United States Senate Democratic Policy Committee

The United States Senate Democratic Policy Committee is responsible for the creation of new United States Democratic Party policy proposals, supporting Democratic senators with legislative research, developing reports on legislation and policy, conducting oversight hearings, monitoring roll call votes, differentiating between Democratic and Republican positions, and building party unity.

The committee was established in 1947, by an act signed by President Harry S. Truman, alongside its Republican counterpart. From 1947 to 2000, the Democratic leader was also the policy committee chairman. From 1989 to 1999, there was a co-chairman. Starting in 1999, the co-chairman was dropped and the position of policy committee chairman became a separate position elected by the Senate Democratic Caucus. The floor leader served as committee chair until 1989, when one of the co-chairs remained leader (Mitchell through 1995 and then Daschle until 1999). The committee chairman is a member of the Democratic party leadership of the United States Senate.

List of chairs

Term	Chair(s)
1947–1949	Alben W. Barkley (KY)
1949–1951	Scott W. Lucas (IL)
1951–1953	Ernest McFarland (AZ)
1953–1961	Lyndon Johnson (TX)
1961–1977	Mike Mansfield (MT)
1977–1989	Robert Byrd (WV)
1989–1995	Tom Daschle (SD)	George J. Mitchell (ME)
1995–1999		Harry Reid (NV)
1999–2011	Byron Dorgan (ND)
2011–2017	Chuck Schumer (NY)
2017–present	Debbie Stabenow (MI)

113th Congress members

Members
Senator		State
	Chuck Schumer, Chairman	New York
	Jack Reed, Regional Chair	Rhode Island
	Mary Landrieu, Regional Chair	Louisiana
	Patty Murray, Regional Chair	Washington
	Harry Reid	Nevada
	Dianne Feinstein	California
	Ron Wyden	Oregon
	Tim Johnson	South Dakota
	Bill Nelson	Florida
	Tom Carper	Delaware
	Barbara Mikulski	Maryland
	Sherrod Brown	Ohio
Ex officio
	Dick Durbin, Democratic Whip	Illinois
	Patty Murray, Assistant Democratic Leader	Washington

External links

• Official Senate Democratic Policy Committee Website