Appropriations
The United States Constitution expressly gives the power of the purse to the Congress – a body that is directly accountable to the people. The key panel responsible for making spending decisions each year is the Appropriations Committee, of which Senator Landrieu a member. This Committee, often in a bipartisan manner, writes legislation allocating federal funds to the numerous government agencies, departments and organizations on an annual basis.
Senator Landrieu is proud to use her seat on the Appropriations Committee to ensure that Louisiana’s needs are met. Each year, local governments, non-profit organizations and community groups seek the Senator’s help in securing federal government support for critical Louisiana projects and programs that may have been overlooked in the President’s budget request. Senator Landrieu advocates for these worthy projects because they are important to the people in our state. If the federal government makes wise infrastructure investments now, Louisiana will be better prepared in the future.
Despite Senator Landrieu’s support for eliminating wasteful and bloated government programs and for using taxpayer dollars responsibly, there will always be a need to direct appropriations dollars based on the reality on the ground. Bureaucrats in Washington D.C. often do not understand the unique challenges facing our state. If we relied on Washington and predetermined formulas, Louisiana would lose out to more densely populated, urban states. That’s why it is Senator Landrieu’s job to work with local communities to ensure Louisiana receives its fair share of federal dollars.
While Senator Landrieu is proud to work on behalf of Louisiana to secure funding for essential projects and programs, she has routinely supported reform and greater transparency in the appropriations process. In fact, every appropriations request that Senator Landrieu makes is now available for public review on this website. Senator Landrieu will continue to support this transparency measure and others in the future.
Subcommittee Assignments
The Senate Appropriations Committee is comprised of 12 subcomittees. Sen. Landrieu sits on the following six of these subcommittees:
Financial Services and General Government
Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS) and Education
Military Construction and Veterans' Affairs