Appropriations Committee

The Appropriations Committee is in charge of all discretionary spending for the federal government, which is distributed via the 13 separate appropriations bills each fiscal year. Discretionary spending pays for a wide range of government programs, from the Defense Department's budget, to building roads, medical research, and environmental protection.This Committee does not handle the spending of entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare, or the interest on the national debt, because these expenditures are mandated by national law. Only about one third of U.S. Government spending is now discretionary, the rest is mandatory.

Key subcommittees under the Senate Appropriations Committee:

• Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development and Independent Agencies Subcommitee (EPA funding) 
• Energy and Water Development Subcommitee

Contact the Senate Appropriations Committee

Leadership

	Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) is the Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Sen. Byrd was elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates after World War II. Subsequently, he was elected to the West Virginia Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, and, in 1958, the United States Senate. Sen. Robert Byrd had a score of 63% in the 109th Congress.
	Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS) is the Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and has served in the Senate since 1978.  In his years in Congress, Cochran has sponsored a host of bills in support of agriculture, missile defense, and military construction.  His environmental record has been consistently weak.  Senator Cochran had a score of 4% in the 109th Congress.