Congressional Committees Flashcards

Bone up on your U.S. congressional committees, from Armed Services to Ways and Means.

1
Q

What is a congressional committee?

A

A group of Congress members who research and vote on bills in a smaller setting before the bills are presented to the full House or Senate

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2
Q

What is a subcommittee?

A

a smaller committee within a larger one and that has a more specific interest

e.g., the House Appropriations Committee has smaller committees on Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, etc.

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3
Q

How is the representation in committees determined?

A

Representation in committees reflects the party representation in the respective house.

e.g., if Democrats have majority in the Senate, more Democrats will serve on almost every committee
each committee is chaired by a member of the majority party

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4
Q

What is a select, or special, committee?

A

a committee used for researching specific issues not in the jurisdiction of the standing committees already in Congress

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5
Q

What is a joint committee?

A

a bicameral committee consisting of members from both houses of Congess

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6
Q

What is the difference between a select and a joint committee?

A

A select committee is formed for a specific goal or purpose while a joint committee is comprised of members from both houses of Congress.

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7
Q

What is the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry?

A

Senate committee that handles agriculture issues

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8
Q

What is the Committee on Appropriations?

A

a committee in both the House and Senate that controls total expenditures

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9
Q

What is the Committee on Armed Services?

A

a committee in both the House and Senate that handles issues regarding:

  • the Army
  • the Navy, etc.
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10
Q

What is the Committee on Budget?

A

a committee in both the House and Senate that helps draft the budget and monitor non-budget spending

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11
Q

What is the Committee on Education and Labor?

A

House committee that handles issues regarding:

  • safety and fair compensation for the working population
  • primary and continuing education, etc.
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12
Q

What is the Committee on Energy and Commerce?

A

House committee that handles issues regarding:

  • tourism
  • energy sources
  • public health
  • biomedical research, etc.
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13
Q

What is the Committee on Foreign Affairs?

A

House committee that handles issues regarding:

  • Peace Corps
  • deployment of troops on foreign soil
  • adhering to the rules of the UN, etc.
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14
Q

What is the Committee on Homeland Security?

A

House committee that handles issues regarding:

  • border control
  • health pandemics and prevention
  • civil liberties, etc.
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15
Q

What is the Committee on the Judiciary?

A

a committee in both the House and Senate that handles issues regarding:

  • federal law enforcement
  • civil liberties
  • constitutional amendments, etc.
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16
Q

What is the Committee on Natural Resources?

A

House committee that handles issues regarding:

  • natural resources
  • waters and marinas
  • Native American Affairs, etc.
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17
Q

What is the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform?

A

House committee that handles issues regarding:

  • investigations of government programs and executive misconduct
  • subpoenas to implicated officials
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18
Q

What is the Committee on Science and Technology?

A

House committee that handles issues regarding research in:

  • space exploration
  • weather
  • science, etc.
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19
Q

What is the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct?

A

Nonpartisan House committee with equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans that monitors gifts received by Representatives

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20
Q

What is the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure?

A

House committee that handles issues regarding:

  • public government buildings
  • transportation of goods
  • roads and marinas, etc.
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21
Q

What is the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs?

A

a committee in both the House and Senate that handles veteran-specific programs and measures, including:

  • health care
  • taxes, etc.
22
Q

What is the Committee on Ways and Means?

A

House committee that handles issues regarding:

  • taxation
  • Social Security
  • welfare
  • Medicare, etc.

(all tax bills originate in this committee, making it particularly powerful)

23
Q

What is the Joint Economic Committee?

A

joint committee that:

  • conducts continuing studies of economics
  • makes recommendations for improving the U.S. economy
24
Q

What is the Joint Committee on Taxation?

A

joint committee that drafts taxation bills and estimates potential revenues

25
Q

What is the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs?

A

Senate committee that handles issues regarding:

  • banking
  • insurance
  • urban development
  • economic policy, etc.
26
Q

What is the Committee on Agriculture?

A

House committee that handles issues regarding:

  • crops
  • forestry
  • disaster insurance, etc.
27
Q

What is the Committee on Financial Services?

