I'm proud to look out for Maine's interests as a member of the House Appropriations Committee. Our committee writes annual legislation that allocates federal funding to government agencies, departments, and organizations.
I also serve on the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies Subcommittee, as well as the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Subcommittee.
Please follow the links below for more information on the subcommittees I serve on.
Congress can be complicated. And you may be wondering how,"What is the Appropriations Committee, and how does it work?"
Watch this video explainer to understand what our committee does.
Among the three branches of government, Congress is holds the “purse strings” and it alone has the power to fund the federal government. And it is the Appropriations Committee that sets the funding levels for all federal spending every year.
The House and Senate both have Appropriations Committees, which are permanent – or “standing” – panels made up of members from both parties. The House committee has 53 members while the Senate has 30 members. The committee chair is from the majority party.
Right now, Democrats control Congress – so in the House our Chair is Democratic Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut and in the Senate the chair is Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont.
The committee also has “ranking members” – these are the top committee leaders from the minority party. Today, the Republicans are in the minority party so the Ranking Member in the House is Republican Kay Granger of Texas and in the Senate it is Richard Shelby of Alabama.
The federal budget is vast, touching most parts of American life. That’s why the House and Senate Appropriations Committees each have 12 subcommittees to focus on narrow portions of the overall spending package every year.
Over the next few weeks, my House Appropriations committee colleagues and I will be holding public hearings to determine how to best prioritize funding for the next fiscal year, FY2023.
After each subcommittee finishes its bill, it is debated and voted on by the full committee. After it is approved by the full committee, it is sent to the full House for a vote. The Senate is supposed to complete this same process and then the two chambers will hold a conference to reconcile any differences in the two funding bills. Once an agreement is reached, both chambers will vote on that compromise bill and send it to the President.
If is signed by the President, the government is fully funded for another year.
Community Project Funding is a critical tool to directly enrich our communities and a vital instrument that has facilitated member-to-member cooperation between the parties for decades. By giving all members an equal stake in the success of legislation for our constituents, the reintroduction of Community Project Funding will make Congress work better and heal the widening partisan divisions that threaten our democratic process.
For FY2022, I secured millions of dollars for 10 community projects Maine's First District. Click here to learn more about the projects I fought for.
I'm already working to build on FY2022's successes, and I'm in the process of securing funding for 15 community projects for the 2023 Fiscal Year.
