Senate Appropriations Committee Announces Subcommittee Assignments for 113th Congress

Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) will retain chairmanship of the Senate Appropriations Commerce-Justice-Science (CJS) subcommittee in addition to her new duties as chair of the full appropriations committee.  Similarly, Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL), will pull double duty as the Ranking Member (top Republican) on the full committee and the CJS subcommittee.

Holding the top position on the full committee as well as on a subcommittee is not uncommon on this committee. 

CJS is one of the two appropriations subcommittees with jurisdiction over a significant portion of federal funding for space activities.  The Defense Subcommittee is the other.

Among the agencies funded through CJS are NASA and NOAA.   Mikulski has chaired that subcommittee for several years and Shelby was Ranking Member in the 111th Congress.   During the 112th Congress, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) was the Ranking Member.  She retired at the end of that Congress.

The Defense Subcommittee, which funds space programs in the Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community, will be chaired Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and the Ranking Member is Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS).   Durbin replaces Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI), who died in December.   Cochran retains his position as Ranking Member.   Inouye and Cochran were Chair and Ranking Member of the full committee in the last Congress.

The full subcommittee assignment list is on the committee’s website.   The assignments for CJS and Defense are as follows.

Commerce-Justice-Science (CJS) Subcommittee

Democrats (9)

• Sen. Barbara Mikulski (MD)
• Sen. Patrick Leahy (VT)
• Sen. Dianne Feinstein (CA)
• Sen. Jack Reed (RI)
• Sen. Frank Lautenberg (NJ)
• Sen. Mark Pryor (AR)
• Sen. Mary Landrieu (LA)
• Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (NH)
• Sen. Jeff Merkley (OR)

Republicans (8)

• Sen. Richard Shelby (AL)
• Sen. Mitch McConnell (KY)
• Sen. Lamar Alexander (TN)
• Sen. Susan Collins (ME)
• Sen. Lisa Murkowski (AK)
• Sen. Lindsey Graham (SC)
• Sen. Mark Kirk (IL)
• Sen. John Boozman (AR)

Defense Subcommittee

Democrats (10)

• Sen. Dick Durbin (IL)
• Sen. Patrick Leahy (VT)
• Sen. Tom Harkin (IA)
• Sen. Dianne Feinstein (CA)
• Sen. Barbara Mikulski (MD)
• Sen. Patty Murray (WA)
• Sen. Tim Johnson (SD)
• Sen. Jack Reed (RI)
• Sen. Mary Landriey (LA)
• Sen. Mark Pryor (AR)

Republicans (9)

• Sen. Thad Cochran (MS)
• Sen. Mitch McConnell (KY)
• Sen. Richard Shelby (AL)
• Sen. Lamar Alexander (TN)
• Sen. Susan Collins (ME)
• Sen. Lisa Murkowski (AK)
• Sen. Lindsey Graham (SC)
• Sen. Daniel Coats (IN)
• Sen. Roy Blunt (MO)