House Committees

Alternative names: House Committee on Education and Labor; House Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities. Established on March 21, 1987, this committee oversees programs that affect all Americans, from early learning and postsecondary education to skills development and retirement security. Programs and policies that fall within the government's general Education and Human Services Policy and Workforce Policy are overseen by this committee. For a more exact definition of this committee's authority, see Rule X, Clause 1(e) of the House Rules and Manual. NOTE: Due to the overwhelming number of oversight records discovered in addition to oversight reports (see CORD Codebook for exact definitions), the decision was made to modify the criteria for an oversight record for this committee. The Levin Center does not guarantee the dataset of oversight records will be complete, unlike the dataset of oversight reports. Furthermore, the data for this committee may be slightly skewed as we were unable to find Republican oversight reports for several years. This could be due to the vast amount of oversight records (fact sheets and summaries of legislation) produced, the chairman/ranking member's choice, or some other factor. Regardless, the dataset is complete insofar as the methodology has been followed.

Alternative name: House Committee on International Relations. Established on November 29, 1775, the committee on Foreign Affairs has jurisdiction over oversight and legislation regarding almost any action by the US abroad, US foreign relations and agreements, international law, the promotion of democracy, and the nation’s security against foreign threats. For a more exact definition of this committee's authority, see Rule X, Clause 1(i) of the House Rules and Manual.

Alternative name: House Select Committee on Homeland Security. Created on June 19, 2002, originally as a select, non-permanent committee to provide Congressional oversight over the development of the Department of Homeland Security, it became a formal standing committee in 2005. It has jurisdiction over legislation and oversight related to the security of the United States, particularly where it concerns terrorist attacks against the American people. For a more exact definition of this committee's authority, see Rule X, Clause 1(j) of the House Rules and Manual.

Historical and alternative names: House Committee on Government Reform, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, House Committee on Oversight and Reform, House Committee on Oversight and Accountability. Established in 1927, it is one of the most powerful and influential House Committees due to its broad jurisdiction. The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability holds the federal government and all its agencies accountable, as well as assesses their efficiency and effectiveness. For a more exact definition of this committee's authority, see Rule X, Clause 1(n) of the House Rules and Manual.