United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

Committee information

• Date created: 1816 as Committee on the District of Columbia and Committee on Post Office and Postal Roads; January 2005 as Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
• Members: Fifteen members in the 119th Congress (2025–2027)
• Subcommittees: Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations; the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Spending Oversight; and the Subcommittee on Government Operations and Border Management

Role

The United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs ensures that the US government is properly managing itself. The purpose of the committee is to observe and investigate those who are responsible for the duties and draft recommended legal changes to make the government more effective.

Congressional committees were based on those in the British Parliament and have been part of the US Congress since very early in the nation’s life. Committees serve the same general purpose as Congress—to propose, debate, and make laws and ensure that the federal government is performing properly. Committees also help the legislative branch focus on specific concerns. A committee is formed to address a certain issue and allows its members to focus primarily on that issue so that others in the government can focus their attention on other matters.

Committees that oversee lasting matters are known as standing committees. The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is a standing committee because there will always be a need to hold the federal government’s management accountable. National security is expected to be a permanent concern as well, even though potential threats may change over time.

Sometimes, committees are formed to oversee short-term problems. These are called select committees. Once they have served their purpose, they are often dissolved. However, Congress may vote to make a select committee into a standing one or merge it with another committee.

The Senate has sixteen standing committees, while the House of Representatives has twenty. There are also joint committees, which consist of both senators and representatives.

Committees are designed to represent the will of the American people as faithfully as possible. The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs has its membership directly influenced by the membership of the overall Senate. The ratio of Republicans to Democrats in the Senate influences how many spaces for each party exist on the committee. The leader of the party with the most members on the committee is known as the chairperson, while the leader of the minority party is called the ranking member.

According to Congress, any given committee may have up to five subcommittees. These are smaller groups with a select number of committee members, as well as their own chairs and ranking members. They help the committee divide tasks and focus its efforts more efficiently. The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs has three subcommittees in the 119th Congress.

Committees meet regularly and may call additional meetings to respond to a time-sensitive subject. If a government agency under a committee’s jurisdiction is not performing up to par, the committee should investigate the reason why. If it is because the agency does not have the funding or authority to properly do its job, it is the committee’s role to propose new laws or amendments that grant the agency what it needs. It can also shift the agency’s duties to another agency more suited for the situation.

History

The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs has gone through many changes since its inception. In 1816, the Senate Committee on the District of Columbia and the Committee on Post Office and Postal Roads were formed. The former oversaw government activity in the nation’s capital, while the latter was designed to oversee legislation involving transportation and roads that primarily serviced postal workers. It introduced “A Bill to Provide for the Transportation of the Mails upon Railroads.” This bill discussed how a railroad spanning the country would benefit mail delivery. In 1862, the Committee on the District of Columbia helped draft the D.C. Emancipation Bill, which President Abraham Lincoln used as the basis for the Emancipation Proclamation, the document that abolished slavery in the United States.

These committees were combined with the Senate Committee on Retrenchment in 1921, forming the Committee on Expenditures in Executive Departments. This committee was responsible for overseeing the country’s budget. In the mid-twentieth century, congressional committees had grown in number and were difficult to keep track of. Congress introduced legislation that drastically restructured them. In 1952, the Committee on Expenditures in Executive Departments became the Committee on Government Operations. Its duties included investigating the federal government to expose corruption or a pressing need that needed to be addressed.

To help with these new responsibilities, the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations was formed. Most subcommittees can be adjusted, altered, or eliminated with the election of new Congress members, but this one was given permanent status. Shortly after its creation, the subcommittee gained notoriety under the leadership of Joseph McCarthy. The United States was engaged in an indirect conflict with the communist Soviet Union, and many Americans feared that Soviet spies could be infiltrating the United States. McCarthy very aggressively pursued Americans whom he believed had communist sympathies. He often did this without having evidence and was eventually disgraced. However, his accusations disrupted people’s lives.

In the early 1970s, President Richard Nixon’s campaign team was accused of using illegal tactics to help him win re-election. These illegal actions included the Watergate scandal, which was an effort to sabotage Democrats staying at the Watergate Hotel. The Senate formed a select committee to hold hearings and investigate the situation. Samuel Ervin, chairperson of the Committee on Government Operations, was named to the select committee. The hearings were televised events that drew a great deal of public attention and eventually led to Nixon's resignation from the presidency.

The committee again experienced a name change in 1978, becoming the Committee on Governmental Affairs. The Watergate scandal had increased public distrust of government officials, and the renamed committee focused on legislation and actions that attempted to reform the government and make certain it was transparent. It operated under this name for the rest of the twentieth century.

The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States forever changed the way that the United States viewed national security. The federal government quickly decided that the country needed to have a stronger focus on protecting itself. As a result, the Department of Homeland Security was created the following year. The committee was given jurisdiction over the department, and its name was changed to Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs to emphasize the new priority.

