# United States Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs

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

## Members, 119th Congress

| Majority | Minority |
| Jerry Moran, Kansas, Chair John Boozman, Arkansas Bill Cassidy, Louisiana Thom Tillis, North Carolina Dan Sullivan, Alaska Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee Kevin Cramer, North Dakota Tommy Tuberville, Alabama Jim Banks, Indiana Tim Sheehy, Montana | Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut, Ranking Member Patty Murray, Washington Bernie Sanders, Vermont Mazie Hirono, Hawaii Maggie Hassan, New Hampshire Angus King, Maine Tammy Duckworth, Illinois Ruben Gallego, Arizona Elissa Slotkin, Michigan |
According to committee members' official online biographies, five (Banks, Blumenthal, Duckworth, Gallego, Sheehy) of the nineteen members are veterans.

## 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 – 2025 |
| Jerry Moran | Republican | Kansas | 2025 – present |

## Historical committee rosters
### 118th Congress

| Majority | Minority |
| Jon Tester, Montana, Chairman Patty Murray, Washington Bernie Sanders, Vermont Sherrod Brown, Ohio Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Mazie Hirono, Hawaii Joe Manchin, West Virginia Kyrsten Sinema, Arizona Maggie Hassan, New Hampshire Angus King, Maine | 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.

### 117th Congress

| Majority | Minority |
| Jon Tester, Montana, Chair Patty Murray, Washington Bernie Sanders, Vermont 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:

### 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 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 Sherrod Brown, Ohio Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Mazie Hirono, Hawaii Joe Manchin, West Virginia |
Source:

### 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 Sherrod Brown, Ohio Jon Tester, Montana Mazie Hirono, Hawaii Joe Manchin, West Virginia |
Source:

### 113th Congress

| Majority | Minority |
| Bernie Sanders, Vermont, 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 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 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 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 |