U.S. Congressional committee

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A Congressional committee in the parlance of the United States Congress and politics of the United States is a legislative 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). In the smaller United States Senate, there are 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).

Most committees also have one or more subcomittees.

Table of contents

1 House Committees

2 Senate Committees

3 Committees in Both Chambers

4 Defunct House Standing Committees

5 Defunct Senate Committees

6 Other Defunct Committees

7 See Also