The 2013 midterm elections are less than a week away, and control of the Senate hangs in the balance as the Republicans are within grasp of regaining the majority. A comparison of the spending platforms of the outgoing Democratic Chairs and the potential incoming Republican Chairs indicates that major changes could be coming to the “workshops” of the Senate: the Committees responsible for drafting legislation and setting the policy agenda in the next Congress.
If the Senate switches, the average spending agenda of the outgoing and potential incoming Chairs could see a $232.7 billion swing as budget increasers would be replaced by net budget cutters.
Net Spending Agendas of Outgoing and Potential Incoming Senate Committee Chairs in the 113th Congress (dollar figures in billions) | ||||
Committee | Outgoing Democratic Chair | Net Spending Agenda | Potential Republican Chair | Net Spending Agenda |
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry | Debbie Stabenow (MI) | $24.7 | Pat Roberts (KS) | ($205.5) |
Appropriations | Barbara Mikulski (MD) | $32.4 | Thad Cochran (MS) | ($98.2) |
Armed Services | Carl Levin (MI) | $11.3 | John McCain (AZ) | ($65.7) |
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs | Tim Johnson (SD) | $19.8 | Richard Shelby (AL) | ($223.5) |
Budget | Patty Murray (WA) | $43.5 | Jeff Sessions (AL) | ($143.0) |
Commerce, Science, and Transportation | John Rockefeller (WV) | $18.5 | John Thune (SD) | ($173.8) |
Energy and Natural Resources | Mary Landrieu (LA) | $9.4 | Lisa Murkowski (AK) | ($15.6) |
Environment and Public Works | Barbara Boxer (CA) | $45.6 | James Inhofe (OK) | ($196.1) |
Finance | Ron Wyden (OR) | $18.8 | Orrin Hatch (UT) | ($92.9) |
Foreign Relations | Robert Menendez (NJ) | $48.1 | Bob Corker (TN) | ($30.0) |
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions† | Thomas Harkin (IA) | $27.7 | Lamar Alexander (TN) | ($158.1) |
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs | Thomas Carper (DE) | $12.8 | Ron Johnson (WI) | ($107.2) |
Indian Affairs | Jon Tester (MT) | $7.8 | John Barrasso (WY) | ($288.5) |
Judiciary | Patrick Leahy (VT) | $16.5 | Charles Grassley (IA) | ($133.6) |
Small Business and Entrepreneurship | Maria Cantwell (WA) | $4.2 | James Risch (ID) | ($291.7) |
Veterans’ Affairs | Bernie Sanders (VT)* | $983.6 | Richard Burr (NC) | ($174.4) |
Notes: Each name above is linked to that Member’s detailed report of all the bills either sponsored or cosponsored that would impact outlays by at least $1 million annually. * Senator Sanders is an Independent, although he does caucus with the Democrats. † Senator Mike Enzi (WY, with an agenda to cut spending by $287.8 billion), has also been mentioned for this Chair. | ||||
The current Senate Chairs support a legislative agenda that would, on average, increase spending by $82.8 billion annually. The individual agendas range among the Democratic Chairs from $4.2 billion (Senator Cantwell) to $48.1 billion (Senator Menendez), while the Independent Chair of the Veterans Committee’s agenda totals $983.6 billion. (Excluding Senator Sanders, the average of the remaining current Chairs would be $22.7 billion). The likely Chairs that could take the gavels after the election have an average agenda to reduce spending annually by $149.9 billion. All “net cutters,” the agendas range from cuts of $15.6 billion (Senator Murkowski) to $291.7 billion (Senator Risch).
The net agenda figures are based on the cost of legislation sponsored or cosponsored by each Member during the First Session of the 113th Congress as tabulated by NTU Foundation’s BillTally program. Using objective resources, NTUF researchers analyze nearly all bills introduced in Congress to determine their net impact on spending should they become law. The BillTally report for the First Session included 332 Senate bills to increase spending, and 56 to reduce spending.
On average, the current Chairs sponsored or cosponsored proposals to increase spending, and two that would implement savings. The potential incoming Chairs backed an average of ten increase proposals and nine savings.
In Fiscal Year 2014, the federal government spent $486 billion more than it received in tax revenues and other receipts. Each household’s share of this deficit spending amounts to nearly $4,180.