Senator Coons Named Top Democrat on Financial Services Appropriations Subcommittee

Statement

U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) will be the ranking member -- the top Democrat -- on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government in the 114th Congress. The subcommittee oversees a broad range of government functions, including financial and other regulatory agencies, the federal judiciary, and the budget for the District of Columbia.

"It's a great honor to be entrusted with a subcommittee that oversees government functions that play such an important role in our country," Senator Coons said. "Strengthening trust in our government requires being good stewards of taxpayer money. Congress has no more important job than ensuring taxpayers' hard-earned money are spent wisely and efficiently. This subcommittee oversees some of the government's most important functions -- from consumer protection to the dispensation of justice -- and I look forward to working hard with my colleagues to fulfill our responsibilities."

The Subcommittee has jurisdiction over issues and agencies overseen by 11 different authorizing committees. It determines federal funding for financial-related agencies such as the Treasury Department, including the IRS; the Securities and Exchange Commission; and the White House Office of Management and Budget. The Subcommittee also oversees funding for the entire federal judiciary.

"Equal representation under the law is one of our nation's bedrock values," Senator Coons said. "Yet too often we don't provide our judiciary with the funding or investment necessary to ensure justice is administered fairly, equally, and swiftly. It's critical that Congress does more to value the role our judiciary plays in our democracy, and as ranking member, I'm going to do everything I can to ensure Congress dedicates the resources that America's justice system requires." Senator Coons is also a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has authorizing responsibility for the federal bench.

In addition to overseeing funding for federal government agencies, the Subcommittee also has jurisdiction over the District of Columbia and approves its budget.

"Residents of the District of Columbia should have the right to decide their city's budget, make their own decisions about how their city should be run, and have voting representation in Congress through statehood," Senator Coons said. "The District deserves to govern itself free from members of Congress' personal political agendas. As long as I'm on this subcommittee, and especially in these next two years as ranking member, I'll work to ensure the voices of the District's 650,000 residents are heard loudly and clearly in the appropriations process."

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