Ranking member - Citizendia

In United States politics, the ranking member or ranking minority member is a member of a congressional committee from the minority party, frequently the member with the highest seniority. Politics of the United States takes place in the framework of a presidential, Federal republic where the President of the United States (the Head of The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses Seniority is the concept of a person or group of people being in charge or in command of another person or group For example, if the Democrats are in control of a house of Congress at a given time, the senior Republican member of the committee is often the ranking minority member. The most senior member from the majority party frequently serves as the chairman of the committee. In many committees, the ranking member, along with the chairman, serves as an ex officio member of all subcommittees of the committee.

When control of a house of Congress changes, a committee's ranking minority member is likely, though not assured, to become the next chairman of the committee.

Ranking Member vs. Vice Chairman

Three Senate committees refer to the ranking minority member as Vice Chairman. The following committees follow the Chairman/Vice Chairman structure for the majority and minority parties.

The House of Representatives does not use the term vice chairman for the ranking minority member, though some committees do have a vice chairman position, usually assigned to a senior member of the majority party other than the chairman. The Senate Committee on Commerce Science and Transportation is a Standing committee of the United States Senate in charge of all senate matters related to the following The United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is responsible for dealing with matters related to the American Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska The US Senate Select Committee on Ethics is a select committee of the United States Senate charged with dealing with matters related to senatorial ethics The United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (sometimes referred to as SSCI) is House committees that follow this structure are:

Joint Committees of the House and Senate operate in much the same way, with a chairman and vice chairman from the majority party, alternating between a member of the House and member of the Senate, and often two ranking members from both bodies. The US House Committee on Agriculture, or Agriculture Committee is a standing Congressional committee of the United States House of Representatives. The Committee on Appropriations is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. The US House Committee on the Budget, commonly known as the House Budget Committee, is a Standing committee of the United States House of Representatives The Committee on Education and Labor is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. The US House Commerce Committee on Energy and Commerce is one of the oldest standing committees of the U The United States House Committee on Financial Services (or House Banking Committee) oversees the entire financial services industry including the securities insurance banking The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is a United States House of Representatives committee that has existed in varying forms since 1816 The US House Committee on Foreign Affairs, also known as the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives The US House Committee on Natural Resources, or Natural Resources Committee (often referred to as simply "Resources" as in "He's on Resources" is a The standing Committee on Veterans' Affairs in the United States House of Representatives oversees agencies reviews current legislation and recommends new bills The United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence is a committee of the United States House of Representatives, currently chaired by Silvestre

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