United States Senate Committee on the Budget facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Senate Budget Committee

Standing committee
Active United States Senate 119th Congress
History
Formed	1974
Leadership
Chair	Lindsey Graham (R) Since January 3, 2025
Ranking member	Jeff Merkley (D) Since January 3, 2025
Structure
Seats	21
Political parties	Majority (11)      Republican (11) Minority (10)      Democratic (9)      Independent (1)
Jurisdiction
Policy areas	Budgetary policy and process, Fiscal policy, Government spending, Public debt, Tax expenditures
Oversight authority	Congressional Budget Office
House counterpart	House Budget Committee
Meeting place
608 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510
Rules
Rules of the Committee on the Budget

The United States Senate Committee on the Budget is a special group of Senators in the U.S. government. It was created in 1974 to help manage the country's money. This committee is in charge of creating the yearly spending plan for the entire federal government. It also makes sure that the government follows this plan.

The committee oversees the Congressional Budget Office, which is a group that provides financial information to Congress. Currently, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham leads the committee as its Chair. Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley is the Ranking Member, who leads the minority party on the committee.

What the Budget Committee Does

The Senate Budget Committee has a very important job: it creates the "budget plan" for the whole country. Think of it like a big financial blueprint. This plan sets overall limits for how much money the government can collect (from taxes) and how much it can spend.

Budget vs. Other Committees

It's easy to get the Budget Committee confused with other groups in the Senate, like the Finance Committee and the Appropriations Committee. But they all have different roles:

• The Budget Committee sets the big picture, the overall spending limits.
• The Finance Committee deals with where the money comes from. This includes laws about taxes, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.
• The Appropriations Committee decides exactly how money will be spent on different government programs.

So, while the Budget Committee draws the map for spending, the Finance and Appropriations Committees fill in the details with specific laws and funding decisions.

Who is on the Committee?

The committee has members from both major political parties. The party with the most members in the Senate usually has more seats on the committee and chooses the Chair. The other party chooses the Ranking Member.

Members of the 119th Congress

The 119th Congress started in January 2025. Here are the Senators who are part of the Budget Committee:

Past Leaders of the Committee

Many different Senators have led the Budget Committee since it was formed. Here is a list of the Chairs from 1975 to the present day:

Recent Committee Members

Here are the members of the Budget Committee from the most recent Congresses.

118th Congress