House Subcommittee
maintained three separate subunits for consideration of Army, Navy, and Air Force matters during
the 84th and 85th Congresses (1955-1958), and the Senate maintained a separate subunit for
intelligence activities between the 91st and 94th Congresses (1968-1976). During these years, there
continued to be a single Department of Defense appropriations bill.
Military Construction
Military construction was considered as a part of the Defense Appropriations bill prior to the 83rd
Congress. Between the 83rd Congress and the first session of the 85th Congress (1953-1957),
appropriations for military construction were carried primarily in deficiency and supplemental
20 P.L. 253, 80th Congress, 61 Stat. 495-510.
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appropriations measures. In the 83rd Congress (1953-1954), the House operated a Civil Functions
and Military Construction Subcommittee, but it is otherwise not clear whether military
construction matters were considered by a subcommittee in this period. A separate Military
Construction Subcommittee was created by the House Appropriations Committee beginning in
the second session of the 85th Congress (1958), and a separate bill for military construction
matters was considered for the first time that same year. The Senate Appropriations Committee
established a separate subunit for military construction within the Defense Subcommittee in the
86th Congress (1959-1960), and then a separate subcommittee beginning in the first session of the
87th Congress (1961).
Legislative Branch
The House and Senate Appropriations Committees established a subcommittee to consider both
legislative and judiciary matters in the 83rd Congress (1953-1954). The two chambers
subsequently returned to the former practice of a separate Legislative Subcommittee, with
judiciary matters being considered by the same subcommittee as the Departments of State,
Justice, and Commerce, beginning in the first session of the 84th Congress (1955).
Foreign Operations
A separate bill to fund foreign aid programs (then called the Mutual Security bill) was considered
beginning in the first session of the 83rd Congress (1953), with jurisdiction exercised by the full
committee in both the House and Senate. A separate subcommittee was established by the House
Appropriations Committee beginning in the first session of the 84th Congress (1955). Foreign
operations jurisdiction continued to be exercised at the full committee level by the Senate
Appropriations Committee until the first session of the 91st Congress (1969).
Commerce
Jurisdiction over Commerce Department appropriations was exercised by a separate
subcommittee in the 84th through 86th Congresses (1955-1960). The subcommittee’s jurisdiction
was combined with the General Government Subcommittee for the first session of the 87th
Congress (1961). Since the second session of the 87th Congress (1962), jurisdiction was exercised
by a subcommittee with jurisdiction over the State, Justice, and Commerce Departments and the
judiciary.
General Government
In the House, a separate subcommittee was established for general government matters (including
the Executive Office of the President) in the 84th through 86th Congress (1955-1960). In the
Senate, jurisdiction over general government matters was exercised by a Subcommittee on
Independent Offices and General Government Matters beginning in the 84th Congress (1955-
1956), although separate appropriations bills for independent offices and general government
matters were considered. In both the House and Senate jurisdiction over general government
matters was combined with the Commerce Department Subcommittee in the first session of the
87th Congress (1961). Jurisdiction over general government matters was subsequently combined
with the Treasury Department and Post Office Subcommittee in both chambers beginning in the
second session of the 87th Congress (1962).
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Transportation
A separate subcommittee was established to consider appropriations for the newly created
Transportation Department by both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees beginning
in the 90th Congress (1967).
Renewed Stability: 1971-2002
With the creation of the Transportation Subcommittee by the House Appropriations Committee in
1967, the total number of appropriations subcommittees in the House stabilized at 13. The last
subcommittee added in the Senate was the Foreign Operations Subcommittee in 1969, bringing
the total in that body to 14. Once the Subcommittee on Deficiencies in the Senate was eliminated
at the end of the 91st Congress (1970), the two chambers appropriations subcommittee structures
both totaled 13, and remained parallel during this period.
There were no additions, and few major changes, in the subcommittee structure of either the
House or Senate Appropriations Committees between 1971 and 2002. The changes that did occur
were primarily changes in subcommittee names to reflect changes in agency and departmental
status. For example, the title of the Independent Offices bill evolved with the creation of the
Departments of Housing and Urban Development in 1965, and Veterans’ Affairs in 1988; the
Public Works bill became known as the Energy and Water bill after the creation of the
Department of Energy in 1977; and the title of the Departments of Labor and Health Education
and Welfare was modified to reflect the creation of a separate Department of Education in 1979.
