Congress established the Senate Budget Committee in 1974, along with its counterpart in the House. For the first time, these standing committees focused solely on the federal budget as a whole.

Prior to 1974, responsibility for fiscal planning and oversight was spread across multiple committees, which left Congress without a platform to truly tackle the difficult, but critical, task of planning, prioritizing, and overseeing what the government was spending, as well as how we were raising the revenue to pay for it.

The Budget Committees are responsible for drafting Congress' annual budget plan and monitoring action on the budget for the federal government. In addition, the Budget Committees have jurisdiction over the operation of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

Find more information with the publication "Committee on the Budget, United States Senate, 1974-2006."

The Senate Budget Committee is often confused with the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Appropriations Committee, both of which have different jurisdictions. For more information about the Committee and the budget process, read The Congressional Budget Process: An Explanation.

Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) currently chairs the Senate Budget Committee. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) serves as Ranking Member.