We talked in class about the theory that congressional committees are formed to serve the interests of congresspeople. This was supported by the fact that the members on certain committees are often representatives of areas that are strongly affected by the actions of the committee. For example, representatives from Nebraska are more likely to be on the agriculture committee.
I would like to propose an alternate way of testing this theory: find out who initially supported the formation of Senate committees and what they stood to gain from the formation of the committee. If committees are frequently proposed by those who then derive benefit from them, this raises the probability that committees in general are created to benefit congresspeople. I found information on the formation of two committees which are listed below. They seem to support the hypothesis provided in class. It would be interesting to see a more comprehensive list of committee founders to further test this idea.
1. The Senate Committee on Agriculture was started in 1825 and proposed by Sen. William Findlay. He then went on to serve as the first committee chair. Also important to note is that he was the owner of a farm and represented Pennsylvania.
2. The Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs was started in 1913 and proposed by Sen. Robert Owen. He was previously a banker.
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