Title: 11.5: House and Senate Organization - Social Sci LibreTexts
Headings: 11.5: House and Senate Organization
11.5: House and Senate Organization
Learning Objectives
PARTY LEADERSHIP
THE COMMITTEE SYSTEM
Summary
Glossary

Content: Because of the traditions of unlimited debate and the filibuster, the majority and minority leaders often occupy the floor together in an attempt to keep things moving along. At times, their interactions are intense and partisan, but for the Senate to get things done, they must cooperate to get the sixty votes needed to run this super-majority legislative institution. THE COMMITTEE SYSTEM
With 535 members in Congress and a seemingly infinite number of domestic, international, economic, agricultural, regulatory, criminal, and military issues to deal with at any given moment, the two chambers must divide their work based on specialization. Congress does this through the committee system. Specialized committees (or subcommittees) in both the House and the Senate are where bills originate and most of the work that sets the congressional agenda takes place. Committees are roughly approximate to a bureaucratic department in the executive branch. There are well over two hundred committees, subcommittees, select committees, and joint committees in the Congress. The core committees are called standing committee s. There are twenty standing committees in the House and sixteen in the Senate (Table). Congressional Standing and Permanent Select Committees
House of Representatives
Senate
Agriculture
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
Appropriations
Appropriations
Armed Services
Armed Services
Budget
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
Education and the Workforce
Budget
Energy and Commerce
Commerce, Science, and Transportation
Ethics
Energy and Natural Resources
Financial Services
Environment and Public Works
Foreign Affairs
Ethics (select)
Homeland Security
Finance
House Administration
Foreign Relations
Intelligence (select)
Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Judiciary
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Natural Resources
Indian Affairs (select)
Oversight and Government Reform
Intelligence (select)
Rules
Judiciary
Science, Space, and Technology
Rules and Administration
Small Business
Small Business and Entrepreneurship
Transportation and Infrastructure
Veterans’ Affairs
Veterans’ Affairs

Ways and Means

Members of both parties compete for positions on various committees. These positions are typically filled by majority and minority members to roughly approximate the ratio of majority to minority members in the respective chambers, although committees are chaired by members of the majority party.