United States Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs

Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. congressional committee The United States Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs deals with oversight of United States veterans' problems and issues.

Description

The committee was created in 1970 to transfer responsibilities for veterans from the Finance and Labor committees to a single panel. From 1947 to 1970, matters relating to veterans compensation and veterans generally were referred to the Committee on Finance, while matters relating to the vocational rehabilitation, education, medical care, civil relief, and civilian readjustment of veterans were referred to the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare.<ref name="Senate"/>

Congressional legislation affecting veterans changed over the years. For the members of the armed forces and their families in the nation's early wars – the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Civil War and the Spanish–American War – the response of the federal government had been essentially financial. This was clearly the legislative mission of the Senate Committee on Pensions which was created as one of the Senate's original standing committees in 1816 and continued until its termination in the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946.<ref name="Senate"/>

During World War I the nature of the congressional response to veterans' needs changed towards a more diversified set of programs. A war risk insurance program, which was referred to the Senate Finance Committee, changed the consideration of veterans benefits in the Senate. The Finance Committee was the Senate standing committee most responsible for veterans programs from 1917 to 1946. After World War II, the Finance Committee handled the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, the GI Bill of Rights, which extended to servicemen and their families, a number of benefits including unemployment assistance, education, vocational training, housing and business loan guarantees, as well as the traditional medical and pension benefits of previous times. Many experts believe this law was one of the most important elements in the expansion of the middle class following World War II.<ref name="Senate"/>

The Veterans' Affairs Committee had nine members in its initial congress, the 92nd Congress (1971–73). It now has a total of 19 members.<ref name="Senate">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} Template:PD-notice</ref>

Members, 119th Congress

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Majority<ref>Template:USBill (119th Congress)</ref>	Minority<ref>Template:USBill (119th Congress)</ref>
Template:Party shading/Republican valign=top | Jerry Moran, Kansas, Chair John Boozman, Arkansas Bill Cassidy, Louisiana Thom Tillis, North Carolina Dan Sullivan, Alaska Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee Kevin Cramer, North Dakota Tommy Tuberville, Alabama Jim Banks, Indiana Tim Sheehy, Montana	Template:Party shading/Democratic valign=top | Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut, Ranking Member Patty Murray, Washington Bernie Sanders, VermontTemplate:Efn Mazie Hirono, Hawaii Maggie Hassan, New Hampshire Angus King, MaineTemplate:Efn Tammy Duckworth, Illinois Ruben Gallego, Arizona Elissa Slotkin, Michigan

According to committee members' official online biographies, five (Banks, Blumenthal, Duckworth, Gallego, Sheehy) of the nineteen members are veterans.

Chairs of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, 1971–present

Name	Party		State	Start	End
Template:Sortname	Template:Party color cell	Democratic	Indiana	1971	1977
Template:Sortname	Template:Party color cell	Democratic	California	1977	1981
Template:Sortname	Template:Party color cell	Republican	Wyoming	1981	1985
Template:Sortname	Template:Party color cell	Republican	Alaska	1985	1987
Template:Sortname	Template:Party color cell	Democratic	California	1987	1993
Template:Sortname	Template:Party color cell	Democratic	West Virginia	1993	1995
Template:Sortname	Template:Party color cell	Republican	Wyoming	1995	1997
Template:Sortname	Template:Party color cell	Republican	Pennsylvania	1997	2001
Template:Sortname	Template:Party color cell	Democratic	West Virginia	2001	2003
Template:Sortname	Template:Party color cell	Republican	Pennsylvania	2003	2005
Template:Sortname	Template:Party color cell	Republican	Idaho	2005	2007
Template:Sortname	Template:Party color cell	Democratic	Hawaii	2007	2011
Template:Sortname	Template:Party color cell	Democratic	Washington	2011	2013
Template:Sortname	Template:Party color cell	Independent	Vermont	2013	2015
Template:Sortname	Template:Party color cell	Republican	Georgia	2015	2019
Template:Sortname	Template:Party color cell	Republican	Kansas	2020	2021
Template:Sortname	Template:Party color cell	Democratic	Montana	2021	2025
Template:Sortname	Template:Party color cell	Republican	Kansas	2025	present

