United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch

The United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch is a standing subcommittee within the House Appropriations Committee. The United States House Committee on Appropriations has joint jurisdiction with the United States Senate Committee on Appropriations over all appropriations bills in the United States Congress. Each committee has 12 matching subcommittees, each of which is tasked with working on one of the twelve annual regular appropriations bills. This subcommittee has jurisdiction over the budget for the United States Congress.

Robert Aderholt speaking during a meeting of the Appropriations Committee Republicans subcommittee in 2018.

It is currently chaired by Republican Mark Amodei of Nevada, and its ranking member is Democrat Adriano Espaillat of New York.

Appropriations process

Traditionally, after a federal budget for the upcoming fiscal year has been passed, the appropriations subcommittees receive information about what the budget sets as their spending ceilings. This is called "302(b) allocations" after section 302(b) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. That amount is separated into smaller amounts for each of the twelve Subcommittees. The federal budget does not become law and is not signed by the President. Instead, it is a guide for the House and the Senate in making appropriations and tax decisions. However, no budget is required and each chamber has procedures in place for what to do without one. The House and Senate now consider appropriations bills simultaneously, although originally the House went first. The House Committee on Appropriations usually reports the appropriations bills in May and June and the Senate in June. Any differences between appropriations bills passed by the House and the Senate are resolved in the fall.

Appropriations bills

An appropriations bill is a bill that appropriates (gives to, sets aside for) money to specific federal government departments, agencies, and programs. The money provides funding for operations, personnel, equipment, and activities. Regular appropriations bills are passed annually, with the funding they provide covering one fiscal year. The fiscal year is the accounting period of the federal government, which runs from October 1 to September 30 of the following year.

There are three types of appropriations bills: regular appropriations bills, continuing resolutions, and supplemental appropriations bills. Regular appropriations bills are the twelve standard bills that cover the funding for the federal government for one fiscal year and that are supposed to be enacted into law by October 1. If Congress has not enacted the regular appropriations bills by the time, it can pass a continuing resolution, which continues the pre-existing appropriations at the same levels as the previous fiscal year (or with minor modifications) for a set amount of time. The third type of appropriations bills are supplemental appropriations bills, which add additional funding above and beyond what was originally appropriated at the beginning of the fiscal year. Supplemental appropriations bills can be used for things like disaster relief.

Appropriations bills are one part of a larger United States budget and spending process. They are preceded in that process by the president's budget proposal, congressional budget resolutions, and the 302(b) allocation. Article One of the United States Constitution, section 9, clause 7, states that "No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law..." This is what gives Congress the power to make these appropriations. The President, however, still has the power to veto appropriations bills.

Members, 119th Congress

Majority	Minority
David Valadao, California, Chair Nick LaLota, New York Dale Strong, Alabama Celeste Maloy, Utah Riley Moore, West Virginia, Vice Chair	Adriano Espaillat, New York, Ranking Member Steny Hoyer, Maryland Mike Quigley, Illinois
Ex officio
Tom Cole, Oklahoma	Rosa DeLauro, Connecticut

Historical membership rosters

115th Congress

Majority	Minority
Jeff Fortenberry, Nebraska, Chairman Mark Amodei, Nevada, Vice Chair Dan Newhouse, Washington John Moolenaar, Michigan Scott Taylor, Virginia	Tim Ryan, Ohio, Ranking Member Betty McCollum, Minnesota Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Florida
Ex officio
Rodney Frelinghuysen, New Jersey	Nita Lowey, New York

116th Congress

Majority	Minority
Tim Ryan, Ohio, Chair Dutch Ruppersberger, Maryland, Vice Chair Katherine Clark, Massachusetts Ed Case, Hawaii	Jaime Herrera Beutler, Washington, Ranking Member Dan Newhouse, Washington
Ex officio
Nita Lowey, New York	Kay Granger, Texas

117th Congress

Majority	Minority
Tim Ryan, Ohio, Chair Katherine Clark, Massachusetts, Vice Chair Ed Case, Hawaii Adriano Espaillat, New York Jennifer Wexton, Virginia	Jaime Herrera Beutler, Washington, Ranking Member Mark Amodei, Nevada Dan Newhouse, Washington
Ex officio
Rosa DeLauro, Connecticut	Kay Granger, Texas

118th Congress

Majority	Minority
Mark Amodei, Nevada, Chair Andrew Clyde, Georgia Jake LaTurner, Kansas Stephanie Bice, Oklahoma Scott Franklin, Florida	Adriano Espaillat, New York, Ranking Member Mike Quigley, Illinois Jennifer Wexton, Virginia
Ex officio
Kay Granger, Texas	Rosa DeLauro, Connecticut

External links

• Committee on Appropriations
• Subcommittee page

References

1. Tollestrup, Jessica (23 February 2012). "The Congressional Appropriations Process: An Introduction" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
2. Tollestrup, Jessica (23 February 2012). "The Congressional Appropriations Process: An Introduction" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. pp. 3–4. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
3. Heniff Jr., Bill (26 November 2012). "Basic Federal Budgeting Terminology" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
4. Tollestrup, Jessica (23 February 2012). "The Congressional Appropriations Process: An Introduction" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. pp. 10–11. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
5. Tollestrup, Jessica (23 February 2012). "The Congressional Appropriations Process: An Introduction" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. p. 13. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
6. "Cole Announces Republican Subcommittee Rosters for the 119th Congress". House Committee on Appropriations. January 15, 2025.
7. "DeLauro Announces Appropriations Committee Roster for the 119th Congress". Appropriations Committee Democrats. January 15, 2025.
8. Subcommittee page, 116th Congress
9. "Legislative Branch (116th Congress)". Committee on Appropriations - Democrats. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
10. "Lowey Announces Appropriations Committee Roster". Committee on Appropriations - Democrats. 2019-01-16. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
11. "Lowey Announces Appropriations Subcommittee Vice Chairs". Committee on Appropriations - Democrats. 2019-01-31. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
12. "Granger Announces Committee Leadership for 116th Congress | Committee on Appropriations Republicans". republicans-appropriations.house.gov. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
13. Subcommittee page
14. Subcommittee page