Subcommittees

The United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs consisted of eight Republicans and seven Democrats in the 119th Congress. It was chaired by Rand Paul, and Gary Peters was the ranking member. The committee is made up of three subcommittees: the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations; the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Spending Oversight; and the Subcommittee on Government Operations and Border Management.

United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations

This subcommittee is designed to investigate all branches of government to make sure they are operating effectively, efficiently, and economically. The subcommittee has the authority to recommend legal changes if it finds that a government policy is not in the public’s best interest. Organized crime also falls under this subcommittee’s jurisdiction. Criminal organizations that operate across multiple states can be especially difficult for state and local governments to stop, so this subcommittee is designed to help federal law enforcement track them down. Other areas of the subcommittee’s focus include syndicated crime, investment fraud, commodity and securities fraud, computer fraud, offshore banking activities that support criminal activities, and the use of overseas corporate facilities for criminal activities.

National security is a critical part of this subcommittee’s jurisdiction. It evaluates the country’s national security measures and determines whether they are appropriate. This includes ensuring the fair treatment of people detained as part of national security operations. In 2018, the subcommittee issued a report that detailed the federal government’s failure to properly care for unaccompanied children of migrants who crossed into the US’s southern border. The report found that agencies were not taking responsibility to ensure that children appear in court or notifying state governments when they placed children in homes. The agencies also were not offering the children legal services.

United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Spending Oversight

This subcommittee is focused on how the federal government manages its finances. The subcommittee investigates other agencies, making sure they are financially sound and efficient and not engaging in wasteful spending. The subcommittee’s jurisdiction extends to contracting; it investigates the non-governmental entities that agencies hire. The subcommittee also examines how the federal government responds to emergency situations.

The subcommittee found that many agencies have a “use it or lose it” mentality. Several agencies spent massive amounts of money at the very end of each fiscal year. The agencies typically stayed within their annual budgets but were on pace to come in well under budget until the very end of the year. Members of both parties in the subcommittee were concerned that this was growing more extreme in recent years. The subcommittee wanted to make sure that any spending was actually necessary and not simply done because money was left over in the budget.

In 2018, the subcommittee introduced a bill that would alter the process by which agencies review their inventory. The bill was designed to compel agencies to review more regularly and make their results transparent. This had the intended effect of cutting down spending on redundant or other unneeded items.

That same year, the subcommittee held a hearing about government spending in Afghanistan. The United States had been involved with Afghanistan since 2001, initially attempting to defeat the Taliban, an extremist group, and then to help the nation recover from Taliban rule. The subcommittee examined reports that US operations in Afghanistan had led to many instances of wasteful spending. It found that the United States had financed improperly constructed facilities, purchased aircraft that proved to be unusable, and built structures where it did not have permission to do so.

United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Government Operations and Border Management

This subcommittee focuses on how the federal government regulates other entities, including state and local governments, businesses, and the American public. It oversees the process by which the government makes rules and policies. The subcommittee is designed to ensure that rules are developed in a sensible way that is in the people's best interest. It also evaluates the regulations, determining whether they are fair, effective, and necessary.

In 2015 and 2016, members of the subcommittee challenged the actions taken by some federal agencies. According to the subcommittee, these agencies were misusing regulatory guidance directives. Used properly, these directives were documents that agencies could send to the entities they were regulating to clarify certain policies. For instance, the Department of Education (DOE) could send reminders and updates to schools. However, the subcommittee argued that agencies were using these directives to redefine regulations. Subcommittee members expressed concern that agencies could completely bypass Congress and use directives to amend laws.

Both parties in the subcommittee came together in 2017 to stand up for small businesses. All businesses are subject to federal regulations, which differ depending on the type of work a business does. However, the subcommittee argued that agencies often did not consider small businesses, which put these businesses at a disadvantage compared to larger corporations. According to the subcommittee, business regulations often changed suddenly, the regulations could be complex and unclear, and government representatives were not readily available to answer business owners’ questions. While larger companies could afford employees dedicated to staying informed on regulations, small businesses could not. The subcommittee urged agencies to make their regulations clear, give businesses advance notice of changes, and cooperate with businesses.

Bibliography

“About DHS.” Homeland Security, www.dhs.gov/about-dhs. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

“Archive of Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management (RAFM).” Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs, www.hsgac.senate.gov/subcommittees/archives/rafm. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

“Johnson Remains Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman, Welcomes New Ranking Member and Committee Members.” U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs, 9 Jan. 2019, www.hsgac.senate.gov/media/reps/johnson-remains-homeland-security-and-governmental-affairs-committee-chairman-welcomes-new-ranking-member-and-committee-members. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

“Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.” Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs, www.hsgac.senate.gov/subcommittees/investigations. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

"Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee." US Congress, www.congress.gov/committee/senate-homeland-security-and-governmental-affairs/ssga00. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

“Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Spending Oversight.” Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs, www.hsgac.senate.gov/subcommittees/etso. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

"Subcommittee on Government Operations and Border Management." Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs, www.hsgac.senate.gov/subcommittees/gobm. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.