Kay Bailey Hutchison

Ranked one of the 30 most powerful women in 2001, Hutchison served in the Texas State House followed by a stint in the private sector. In 1993 she won special election for the Senate seat from Texas; she has served in that capacity since.

Ranked one of the 30 most powerful women in 2001, Hutchison served in the Texas State House followed by a stint in the private sector. In 1993 she won special election for the Senate seat from Texas; she has served in that capacity since.

Ranked one of the 30 most powerful women in 2001, Hutchison served in the Texas State House followed by a stint in the private sector. In 1993 she won special election for the Senate seat from Texas; she has served in that capacity since.

The Senate Committee on Appropriations has enormous sway in Congress; the largest of all the committees, with 29 members, it has jurisdiction over all discretionary spending legislation in the Senate.

This Subcommittee oversees discretionary spending for the Commerce and Justice Departments in addition to independent agencies such as the International Trade Commission, NASA, the National Science Foundation, and the Commission on Civil Rights.

While primarily overseeing the fiscal spending on the Department of Energy, this subcommittee also has jurisdiction over the Tennessee Valley Authority, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation.

This Subcommitte oversees funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development as well as the Department of Transportation. Additionally, it has jurisdiction over the Federal Aviation Administration and the Federal Housing Administration.