{{Short description|Senior member of a congressional or state legislative committee}} {{Use American English|date=June 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2026}} In United States politics, a '''ranking member''' is the most senior member of a congressional or state legislative committee from the minority party.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://projects.washingtonpost.com/politicsglossary/Congressional/ranking-member/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110701083132/http://projects.washingtonpost.com/politicsglossary/Congressional/ranking-member/ |archive-date=July 1, 2011 |title=Politics Glossary: ranking member |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> On many committees the ranking minority member, along with the Chair, serve as ''ex officio'' members of all of the committee's subcommittees.
Both the United States Senate<ref>{{Cite web|title=U.S. Senate: Glossary Term {{!}} Ranking Minority Member|url=https://www.senate.gov/reference/glossary_term/ranking_minority_member.htm|access-date=2021-01-03|website=www.senate.gov}}</ref> and United States House of Representatives<ref>{{Cite web|last=Singman|first=Brooke|date=2020-02-05|title=Who are the House committee chairs?|url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/who-are-the-house-committee-chairs|access-date=2021-01-03|website=Fox News|language=en-US}}</ref> use ranking members as part of their legislative structure. When party control of a legislative chamber changes, a committee's ranking member generally becomes chairman, and vice versa.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chairs in the House of Representatives |url=https://leadershipconnect.io/congress/future-chairs-in-the-house-of-representatives/ |access-date=29 April 2026 |website=Leadership Connect}}</ref>
==Congressional usage== Four Senate committees refer to the ranking minority member as vice chairman. The following committees follow the chairman/vice chairman structure for the majority and minority parties.
*Senate Committee on Appropriations *Senate Committee on Indian Affairs *Senate Select Committee on Ethics *Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
Other Senate committees refer to the ranking minority members as ranking member.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://banking.senate.gov/public/ |title=United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs: Home |publisher=Banking.senate.gov |access-date=2013-10-18}}</ref>
The House of Representatives normally does not use the term vice chairman for the ranking minority member, though some committees do have a vice-chairman position, usually assigned to a senior member of the majority party other than the chairman. House committees that follow this structure are:
*House Committee on Agriculture *House Committee on Appropriations *House Committee on the Budget *House Committee on Education and the Workforce *House Committee on Energy and Commerce *House Committee on Financial Services *House Committee on Government Reform *House Committee on Foreign Affairs *House Committee on Resources *House Committee on Veterans' Affairs *House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (subcommittees only)
The position of vice chair as the designation for the ranking minority member has been used for the House January 6 Committee.
Joint committees of the House and Senate operate in much the same way, with a chairman and vice-chairman from the majority party, alternating between a member of the House and a member of the Senate, and often two ranking members from both bodies.
==References== {{reflist}}
{{United States Congress}}
Category:Committees of the United States Congress Category:Leaders of the United States Congress Category:Terminology of the United States Congress