Ranking members

Name	Party		State	Start	End
Template:Sortname	Template:Party color cell	Republican	Pennsylvania	1971	1973
Template:Sortname	Template:Party color cell	Republican	Wyoming	1973	1979
Template:Sortname	Template:Party color cell	Republican	Vermont	1979	1981
Template:Sortname	Template:Party color cell	Democratic	California	1981	1987
Template:Sortname	Template:Party color cell	Republican	Alaska	1987	1991
Template:Sortname	Template:Party color cell	Republican	Pennsylvania	1991	1995
Template:Sortname	Template:Party color cell	Democratic	West Virginia	1995	2001
Template:Sortname	Template:Party color cell	Republican	Pennsylvania	2001	2003
Template:Sortname	Template:Party color cell	Democratic	Florida	2003	2005
Template:Sortname	Template:Party color cell	Democratic	Hawaii	2005	2007
Template:Sortname	Template:Party color cell	Republican	Idaho	2007
Template:Sortname	Template:Party color cell	Republican	North Carolina	2007	2015
Template:Sortname	Template:Party color cell	Democratic	Connecticut	2015	2017
Template:Sortname	Template:Party color cell	Democratic	Montana	2017	2021
Template:Sortname	Template:Party color cell	Republican	Kansas	2021	2025
Template:Sortname	Template:Party color cell	Democratic	Connecticut	2025	present

Historical committee rosters

118th Congress

Majority<ref>Template:USBill (118th Congress)</ref>	Minority<ref>Template:USBill (118th Congress)</ref>
Template:Party shading/Democratic valign=top | Jon Tester, Montana, Chair Patty Murray, Washington Bernie Sanders, VermontTemplate:Efn Sherrod Brown, Ohio Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Mazie Hirono, Hawaii Joe Manchin, West VirginiaTemplate:Efn Kyrsten Sinema, ArizonaTemplate:Efn Maggie Hassan, New Hampshire Angus King, MaineTemplate:Efn	Template:Party shading/Republican valign=top | Jerry Moran, Kansas, Ranking Member John Boozman, Arkansas Bill Cassidy, Louisiana Mike Rounds, South Dakota Thom Tillis, North Carolina Dan Sullivan, Alaska Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee Kevin Cramer, North Dakota Tommy Tuberville, Alabama

According to committee members' official online biographies, two of the eighteen members are veterans: Richard Blumenthal and Dan Sullivan.

117th Congress

Majority	Minority
Template:Party shading/Democratic valign=top | Jon Tester, Montana, Chair Patty Murray, Washington Bernie Sanders, VermontTemplate:Efn Sherrod Brown, Ohio Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Mazie Hirono, Hawaii Joe Manchin, West Virginia Kyrsten Sinema, Arizona Maggie Hassan, New Hampshire	Template:Party shading/Republican valign=top | Jerry Moran, Kansas, Ranking Member John Boozman, Arkansas Bill Cassidy, Louisiana Mike Rounds, South Dakota Thom Tillis, North Carolina Dan Sullivan, Alaska Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee Kevin Cramer, North Dakota Tommy Tuberville, Alabama

Source:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

116th Congress

Majority	Minority
Template:Party shading/Republican valign=top | Johnny Isakson, Georgia, Chair Template:Small Jerry Moran, Kansas, Chair Template:Small John Boozman, Arkansas Bill Cassidy, Louisiana Mike Rounds, South Dakota Thom Tillis, North Carolina Dan Sullivan, Alaska Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee Kevin Cramer, North Dakota Kelly Loeffler, Georgia Template:Small	Template:Party shading/Democratic valign=top | Jon Tester, Montana, Ranking Member Patty Murray, Washington Bernie Sanders, VermontTemplate:Efn Sherrod Brown, Ohio Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Mazie Hirono, Hawaii Joe Manchin, West Virginia Kyrsten Sinema, Arizona

