U.S. Congressional Committees in 2021

Congressional committees act as subdivisions within Congress that focus on specific areas of policy interests and other government oversight. Congressional committees review pending legislation and make recommendations to the U.S. House of Representatives or U.S. Senate.

The U.S. House has 20 standing committees and the U.S. Senate has 16 standing committees. Each committee has a chair and a ranking member. The chair heads the full committee and the ranking member leads the minority members of the committee. Each committee reviews bills and issues and make recommendations for consideration by the House and Senate. For more details on committee rules for the U.S. House of Representatives click here and for the U.S. Senate, click here.

Current U.S. House Standing Committees

• Agriculture
• Appropriations
• Armed Services
• Budget
• Commerce
• Education and the Workforce
• Ethics
• Financial Services
• Foreign Affairs
• Homeland Security
• House Administration
• Judiciary
• Natural Resources
• Oversight and Government Reform
• Rules
• Science, Space and Technology
• Small Business
• Transportation and Infrastructure
• Veterans’ Affairs
• Ways and Means

Current U.S. Senate Standing Committees

• Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry
• Appropriations
• Armed Services
• Banking, House and Urban Affairs
• Budget
• Commerce, Science and Transportation
• Energy and Natural Resources
• Environment and Public Works
• Finance
• Foreign Relations
• Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
• Homeland Security and Government Affairs
• Judiciary
• Rules and Administration
• Small Business and Entrepreneurship
• Veterans’ Affairs

Before Congressional members are assigned to committees, each committee’s size and proportion of Republicans and Democrats must be decided by party leaders. The total number of committee slots for each party is approximately the same ratio between majority party and minority party members in the full chamber. For example, if the U.S. Senate makeup is 60 in the majority party and 40 in the minority party, the committee makeup is 60 percent majority party members and 40 percent minority party members. Each party also forms a steering committee which generates committee recommendations for members of that respective party.

The 117th Congress began on Jan. 3, 2021 and will end in early January 2023. For the next two years, Democrats are the majority party in the U.S. House along with the majority party in a split 50-50 U.S. Senate, as Vice President Kamala Harris is the tie breaking vote. For details of the power-sharing agreement in the U.S. Senate, click here. With the new Congress now in full swing, the members of Iowa’s Congressional Delegation have received their respective committee assignments. See below for a list of each member's assignments.

Committee Assignments

Rep. Ashley Hinson, IA-1

• Committee on the Budget
• Committee on Appropriations

Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, IA-2

• Committee on Homeland Security
• Committee on Veterans Affairs
• Committee on Education and Labor

Rep. Cindy Axne, IA-3

• Committee on Financial Services
• Committee on Agriculture

Rep. Randy Feenstra, IA-4

• Committee on Agriculture
• Committee on the Budget
• Committee on Science, Space and Technology

Sen. Chuck Grassley

• Committee on Finance
• Committee on the Judiciary (Ranking Member)
• Committee on Agriculture Nutrition and Forestry
• Committee on the Budget
• Joint Committee on Taxation (Vice Chairman)

Sen. Joni Ernst

• Committee on Armed Services
• Committee on Environment and Public Works
• Committee on the Judiciary
• Committee on Agriculture Nutrition and Forestry
• Committee on Small Business and Administration

The Partnership's Public Policy team engages with local, state and federal officials to create public policy that generates economic growth, business prosperity and talent development in Greater Des Moines (DSM). The Partnership is a nonpartisan organization.