Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) has broad jurisdiction over federal social policy. It oversees most agencies and programs of the Department of Health and Human Services, including the Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Institutes of Health. The committee also manages education policy from Head Start through higher education, federal labor and employment laws covering wages, workplace safety, and union relations, and private retirement plans. Its three subcommittees focus on Education and the American Family, Employment and Workplace Safety, and Primary Health and Retirement Security.

Bills referred to the committee undergo review and markup before being reported to the full Senate for consideration. The committee holds hearings on policy issues, develops legislation, and conducts oversight of executive agencies. Recent bills address maternal health, insulin pricing, student loans, rural healthcare, and early childhood workforce development.

Chair Bill Cassidy (R-LA), a physician, leads the 23-member committee with Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Recent committee activity includes hearings on child care program integrity and fraud prevention, modernizing the National Institutes of Health, and investigations into various health and education matters. The committee has also examined issues ranging from college athletics reform to foreign influence in American schools.