On February 4, the Senate Appropriations Committee announced its membership for the 112th Congress, including subcommittee assignments for members of both parties.

The full Senate Appropriations Committee, comprised of 16 Democrats and 14 Republicans, has seven new Republican members. The new membership list for the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, which includes one new Democrat, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and three new Republicans, Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO), Jerry Moran (R-KS), and John Hoeven (R-ND), is below.

The major surprise here is the selection of Roy Blunt (R-MO), a freshman Senator, as the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, bypassing several senior committee members.  Sen. Blunt, who served several terms as the Majority Whip in the House of Representatives, ran for office in the Senate after former Senator Christopher “Kit” Bond (R-MO) – also a member of the agriculture appropriations subcommittee – announced his retirement.

Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
Jurisdiction: USDA and FDA discretionary spending (does not include the Food Stamp Program or commodity subsidies, which are mandatory spending). Click here for the full list of agencies in this subcommittee’s jurisdiction.

Democratic members:

Sen. Herb Kohl (Chairman) (WI)
Sen. Tom Harkin (IA)
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (CA)
Sen. Tim Johnson (SD)
Sen. Ben Nelson (NE)
Sen. Mark Pryor (AR)
Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH)

Republican members:

Sen. Roy Blunt (Ranking) (MO)
Sen. Thad Cochran (MS)
Sen. Mitch McConnell (KY)
Sen. Susan Collins (ME)
Sen. Jerry Moran (KS)
Sen. John Hoeven (ND)