Michelle Fischbach

The Committee on Ways and Means is the chief tax-writing committee in the House of Representatives. The Committee derives a large share of its jurisdiction from Article I, Section VII of the U.S. Constitution, which declares, “All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives.” The committee has jurisdiction over revenue and related issues such as tariffs, reciprocal trade agreements, and the bonded debt of the United States. It also oversees revenue-related aspects of the Social Security system, Medicare, and social services programs.

The House Committee on Rules is commonly known as “The Speaker’s Committee” because it is the mechanism that the Speaker uses to maintain control of the House Floor. Because of the vast power wielded by the Rules Committee, its ratio has traditionally been weighted in favor of the majority party. The Committee provides the terms and conditions of debate on any measure or matter through Special Rules. The Committee also considers original jurisdiction measures, which commonly represent changes to the standing rules of the House, or measures that contain special rules, such as the expedited procedures in trade legislation.