Senate Appropriations Committee at a Glance

Majority
Room, S128 Capitol
Phone, 224-3471
www.senate.gov/~appropriations

Minority
Room, S206 Capitol
Phone, 224-3471
www.senate.gov/~appropriations

Major issues
Annual appropriations bills

Committee profile
Although appropriations issues often become highly partisan, this panel appears to work on a bipartisan basis. Its members routinely vote in committee for spending bills that they do not necessarily agree with, simply to keep the process moving and get the bills to the Senate floor. While Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, who took over as chairman in 1997, has a reputation for testiness and had an early clash with ranking member Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., the two sides appear to get along and protect each other in their dealings with the House. Majority Staff Director and Clerk Steven Cortese attributes the comity to an "empathy" that has developed. He said that many Republican Senators and staffers remember when they were in the minority and take that into account when dealing with their Democratic colleagues. Moreover, Cortese noted that the Republicans' small majority and their ideological splits dictate that the panel work together. "This committee functions only when it works in a bipartisan way," he said.


Republicans (15)
Ted Stevens, Alaska
Thad Cochran, Miss.
Arlen Specter, Pa.
Pete V. Domenici, N.M.
Christopher S. Bond, Mo.
Slade Gorton, Wash.
Mitch McConnell, Ky.
Conrad Burns, Mont.
Richard C. Shelby, Ala.
Judd Gregg, N.H.
Robert Bennett, Utah
Ben Nighthorse Campbell, Colo.
Larry Craig, Idaho
Kay Bailey Hutchison, Texas
Jon Kyl, Ariz.


Majority

Staff Director, Clerk
Steven Cortese, 224-3471

Deputy Staff Director
Lisa Sutherland, 224-7241

Assistant Staff Director
Christine Ciccone, 224-8921

Communications Director
Jennifer Siciliano, 224-8921

Professional Staff Members
John Conway, 224-7222
Mary Beth Nethercut, 224-1526
Robert Putnam, 224-7221


Democrats (13)
Robert C. Byrd, W.Va.
Daniel K. Inouye, Hawaii
Ernest F. Hollings, S.C.
Patrick Leahy, Vt.
Frank Lautenberg, N.J.
Tom Harkin, Iowa
Barbara A. Mikulski, Md.
Harry Reid, Nev.
Herb Kohl, Wis.
Patty Murray, Wash.
Byron L. Dorgan, N.D.
Dianne Feinstein, Calif.
Richard J. Durbin, Ill.


Minority

Staff Director, Clerk
James H. English, 224-7200

Deputy Staff Director
Terrence Sauvain, 224-0338

Professional Staff Members
Mary Dewald, 224-7292
Paul Weinberger, 224-2153