Committee on Finance

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Key Offices

The Committee on Finance is led by the following people
Max Baucus - (D)
Chairman
The 10th longest serving Senator, Baucus has been representing Montana since 1978. He has been a voice of the moderate wing of the Democratic Party and is currently seeking re-election for 2008.
Chuck Grassley - (R)
Ranking Member
A former assembly line worker and farmer, Grassley was a citizen-legislator in the Iowa State House (1959-74) before being elected to the US House (1975-81). A Freemason, he was elected to the Senate for Iowa in 1980 and is currently 25th most powerful.

Members of Committee on Finance

Name Served Since
Jeff Bingaman - (D)

Once serving as Attorney General of New Mexico (1978-82), Bingaman is currently in his 5th term (since 1982) as Junior Senator from New Mexico. A representative of a major border state, he's been vocal on illegal immigration and possible solutions.
Olympia Snowe - (R)

A moderate Republican who began in the House representing Maine's 2nd District (1979-95), Snowe won her Senate seat in 1995. She's known for her influence in filibusters, her part in the "Gang of 14" and the highest approval rating in the Senate, 79%.
Maria Cantwell - (D)

In 1992, Cantwell won a seat in the House representing Washington's 1st District. Defeated in 1994, she went into marketing for RealNetworks. A new millionaire, in 2000 she won the Senate seat for Washington and has been there ever since.
Kent Conrad - (D)

Elected in 1986 as Senator of North Dakota, Conrad promised that he would not seek re-election if the federal budget deficit had not fallen by 1990. It did not, yet, in 1992 he re-entered the Senate. He voted against both the 1991 and 2002 Iraq Wars.
Mike Crapo - (R)

A lawyer before public office, Crapo was elected to the House for Idaho's 2nd District in 1993. In 1999, he won his Senate seat. One of the 'safest' in the Senate, many Republicans want him appointed to a higher position in the GOP leadership.
John Ensign - (R)

A veterinarian prior to public office, Ensign was elected to the House for Nevada's 1st District. On his second try, he won election to the Senate in 2000 and since has taken firm stances on animal rights, pro-life, and the necessity for support of the War
Orrin Hatch - (R)

After trying his hand at law, Hatch won a Senate seat for Utah in 1977. He invented the controversial "filibuster by amendment" and has called global warming "science fiction." There is whispering that Hatch is seeking the office of Attorney General.
John Kerry - (D)

John Forbes Kerry is the junior United States Senator from Massachusetts, in his fourth term of office. Kerry was the Presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 election.
Jon Kyl - (R)

Serving in the House of Representatives for Arizona from 1987 to 1995, Kyl advanced to the Senate immediately following. Ranked fourth most conservative Senator, Kyl is part of the Senate Republican Conference, making him the #3 Republican in the Senate.
Blanche Lincoln - (D)

A self-declared moderate Democrat, Lincoln has served in the House of Representatives for Arkansas' 1st District from 1993-7 and in the Senate from 1999-present. Her name is mentioned as a possible, if not only balancing, addition to an Obama '08 ticket.
Trent Lott - (R)

Representing Mississippi in the Senate since 1989, Lott has since been the subject of controversy. Resigning from his Majority Leader seat over perceived racist comments, in 2007 returned as the Minority Whip. He's been quite silent since.
Pat Roberts - (R)

After being elected to the House for Kansas' 1st District in 1980 until 1997, Roberts entered the Senate. A conservative, he's supported suspension of habeas corpus for terror detainees and received an environmental score of zero.
Jay Rockefeller - (D)

A Democratic exception to his oil dynasty family, Jay was West Virginia's Governor (1977-85) before entering the Senate in 1985. As Chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence, Rockefeller's been an outspoken critic of Bush's handling of the Iraq War.
Ken Salazar - (D)

A moderate Democrat, Salazar served as Colorado state Attorney General before entering the Senate in 2004. During AG Gonzales' confirmation hearing, he sat next to the nominee in support. Also, he was one of 14 to forge a filibuster compromise in 2005.
Chuck Schumer - (D)

Chuck Schumer is the senior Senator from New York and is currently in his second term. He is a leading member of the Democratic Party and is a prime voice in the prevention of crime.
Gordon Smith - (R)

While some say Smith is a conservative, others say he falls directly in the ideological center. Entering the Senate in 1997 for Oregon, he has since been a strong supporter of laws protecting gays and has become critical of Iraq War he initially supported.
Debbie Stabenow - (D)
Ron Wyden - (D)

Representing Oregon's 3rd District (1980-1996) before winning a special election in 1996 for a vacated Senate seat from Oregon, Wyden has established himself as a fiscally moderate, socially liberal, pro-trade Democrat.