Committee Assignments & Caucuses
Rep. Adam Schiff is the Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Rep. Schiff is also currently on leave from the Appropriations Committee. Prior to these assignments Schiff was a member of the House International Relations Committee from 2001 to 2006 and the House Judiciary Committee from 2001 to 2011.
House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
Rep. Adam Schiff currently serves as Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Rep. Schiff was selected in 2008 to serve on the Committee, and was reappointed as a permanent member in January 2009. The committee oversees the nation’s intelligence activities, including the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), and the National Security Agency (NSA).
House Appropriations Committee
Rep. Adam Schiff is currently on a leave of absence from the Appropriations Committee, serving as an ex-officio member. Rep. Schiff was named to the House Appropriations Committee in the 110th Congress. The powerful Appropriations Committee is charged with funding the core functions of the federal government. Schiff sought a seat on the Appropriations Committee to ensure responsible stewardship and comprehensive oversight of the nation's expenditures and to invest in priorities such as education, research and infrastructure. He also requested membership on the committee so that Southern California would have fair representation on the panel given the important role the region plays in our nation’s economy, security, and infrastructure.
Schiff served on the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee and the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee. The Foreign Operations Subcommittee plays a central role in the formation and execution of U.S. foreign policy. The subcommittee is responsible for reviewing and funding the U.S. international affairs budgets, including the U.S. Department of State, foreign military support programs through the Department of Defense, and most foreign aid. In this role, the subcommittee determines U.S. priorities in foreign policy. The Commerce, Justice, Science Subcommittee budgets most expenditures for the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Justice, and science related agencies such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). A major portion of the federal funding for the California Institute of Technology and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory is allocated in the spending bill drafted each year by this Subcommittee.
Caucuses and Working Groups
During his time in Congress, Rep. Adam Schiff has founded several caucuses to advance policy and regional legislative priorities.
Schiff is a founder and co-chair of the International Creativity and Theft-Prevention Caucus, a bipartisan group of House and Senate lawmakers dedicated to working with America’s international trade partners to secure the enactment of strong copyright laws and the vigilant enforcement of those laws. The Caucus is currently chaired by Reps. Schiff and Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).
In 2006, Schiff co-founded the Congressional Caucus for Freedom of the Press in May 2006, a bipartisan, bicameral caucus. The Freedom of the Press Caucus aims to advance press freedom around the world by creating a forum to combat and condemn media censorship and the persecution of journalists around the world.
Schiff is also founder and co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on the Judicial Branch, a bipartisan caucus dedicated to facilitating better communication between Congress and the federal judiciary. He co-chairs the Caucus with his colleague Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX).
Along with Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), Schiff co-chairs a bipartisan study group on nuclear security. The working group focuses on the full range of issues related to nuclear material and meets with experts on a range of topics – from civilian uses and storage problems to nuclear weapons and the security of nuclear material that could fall into the hands of terrorists.