The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is a standing committee of the United States Senate. It is charged with leading foreign-policy legislation and debate in the Senate. The Foreign Relations Committee is generally responsible for overseeing (but not administering) and funding foreign aid programs as well as funding, arms sales and training for national allies. The committee is also responsible for holding confirmation hearings for the position of Secretary of State. The committee has considered, debated, and reported important treaties and legislation, ranging from the purchase of Alaska in 1867 to the establishment of the United Nations in 1945. It also holds jurisdiction over all diplomatic nominations.[1] Along with the Finance and Judiciary Committees, the Foreign Relations Committee is one of the oldest in the Senate, going back to the initial creation of committees in 1816. Its sister committee in the House of Representatives is the Committee on Foreign Affairs (renamed from International Relations by the 110th Congress in January 2007). The Committee should not be confused with the Council on Foreign Relations.
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Members, 111th Congress
The Committee is chaired by Democrat John Kerry of Massachusetts, and the Ranking Minority Member is Republican Richard Lugar of Indiana.
| Majority | Minority |
|---|---|
|
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Source: 2009 Congressional Record, Vol. 155, Page S729 , S879, S7807
Subcommittees
| Subcommittee | Chair | Ranking Minority Member |
|---|---|---|
| Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps and Narcotics Affairs | Christopher Dodd (D-CT) | John Barrasso (R-WY) |
| Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs | Bob Casey, Jr. (D-PA) | Jim Risch (R-ID) |
| African Affairs | Russ Feingold (D-WI) | Johnny Isakson (R-GA) |
| East Asian and Pacific Affairs | Jim Webb (D-VA) | James Inhofe (R-OK) |
| International Operations and Organizations, Human Rights, Democracy and Global Women's Issues | Barbara Boxer (D-CA) | Roger Wicker (R-MS) |
| European Affairs | Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) | Jim DeMint (R-SC) |
| Bob Menendez (D-NJ) | Bob Corker (R-TN) |
Chairmen (1836-present)
- James Buchanan (D-PA) 1836–1841
- William C. Rives (W-VA) 1841–1842
- William S. Archer (W-VA) 1842–1845
- William Allen (D-OH) 1845–1846
- Ambrose H. Sevier (D-AR) 1846–1848
- Edward A. Hannegan (D-IN) 1848–1849
- Thomas Hart Benton (D-MO) 1849
- William R. King (D-AL) 1849–1850
- Henry S. Foote (D-MS) 1850–1851
- James M. Mason (D-VA) 1851–1861
- Charles Sumner (R-MA) 1861–1871
- Simon Cameron (R-PA) 1871–1877
- Hannibal Hamlin (R-ME) 1877–1879
- William W. Eaton (D-CT) 1879–1881
- Ambrose Burnside (R-RI) 1881
- George F. Edmunds (R-VT) 1881
- William Windom (R-MN) 1881–1883
- John F. Miller (R-CA) 1883–1886
- John Sherman (R-OH) 1886–1893
- John T. Morgan (D-AL) 1893–1895
- John Sherman (R-OH) 1895–1897
- William P. Frye (R-ME) 1897
- Cushman Davis (R-MN) 1897–1901
- Shelby M. Cullom (R-IL) 1901–1911
- Augustus O. Bacon (D-GA) 1913–1914
- William J. Stone (D-MO) 1914–1918
- Gilbert M. Hitchcock (D-NE) 1918–1919
- Henry Cabot Lodge (R-MA) 1919–1924
- William Edgar Borah (R-ID) 1924–1933
- Key Pittman (D-NV) 1933–1940
- Walter F. George (D-GA) 1940–1941
- Tom Connally (D-TX) 1941–1947
- Arthur H. Vandenberg (R-MI) 1947–1949
- Tom Connally (D-TX) 1949–1953
- Alexander Wiley (R-WI) 1953–1955
- Walter F. George (D-GA) 1955–1957
- Theodore F. Green (D-RI) 1957–1959
- J. William Fulbright (D-AR) 1959–1975
- John Sparkman (D-AL) 1975–1979
- Frank Church (D-ID) 1979–1981
- Charles H. Percy (R-IL) 1981–1985
- Richard Lugar (R-IN) 1985–1987
- Claiborne Pell (D-RI) 1987–1995
- Jesse Helms (R-NC) 1995–2001
- Joe Biden (D-DE) 2001
- Jesse Helms (R-NC) 2001
- Joe Biden (D-DE) 2001–2003
- Richard Lugar (R-IN) 2003–2007
- Joe Biden (D-DE) 2007–2009
- John Kerry (D-MA) 2009-
References
- ^ Committee on Foreign Relations 2003.
- Committee on Foreign Relations (2003). The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Washington, D.C.
- Congresspedia (2006). Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.
External links
- U.S. Senate Committee of Foreign Relations Official Website
- U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) Page for the Committee of Foreign Relations
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