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Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee
Standing committee
Active; ; United States Senate; 118th Congress
History
Formed	October 26, 1970
Leadership
Chair	Jon Tester (D) ; Since February 3, 2021
Ranking member	Jerry Moran (R) ; Since February 3, 2021
Structure
Seats	19 members
Political parties	Majority (10) Democratic (6); Independent (4); Minority (9) Republican (9);
Jurisdiction
Oversight authority	Department of Veterans Affairs
House counterpart	House Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Website
	www.veterans.senate.gov

The United States Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs deals with oversight of United States veterans problems and issues.

Description

The committee was created in 1970 to transfer responsibilities for veterans from the Finance and Labor committees to a single panel. From 1947 to 1970, matters relating to veterans compensation and veterans generally were referred to the Committee on Finance, while matters relating to the vocational rehabilitation, education, medical care, civil relief, and civilian readjustment of veterans were referred to the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare.^[1]

Congressional legislation affecting veterans changed over the years. For the members of the armed forces and their families in the nation's early wars – the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Civil War and the Spanish–American War – the response of the federal government had been essentially financial. This was clearly the legislative mission of the Senate Committee on Pensions which was created as one of the Senate's original standing committees in 1816 and continued until its termination in the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946.^[1]

During World War I the nature of the congressional response to veterans' needs changed towards a more diversified set of programs. A war risk insurance program, which was referred to the Senate Finance Committee, changed the consideration of veterans benefits in the Senate. The Finance Committee was the Senate standing committee most responsible for veterans programs from 1917 to 1946. After World War II, the Finance Committee handled the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, the GI Bill of Rights, which extended to servicemen and their families, a number of benefits including unemployment assistance, education, vocational training, housing and business loan guarantees, as well as the traditional medical and pension benefits of previous times. Many experts believe this law was one of the most important elements in the expansion of the middle class following World War II.^[1]

The Veterans' Affairs Committee had nine members in its initial congress, the 92nd Congress (1971–73). It now has a total of 19 members.^[1]

Members, 118th Congress

Majority^[2]	Minority^[3]
Jon Tester, Montana, Chairman Patty Murray, Washington Bernie Sanders, Vermont^[a] Sherrod Brown, Ohio Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Mazie Hirono, Hawaii Joe Manchin, West Virginia^[a] Kyrsten Sinema, Arizona^[a] Maggie Hassan, New Hampshire Angus King, Maine^[a]	Jerry Moran, Kansas, Ranking Member John Boozman, Arkansas Bill Cassidy, Louisiana Mike Rounds, South Dakota Thom Tillis, North Carolina Dan Sullivan, Alaska Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee Kevin Cramer, North Dakota Tommy Tuberville, Alabama

According to committee members' official online biographies, two of the eighteen members are veterans: Richard Blumenthal and Dan Sullivan.

Chairs of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, 1971–present

Name	Party	State	Years
Vance Hartke	Democratic	Indiana	1971 – 1977
Alan Cranston	Democratic	California	1977 – 1981
Alan K. Simpson	Republican	Wyoming	1981 – 1985
Frank Murkowski	Republican	Alaska	1985 – 1987
Alan Cranston	Democratic	California	1987 – 1993
Jay Rockefeller	Democratic	West Virginia	1993 – 1995
Alan K. Simpson	Republican	Wyoming	1995 – 1997
Arlen Specter	Republican	Pennsylvania	1997 – 2001
Jay Rockefeller	Democratic	West Virginia	2001 – 2003
Arlen Specter	Republican	Pennsylvania	2003 – 2005
Larry Craig	Republican	Idaho	2005 – 2007
Daniel Akaka	Democratic	Hawaii	2007 – 2011
Patty Murray	Democratic	Washington	2011 – 2013
Bernie Sanders	Independent	Vermont	2013 – 2015
Johnny Isakson	Republican	Georgia	2015 – 2019
Jerry Moran	Republican	Kansas	2020 – 2021
Jon Tester	Democratic	Montana	2021 – present

Historical committee rosters

117th Congress

Majority	Minority
Jon Tester, Montana, Chair Patty Murray, Washington Bernie Sanders, Vermont^[a] Sherrod Brown, Ohio Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Mazie Hirono, Hawaii Joe Manchin, West Virginia Kyrsten Sinema, Arizona Maggie Hassan, New Hampshire	Jerry Moran, Kansas, Ranking Member John Boozman, Arkansas Bill Cassidy, Louisiana Mike Rounds, South Dakota Thom Tillis, North Carolina Dan Sullivan, Alaska Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee Kevin Cramer, North Dakota Tommy Tuberville, Alabama

