FAQ

You can reach both Chairman Wyden's and Ranking Member Crapo’s Committee communications staff by calling 202-224-4515. Press releases, statements and bill summaries from committee leadership can be found in the Finance Committee Newsroom.

Please call 202-224-4515 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday or write to:

U.S. Senate Committee on Finance
219 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-6200

Please check in with the front office staff located in room 219 of the Senate Dirksen Office Building. 

The Finance Committee is currently comprised of 27 Members – 14 Democrats and 13 Republicans. The ratio of majority to minority Members on the Committee is based on the ratio of majority to minority Members of the Senate.  Senators are assigned to specific committees by their party conference. Seniority and regional balance are some of the factors used to determine committee assignments.

The Finance Committee rules of procedure are approved by Committee Members at the beginning of each Congress and can be found on the Finance Committee website here.

The Finance Committee’s jurisdiction, which derives from Rule XXV of the Standing Rules of the United States Senate, is defined by subject matter – not by agency or Department.  As a consequence of the Committee’s broad subject matter jurisdiction, the Finance Committee has sole or shared jurisdiction over the activities of numerous agencies and offices.  A full description of the Committee’s Department and Agency Jurisdiction can be found on the Finance Committee website.

Yes. The Finance Committee has six subcommittees that provide members a forum to examine specific areas within the Committee’s jurisdiction. Subject to the formal approval of the full Committee, the Chairman and Ranking Member establish the Committee’s subcommittees and membership for each Congressional session. Refer to Rule 17 of the Committee’s Rules of Procedure for more information about subcommittees.

The office of the Finance Committee Chairman accepts a limited number of internship and clerkship applicants each year. Successful internship applicants serve during spring, summer and fall segments.  Law school students serve as law clerks during the same periods. Click here for more information. 

The office of the Finance Committee Ranking Member, Senator Crapo, accepts a limited number of intern and law clerk applicants each year. Successful intern and law clerk applicants serve during spring (January-May), summer (May/June-August) and fall (September-December). These positions are unpaid.  Click here for more information.  (PROGRAM IS INDEFINITELY SUSPENDED) 

Committee hearings convened prior to 2009 require the use of RealPlayer, which is also free to download.

A hearing is convened to gather information and opinions on proposed legislation, conduct an investigation, or review the operation or other aspects of a Federal agency or program. An open executive session, commonly referred to as a markup, is convened to debate, amend and rewrite proposed legislation before reporting the bill to the full Senate for consideration.

Streaming video of committee hearings and open executive sessions can be found in the Hearings section of the Finance Committee website. Hearings in progress can be accessed from the Committee’s home page and also through Hearings.

Finance Committee hearings are open to the public, unless otherwise noted.  The Finance Committee hearing room is located in room 215 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.   Under the normal configuration, the room can accommodate approximately 60 members of the public.  Admission to hearings is on a first come, first served basis, and members of the public are encouraged to arrive early to ensure they will be seated. Finance Committee hearings are generally placed on the Committee Calendar seven days in advance of the event.  Generally, open executive sessions are placed on the schedule at least two days in advance of the event. 

Any individual or organization wanting to present their views for inclusion in the hearing record should submit a typewritten, single-spaced statement, not exceeding 10 pages in length. Title and date of the hearing, and the full name and address of the individual or organization must appear on the first page of the statement. Statements must be received no later than two weeks following the conclusion of the hearing.

Statements should be emailed to:

Statementsfortherecord@finance.senate.gov

Statements should be mailed (not faxed) to: 

Senate Committee on Finance
Attn. Editorial and Document Section
Rm. SD-219
Dirksen Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510-6200

Members of the public may bring cameras into the hearing room, but only non-flash photography is permitted. Only credentialed members of the press may use video recorders or sit in front of the dais to take photographs. 

All decisions regarding hearings and witnesses are made by the Chairman, the Ranking Member, committee staff, members of the committee and their staffs.

A mock markup is an informal open executive session convened to discuss and debate draft legislation prepared by the Administration to implement an international trade agreement.  After the Committee completes its work on the draft legislation, the legislation is transmitted to the Administration as a recommendation on the contents of the final implementing bill.  The President then transmits the trade agreement and the final implementing legislation to Congress, which considers the legislation and the agreement under expedited procedures.

Most content on the Finance Committee website requires the use of Adobe Acrobat Reader - a free program available for download here.

Visitors can access witness testimony online through the Witness Directory or Hearings.  Witness testimony is made available to the public online soon after the hearing or open executive session concludes.

Once available, these documents can generally be found in the Committee Library. With the exception of open executive session documents, the Government Printing Office also provides some committee publications on its website.  Any individual or organization may order a committee document through the U.S. Government Bookstore.  

The text and status of all bills and resolutions referred to the Finance Committee are available online through the Library of Congress. Use the “Advanced Search” option to limit search results to bills and resolutions referred to the Finance Committee. 

The most up-to-date information on the Committee’s activities can be found by browsing the Committee Calendar or the newsroom content from either the Chairman or Ranking Member. 

To check the status of pending legislation, visit the Library of Congress.  Note that information about bills originating in Committee will not be available through the Library of Congress until the bill is reported out of Committee.  Visitors can also check the status of legislation under consideration in the Finance Committee by accessing the Committee’s Legislation page. 

Jurisdiction governs which positions of advice and consent require Senate Finance Committee confirmation. Today, more than 80 full- and part-time positions are referred to the Finance Committee. Refer to the Congressional Research Service report, Presidential Appointee Positions Requiring Senate Confirmation and Committees Handling Nominations, for a thorough review of the nominations process.

The Finance Committee generally convenes three types of hearings: legislative hearings, oversight hearings, and confirmation hearings. Occasionally, the Chairman may convene a hearing outside Capitol Hill; these are called field hearings. Refer to the Congressional Research Service report, Types of Committee Hearings, for an extensive description of types of congressional hearings.

If you don't find the answer to your question on the Finance Committee website, please call 202-224-4515 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.