The
United States Senate Committee on Appropriations is a
standing committee of the
United States Senate. It has jurisdiction over all
discretionary spending legislation in the Senate. The Senate Appropriations Committee is the largest committee in the U.S. Senate, with 30 members in the
114th Congress. Its role is defined by the
U.S. Constitution, which requires "appropriations made by law" prior to the expenditure of any money from the Treasury, and is therefore one of the most powerful committees in the Senate. The committee was first organized on March 6, 1867, when power over appropriations was taken out of the hands of the
Finance Committee.