Appropriations
Senator Daniel K. Inouye has served on the Appropriations Committee for 40 years, first joining the Committee in 1971. The Appropriations Committee is the largest and considered by many to be the most powerful committee in the U.S. Senate, consisting of 30 members in the 111th Congress. Its role is defined by the U.S. Constitution, which requires "appropriations made by law" prior to the expenditure of any money from the Federal treasury. The Committee writes the legislation that allocates federal funds to the numerous government agencies, departments, and organizations on an annual basis.
In 1973 Senator Inouye became Chairman of the Subcommittee for the District of Columbia. From 1975 to 1988, he was Chairman or Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Foreign Operations. In 1989, Senator Inouye became Chairman of the Subcommittee on Defense, with direct responsibility for the largest single item in the annual discretionary funding bills. As Chairman or Vice Chairman of the Defense Subcommittee for the past 22 years, Senator Inouye has always put service members first, with a special interest in ensuring quality healthcare for those in uniform, as well as their families. Senator Inouye believes that ‘you recruit a soldier, but you retain a family.’ Operating with an all-volunteer force, Senator Inouye knows that quality of life issues are the key to maintaining the best trained and equipped military force in the world.
In 2009, Senator Inouye became Chairman of the full Appropriations Committee. As Chairman, he has emphasized his desire to return the Committee to its traditions of regular order, in which each of the 12 appropriations bills are passed individually, as opposed to the use of Continuing Resolutions or Omnibus bills, which have become increasingly common over the past 10 years. (for more information on regular order, please follow this link to an opinion piece by Senator Inouye that explains his reasons for supporting regular order.)
To visit the Appropriations Committee website, please follow this link.
Latest News
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Floor Statement of Senator Daniel K. Inouye on the Six Month Continuing Resolution
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel K. Inouye delivered the following floor statement (as prepared for delivery) today during Senate consideration of the six month Continuing Resolution. “Mr. President, today, as we near the end of the current fiscal year, the Sen...
Posted on 9/20/2012 -
Chairman Inouye’s Statement on Six Month Continuing Resolution
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) issued the following statement today with regard to the introduction of the six month Continuing Resolution in the House of Representatives this evening: “I am pleased that this Continuing Resolution (CR) provides...
Posted on 9/10/2012 -
Statement from Senator Inouye on the Six Month CR Agreement
“Leadership has determined that avoiding the possibility of a government shutdown fight during the lame duck session is necessary in order to properly address the threat of sequestration and all the other elements of the ‘fiscal cliff.’ Given sequestration’s devastating impact on de...
Posted on 7/31/2012 -
Opening Statement of Chairman Daniel K. Inouye at July 31, 2012 Defense Subcommittee Markup
Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) delivered the following opening statement (as prepared for delivery) at today’s Subcommittee Markup. “Today the Subcommittee meets to make recommendations for the Fiscal Year 2013 Defense Ap...
Posted on 7/31/2012