
Sens. Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
(Image credit – Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee)
The House and Senate committees with jurisdiction over science agencies have now finished filling out their leadership positions. These “authorization” committees conduct oversight of federal R&D programs and are gatekeepers for science policy legislation. Funding is handled through separate appropriations committees, which have also finished organizing
The authorization committees have seen considerable turnover, with the Democratic takeover of the House bringing new leadership to all its committees and the departure of some Senate members reshuffling key leadership positions in that chamber.
This bulletin reviews the committees and subcommittees most relevant to the physical sciences, except for the House Science Committee, which is covered in a separate bulletin
Sens. Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
(Image credit – Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee)
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) is the new chair of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, taking over from Sen. John Thune (R-SD), who is now Senate Majority Whip. The committee oversees several science agencies, including NASA, the National Science Foundation, National Institute of Standards and Technology, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. In the committee’s first meeting this year, Wicker said
As the committee’s ranking member, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) succeeds Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), who lost his seat in the November election. Cantwell spoke
The Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee has adopted an updated subcommittee structure in the new Congress, which includes two panels with major science policy portfolios.
The Science, Oceans, Fisheries, and Weather Subcommittee has jurisdiction
The Aviation and Space Subcommittee has jurisdiction
Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), at center, hosting a roundtable to discuss challenges and opportunities in the Arctic region.
(Image credit – Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee)
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) returns as chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Departments of Energy and the Interior. During her term as chair, which expires at the end of this Congress, Murkowski has been a vocal proponent
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) is taking the place of Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) as the committee’s top Democrat. In a statement
Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) is taking Manchin’s former spot as ranking member of the Energy Subcommittee. Heinrich has been a vocal advocate for DOE’s Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories, which play a significant
Reps. Bobby Rush (D-IL), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), and Kathy Castor (D-FL)
(Image credit – House Energy and Commerce Committee)
Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) is the new chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Department of Energy, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, National Institutes of Health, and Environmental Protection Agency, among other agencies. (Science activities at DOE are under the purview of the House Science Committee.) Pallone has served as the committee’s top Democrat since 2015. The committee has retained its previous subcommittee structure, though Pallone renamed
Reps. Bobby Rush (D-IL) and Fred Upton (R-MI) return as the leaders of the Energy Subcommittee. In a statement
The Environment and Climate Change Subcommittee is retaining Reps. Paul Tonko (D-NY) and John Shimkus (R-IL) as its leaders. Tonko has said
The House and Senate Armed Services Committees have jurisdiction over the Department of Defense and DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration.
Reps. Mac Thornberry (R-TX) and Adam Smith (D-WA) have swapped positions atop the House committee, while Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) has become chair of the Senate committee following the death of Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). In a recent speech
In the House, Reps. Jim Langevin (D-RI) and Elise Stefanik (R-NY) return as the top members of the Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee, which oversees DOD R&D activities, while Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) remains chair of the counterpart subcommittee in the Senate. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) is the new ranking member of the subcommittee, taking the spot previously held by Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM).
Heinrich now is the ranking member of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee, which oversees NNSA, succeeding Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-IN), who lost his seat in the November election. Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) has replaced Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) as ranking member of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee in the House, while Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN) has become chair. Turner was previously the top Republican of the subcommittee from 2009 to 2011.
The House’s Democratic majority has created a Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, reviving a similar panel that existed from 2007 to 2011, the last time they held the chamber. Unlike standing committees, the select committee will not be authorized to consider legislation or issue subpoenas, though it may recommend such actions to other committees. The select committee’s primary objective
The House Intelligence Committee has adopted a new structure