115th Congress

Majority	Minority
Template:Party shading/Republican valign=top | Johnny Isakson, Georgia, Chair Jerry Moran, Kansas John Boozman, Arkansas Bill Cassidy, Louisiana Mike Rounds, South Dakota Thom Tillis, North Carolina Dan Sullivan, Alaska	Template:Party shading/Democratic valign=top | Jon Tester, Montana, Ranking Member Patty Murray, Washington Bernie Sanders, VermontTemplate:Efn Sherrod Brown, Ohio Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Mazie Hirono, Hawaii Joe Manchin, West Virginia

Source:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

114th Congress

Majority	Minority
Template:Party shading/Republican valign=top | Johnny Isakson, Georgia, Chair Jerry Moran, Kansas John Boozman, Arkansas Dean Heller, Nevada Bill Cassidy, Louisiana Mike Rounds, South Dakota Thom Tillis, North Carolina Dan Sullivan, Alaska	Template:Party shading/Democratic valign=top | Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut, Ranking Member Patty Murray, Washington Bernie Sanders, VermontTemplate:Efn Sherrod Brown, Ohio Jon Tester, Montana Mazie Hirono, Hawaii Joe Manchin, West Virginia

Source:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

113th Congress

Majority	Minority
Template:Party shading/Democratic valign=top | Bernie Sanders, Vermont,Template:Efn Chair Jay Rockefeller, West Virginia Patty Murray, Washington Sherrod Brown, Ohio Jon Tester, Montana Mark Begich, Alaska Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Mazie Hirono, Hawaii	Template:Party shading/Republican valign=top | Richard Burr, North Carolina, Ranking Member Johnny Isakson, Georgia Mike Johanns, Nebraska Jerry Moran, Kansas John Boozman, Arkansas Dean Heller, Nevada

Source: Template:USCongRec to 297

112th Congress

Majority	Minority
Template:Party shading/Democratic valign=top | Patty Murray, Washington, Chair Bernie Sanders, VermontTemplate:Efn Jay Rockefeller, West Virginia Sherrod Brown, Ohio Jon Tester, Montana Mark Begich, Alaska Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Mazie Hirono, Hawaii	Template:Party shading/Republican valign=top | Richard Burr, North Carolina, Ranking Member Johnny Isakson, Georgia Mike Johanns, Nebraska Jerry Moran, Kansas John Boozman, Arkansas Dean Heller, Nevada

Source: Template:USCongRec

111th Congress

Majority	Minority
Template:Party shading/Democratic valign=top | Daniel Akaka, Hawaii, Chair Jay Rockefeller, West Virginia Patty Murray, Washington Bernie Sanders, VermontTemplate:Efn Sherrod Brown, Ohio Jim Webb, Virginia Jon Tester, Montana Mark Begich, Alaska Roland Burris, Illinois, until November 29, 2010 Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania	Template:Party shading/Republican valign=top | Richard Burr, North Carolina, Ranking Member Johnny Isakson, Georgia Roger Wicker, Mississippi Mike Johanns, Nebraska Scott Brown, Massachusetts Lindsey Graham, South Carolina

Source: Template:USCongRec and Template:USCongRec

110th Congress

Majority	Minority
Template:Party shading/Democratic valign=top | Daniel Akaka, Hawaii, Chair Jay Rockefeller, West Virginia Patty Murray, Washington Bernie Sanders, VermontTemplate:Efn Sherrod Brown, Ohio Jim Webb, Virginia Jon Tester, Montana	Template:Party shading/Republican valign=top | Richard Burr, Ranking Member, North Carolina Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania Johnny Isakson, Georgia Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Roger Wicker, Mississippi Mike Johanns, Nebraska

See also

• List of United States Senate committees
• United States House Committee on Veterans' Affairs
• United States Department of Veterans Affairs

External links

• United States Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs (Archive)
• Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee. Legislation activity and reports, Congress.gov.

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