A committee of the United States Congress is a sub-organization that handles a specific duty (rather than the general duties of Congress, i.e. making "necessary and proper" laws).
The House of Representatives relies more on its committees, as it is larger overall (435 as opposed to 100 members in the Senate). There are 20 standing committees (those that conduct business throughout the session, focusing on a certain, long-lasting issue). The Senate, on the other hand, has only 16 standing committees.
Together, there are certain joint committees (those that are important enough to warrant members from both chambers), select committees (those that only last for a certain amount of time, for a matter that is currently important), and "other" committees (including Indians' Affairs). Here is a list of committees:
House Committees
- Committee on Agriculture
- Committee on Appropriations
- Committee on Armed Services
- Committee on the Budget
- Committee on Education and the Workforce
- Committee on Energy and Commerce
- Committee on Financial Services
- Committee on Government Reform
- Committee on House Administration
- Committee on International Relations
- Committee on the Judiciary
- Committee on Resources
- Committee on Rules
- Committee on Science
- Committee on Small Business
- Committee on Standards of Official Conduct
- Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
- Committee on Veterans Affairs
- Committee on Ways and Means
- Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
- Select Committee on Homeland Security
Senate Committees
- Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
- Committee on Appropriations
- Committee on Armed Services
- Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
- Committee on Budget
- Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
- Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
- Committee on Environment and Public Works
- Committee on Finance
- Committee on Foreign Relations
- Committee on Governmental Affairs
- Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
- Committee on Judiciary
- Committee on Rules and Administration
- Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
- Committee on Veterans Affairs
- Committee on Indian Affairs (other)
- Select Committee on Ethics
- Select Committee on Intelligence
- Special Committee on Aging
Committees in Both Chambers
- Joint Economic Committee
- Joint Committee on the Library
- Joint Committee on Printing
- Joint Committee on Taxation
See also