A

House committee that handles issues regarding:

  • banking
  • insurance
  • Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
  • the U.S. role in the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, etc.
28
Q

Name the term and committee:

a group of Congress members who research and vote on bills in a smaller setting before the bills are presented to the full House or Senate

A

Congressional Committee

29
Q

Name the term and committee:

a smaller committee within a larger one and that has a more specific interest

e.g., the House Appropriations Committee has smaller committees on Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, etc.

A

Subcommittee

30
Q

Name the term and committee:

a committee used for researching specific issues not in the jurisdiction of the standing committees already in Congress

A

Select, or Special, Committee

31
Q

Name the term and committee:

a bicameral committee consisting of members from both houses of Congess

A

Joint Committee

32
Q

Name the term and committee:

Senate committee that handles agriculture issues

A

Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

33
Q

Name the term and committee:

a committee in both the House and Senate that controls total expenditures

A

Committee on Appropriations

34
Q

Name the term and committee:

a committee in both the House and Senate that handles issues regarding:

  • the Army
  • the Navy, etc.
A

Committee on Armed Services

35
Q

Name the term and committee:

a committee in both the House and Senate that helps draft the budget and monitor non-budget spending

A

Committee on Budget

36
Q

Name the term and committee:

House committee that handles issues regarding:

  • safety and fair compensation for the working population
  • primary and continuing education, etc.
A

Committee on Education and Labor

37
Q

Name the term and committee:

House committee that handles issues regarding:

  • tourism
  • energy sources
  • public health
  • biomedical research, etc.
A

Committee on Energy and Commerce

38
Q

Name the term and committee:

House committee that handles issues regarding:

  • Peace Corps
  • deployment of troops on foreign soil
  • adhering to the rules of the UN, etc.
A

Committee on Foreign Affairs

39
Q

Name the term and committee:

House committee that handles issues regarding:

  • border control
  • health pandemics and prevention
  • civil liberties, etc.
A

Committee on Homeland Security

40
Q

Name the term and committee:

a committee in both the House and Senate that handles issues regarding:

  • federal law enforcement
  • civil liberties
  • constitutional amendments, etc.
A

Committee on the Judiciary

41
Q

Name the term and committee:

House committee that handles issues regarding:

  • natural resources
  • waters and marinas
  • Native American Affairs, etc.
A

Committee on Natural Resources

42
Q

Name the term and committee:

House committee that handles issues regarding:

  • investigations of government programs and executive misconduct
  • subpoenas to implicated officials
A

Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

43
Q

Name the term and committee:

House committee that handles issues regarding research in:

  • space exploration
  • weather
  • science, etc.
A

Committee on Science and Technology

44
Q

Name the term and committee:

Nonpartisan House committee with equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans that monitors gifts received by Representatives

A

Committee on Standards of Official Conduct

45
Q

Name the term and committee:

House committee that handles issues regarding:

  • public government buildings
  • transportation of goods
  • roads and marinas, etc.
A

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

46
Q

Name the term and committee:

a committee in both the House and Senate that handles veteran-specific programs and measures, including:

  • health care
  • taxes, etc.
A

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs

47
Q

Name the term and committee:

House committee that handles issues regarding:

  • taxation
  • Social Security
  • welfare
  • Medicare, etc.

(all tax bills originate in this committee, making it particularly powerful)

A

Committee on Ways and Means

48
Q

Name the term and committee:

joint committee that:

  • conducts continuing studies of economics
  • makes recommendations for improving the U.S. economy
A

Joint Economic Committee

49
Q

Name the term and committee:

joint committee that drafts taxation bills and estimates potential revenues

A

Joint Committee on Taxation

50
Q

Name the term and committee:

Senate committee that handles issues regarding:

  • banking
  • insurance
  • urban development
  • economic policy, etc.
A

Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

51
Q

Name the term and committee:

House committee that handles issues regarding:

  • crops
  • forestry
  • disaster insurance, etc.
A

Committee on Agriculture

52
Q

Name the term and committee:

House committee that handles issues regarding:

  • banking
  • insurance
  • Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
  • the U.S. role in the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, etc.
A

Committee on Financial Services