Source:^[4]

116th Congress

Majority	Minority
Johnny Isakson, Georgia, Chair (until December 31, 2019) Jerry Moran, Kansas, Chair (from January 6, 2020) John Boozman, Arkansas Bill Cassidy, Louisiana Mike Rounds, South Dakota Thom Tillis, North Carolina Dan Sullivan, Alaska Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee Kevin Cramer, North Dakota Kelly Loeffler, Georgia (from January 6, 2020)	Jon Tester, Montana, Ranking Member Patty Murray, Washington Bernie Sanders, Vermont^[a] Sherrod Brown, Ohio Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Mazie Hirono, Hawaii Joe Manchin, West Virginia Kyrsten Sinema, Arizona

115th Congress

Majority	Minority
Johnny Isakson, Georgia, Chair Jerry Moran, Kansas John Boozman, Arkansas Bill Cassidy, Louisiana Mike Rounds, South Dakota Thom Tillis, North Carolina Dan Sullivan, Alaska	Jon Tester, Montana, Ranking Member Patty Murray, Washington Bernie Sanders, Vermont^[a] Sherrod Brown, Ohio Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Mazie Hirono, Hawaii Joe Manchin, West Virginia

Source:^[5]

114th Congress

Majority	Minority
Johnny Isakson, Georgia, Chair Jerry Moran, Kansas John Boozman, Arkansas Dean Heller, Nevada Bill Cassidy, Louisiana Mike Rounds, South Dakota Thom Tillis, North Carolina Dan Sullivan, Alaska	Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut, Ranking Member Patty Murray, Washington Bernie Sanders, Vermont^[a] Sherrod Brown, Ohio Jon Tester, Montana Mazie Hirono, Hawaii Joe Manchin, West Virginia

Source:^[6]

113th Congress

Majority	Minority
Bernie Sanders, Vermont,^[a] Chairman Jay Rockefeller, West Virginia Patty Murray, Washington Sherrod Brown, Ohio Jon Tester, Montana Mark Begich, Alaska Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Mazie Hirono, Hawaii	Richard Burr, North Carolina, Ranking Member Johnny Isakson, Georgia Mike Johanns, Nebraska Jerry Moran, Kansas John Boozman, Arkansas Dean Heller, Nevada

Source: 2013 Congressional Record, Vol. 159, Page S296 to 297

112th Congress

Majority	Minority
Patty Murray, Washington, Chair Bernie Sanders, Vermont^[a] Jay Rockefeller, West Virginia Sherrod Brown, Ohio Jon Tester, Montana Mark Begich, Alaska Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Mazie Hirono, Hawaii	Richard Burr, North Carolina, Ranking Member Johnny Isakson, Georgia Mike Johanns, Nebraska Jerry Moran, Kansas John Boozman, Arkansas Dean Heller, Nevada

Source: 2011 Congressional Record, Vol. 157, Page S557

111th Congress

Majority	Minority
Daniel Akaka, Hawaii, Chairman Jay Rockefeller, West Virginia Patty Murray, Washington Bernie Sanders, Vermont^[a] Sherrod Brown, Ohio Jim Webb, Virginia Jon Tester, Montana Mark Begich, Alaska Roland Burris, Illinois, until November 29, 2010 Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania	Richard Burr, North Carolina, Ranking Member Johnny Isakson, Georgia Roger Wicker, Mississippi Mike Johanns, Nebraska Scott Brown, Massachusetts Lindsey Graham, South Carolina

Source: 2009 Congressional Record, Vol. 155, Page S5168 and 2010 Congressional Record, Vol. 156, Page S970

110th Congress

Majority	Minority
Daniel Akaka, Chairman, Hawaii Jay Rockefeller, West Virginia Patty Murray, Washington Bernie Sanders, Vermont^[a] Sherrod Brown, Ohio Jim Webb, Virginia Jon Tester, Montana	Richard Burr, Ranking Member, North Carolina Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania Johnny Isakson, Georgia Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Roger Wicker, Mississippi Mike Johanns, Nebraska