However, these changes did not represent major shifts in appropriations subcommittee
jurisdictions.
At the beginning of the 107th Congress, the House and Senate had the following 13
subcommittees:
1. Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, and Related Agencies;
2. Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, and Judiciary;
3. Subcommittee on Defense;
4. Subcommittee on the District of Columbia;
5. Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development;
6. Subcommittee on Foreign Operations;
7. Subcommittee on Interior, and Related Agencies;
8. Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies;
9. Subcommittee on Legislative Branch;
10. Subcommittee on Military Construction;
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11. Subcommittee on Transportation;
12. Subcommittee on Treasury and General Government;
13. Subcommittee on Veteran’s Affairs, Housing and Urban Development, and Independent
Agencies.
Major Changes: 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2011
In response to the establishment of a Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in January 2003,
the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee announced that a new appropriations
subcommittee would be created. This new subcommittee, consolidating appropriations
jurisdiction from eight existing subcommittees over the various entities comprising the DHS, was
the first major reorganization of appropriations subcommittee structure in either chamber in over
30 years. The new subcommittee was formally established when the committee organized for the
108th Congress in February 2003. In order to keep the number of appropriations subcommittees at
13, the committee also merged the subcommittees responsible for Department of Transportation
appropriations with that responsible for Treasury, Postal Service, and General Government
appropriations. The Senate Appropriations Committee made a similar change when it organized
in March 2003.
At the beginning of the 109th Congress (2005), the House Appropriations Committee undertook
another substantial reorganization, reducing the number of subcommittees from 13 to 10. This
reduction was achieved by eliminating the Subcommittees on the Legislative Branch, District of
Columbia, and the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development, and
Independent Agencies (VA-HUD). The jurisdiction over the Legislative Branch appropriations
bill was retained by the full committee, and the following major changes were made in House
appropriations subcommittee organization:
• A new subcommittee on Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs was
created. This was accomplished by combining the previous jurisdiction of the
Military Construction subcommittee with jurisdiction over the Department of
Veterans Affairs (formerly exercised by the VA-HUD subcommittee), as well as
those portions of the Department of Defense concerning the Defense Health
Program and military facilities sustainment and housing accounts.
• The former Transportation and Treasury subcommittee gained jurisdiction over
three new areas: the Department Housing and Urban Development was
transferred from the eliminated VA-HUD subcommittee, the federal judiciary
was transferred from the former Commerce, Justice, State, and the Judiciary
subcommittee, and jurisdiction over the District of Columbia was transferred
from the eliminated District of Columbia subcommittee.
• Jurisdiction over NASA, the National Science Foundation, and the Office of
Science and Technology Policy was transferred from the eliminated VA-HUD
subcommittee, to the newly named Subcommittee on Science, State, Justice and
Commerce, and Related Agencies.
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• Jurisdiction over other agencies formerly exercised by the VA-HUD
Subcommittee was transferred to the Interior Subcommittee (the Environmental
Protection Agency) and Labor-HHS Subcommittee (AmeriCorps).
• Jurisdiction over Weatherization Assistance Grants exercised by the Labor-HHS
Subcommittee, and energy related accounts exercised by the Interior
Subcommittee, was transferred the Energy and Water Development
Subcommittee.
This reorganization left the House with the following 10 subcommittees:
1. Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related
Agencies;
2. Subcommittee on Defense;
3. Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies;
4. Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs;
5. Subcommittee on Homeland Security;
6. Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies;
7. Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies;
8. Subcommittee on Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies;
9. Subcommittee on Science, State, Justice and Commerce, and Related Agencies;
10. Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, and Housing and Urban Development, the
Judiciary, District of Columbia.
The Senate Appropriations Committee subsequently adopted a reorganization plan as well,
eliminating the Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development, and
Independent Agencies and making the following major changes:
• Jurisdiction over Veterans Affairs was transferred to the Subcommittee on
Military Construction.
• Jurisdiction over the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the
federal judiciary, was trasferred to the former Subcommittee on Transportation,
Treasury and General Government.
• Jurisdiction over NASA, the National Science Foundation, and the Office of
Science and Technology Policy, was transferred to the former Subcommittee on
Commerce, Justice, State, and the Judiciary.
• Jurisdiction over AmeriCorps was transferred to the Subcommittee on Labor,
Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies.
