Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is the Senate's primary oversight committee with broad jurisdiction over government operations and the Department of Homeland Security. The committee studies the efficiency and effectiveness of federal agencies, evaluates government reorganization laws, and examines relationships between the U.S. government and states, municipalities, and international organizations. Its governmental affairs responsibilities span the National Archives, federal budgeting and accounting, government contracting, the Census, the federal civil service, the District of Columbia, the Postal Service, and federal employee compensation and benefits.

Bills referred to the committee follow a standard legislative process: they are assigned to the committee, which may hold hearings and conduct markups to develop or modify proposals, then the committee votes to report legislation back to the full Senate for floor consideration. The committee has three subcommittees that handle specialized areas: Border Management, Federal Workforce, and Regulatory Affairs; Disaster Management, District of Columbia, and Census; and the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which serves as the committee's chief investigative body.

The committee is currently chaired by Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), with Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) serving as Ranking Member. Recent bills referred to the committee address government accountability and efficiency, including measures on insider trading, fiscal responsibility, government contracting practices, and federal employee benefits. The committee has held hearings on the Department of Homeland Security's budget requests and conducted oversight of federal agencies including U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.