• Jurisdiction over the Environmental Protection Agency was transferred to the
Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies.
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• Jurisdiction over energy related accounts formerly exercised by the Interior
Subcommittee was transferred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Water
Development.
• Jurisdiction over the State Department was transferred to the former
Subcommittee on Foreign Operations.
This reorganization left the Senate with the following 12 subcommittees:
1. Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, and Related Agencies;
2. Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science;
3. Subcommittee on Defense;
4. Subcommittee on the District of Columbia;
5. Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development;
6. Subcommittee on Homeland Security;
7. Subcommittee on Interior, and Related Agencies;
8. Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies;
9. Subcommittee on Legislative Branch;
10. Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs;
11. Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, and Related Programs;
12. Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, The Judiciary, and Housing and Urban
Development.
At the beginning of the 110th Congress (2007), parallel House and Senate appropriations
subcommittee jurisdictions were reestablished. This was accomplished by the following major
changes:
• Jurisdiction over the Departments of Transportation, Treasury, and Housing and Urban
Affairs, was divided to create subcommittees in both chambers on Transportation,
Housing and Urban Development, and related agencies, and on Financial Services and
General Government (including the Treasury Department, the Judiciary, the Executive
Office of the President, the Office of Personnel Management, the Postal Service, the
District of Columbia, and other related agencies, such as the Federal Elections
Commission, Federal Trade Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission, and
Small Business Administration).
• Jurisdiction over Defense health programs and military facilities sustainment and housing
accounts was transferred from the House Military Quality of Life subcommittee to the
Defense subcommittee.
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• Jurisdiction over the State Department was transferred from the House Science, State,
Justice and Commerce, and Related Agencies subcommittee to the Foreign Operations
subcommittee.
In addition, the House reestablished a subcommittee with jurisdiction over the Legislative
Branch, and the Senate eliminated a separate subcommittee on the District of Columbia. The
reorganization left the two chambers with the following 12 subcommittees:21
1. Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related
Agencies;
2. Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies;
3. Subcommittee on Defense;
4. Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies;
5. Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government;
6. Subcommittee on the Department of Homeland Security;
7. Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies;
8. Subcommittee on the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and
Related Agencies;
9. Subcommittee on Legislative Branch;
10. Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies;
11. Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs;
12. Subcommittee on Transportation and Housing and Urban Development, and Related
Agencies.
During the first session of the 110th Congress (2007), based on the recommendations of the 9/11
Commission, the House created the Select Intelligence Oversight Panel of the Appropriations
Committee to oversee spending on federal intelligence activities.22 This panel was established for
three major purposes: to review and study on a continuing basis budget requests for and execution
of intelligence activities, to make recommendations to relevant subcommittees of the Committee
on Appropriations, and to prepare an annual report to the Defense Subcommittee of the
Committee on Appropriations containing budgetary and oversight observations and
recommendations for use by such subcommittee in preparation of the classified annex to the bill
21 U.S. Congress, House Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee Jurisdiction, committee print, 110th Cong., 1st
sess. (Washington: GPO, 2007).
22 Representative David Obey, Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, introduced H.Res. 35 at the
beginning of the 110th Congress to create a select oversight panel to oversee spending on federal intelligence activities.
The resolution was adopted by the House on January 9, 2007, by a vote of 239-188. See “Select Intelligence Oversight
Panel,” Congressional Record, daily edition, vol. 153, January 9, 2007, pp. H199-H209.
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Appropriations Subcommittee Structure: History of Changes from 1920-2011
making appropriations for the Department of Defense.23 This panel did not have any spending
jurisdiction.
At the beginning of the 112th Congress (2011), the Select Intellience Oversight Panel was
eliminated by H.Res. 5, adopted on January 5, 2011.
Author Contact Information
Jessica Tollestrup
Analyst on Congress and the Legislative Process
jtollestrup@crs.loc.gov, 7-0941
Acknowledgments
The original version of this report was written by James V. Saturno, formerly a Specialist in American
National Government at CRS. The listed author has revised and updated this report and is available to
respond to inquiries on the subject.
23 Select Intelligence Oversight Panel was composed of 13 members, including the chairman and ranking minority
member of the Committee on Appropriations, the chairman and ranking minority member of the Subcommittee on
Defense, six additional members of the Committee on Appropriations, and three members of the Permanent Select
Committee on Intelligence.
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